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The NeighborWoods Program fosters a partnership between the City of Olympia and its citizens toward planting and caring for street trees in residential neighborhoods. Through the Program, the City gives free trees to residents, along with free training in the care of those trees, in exchange for planting and caring for the trees.
The NeighborWoods Program began in 1998, with the assistance of an Urban and Community Forestry grant from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program and the U.S. Forest Service. Nearly 3000 street trees have been planted in the City of Olympia since then, and over 400 volunteers have been trained through the NeighborWoods Program.
There are four requirements to receive free trees through the NeighborWoods Program sponsored by the City of Olympia:
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Residence must be located within the legal city limits of the City of Olympia. |
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Attendance at a free 4-hour training workshop. |
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Trees must be planted either within or adjacent to the City's rights of way as street trees. |
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A commitment to care for (plant, water, prune, mulch) the trees. |
The process begins with your application for Free Trees. The application may be downloaded and mailed to the Urban Forestry office at the address at the bottom of the form. If you are a renter or planning to plant trees adjacent to another person’s property, please note the property owner’s name, address, and phone number and get the property owner's signature on the application.
Next, review the dates for free training workshops online or on the Urban Forestry Hotline at (360) 753-4444, Extension 3810. The Hotline is updated weekly with the most current information about NeighborWoods workshops and activities. To register for a training workshop, email your name, address, phone number, and the date of the workshop that you wish to attend to mmcnaugh@ci.olympia.wa.us. If you prefer, you may leave a voicemail message on the Hotline that includes your name (please spell your last name), address, phone number, and the date of the workshop that you wish to attend.
Now the fun part! Review the list of NeighborWoods tree varieties and research those of interest to you. We select tree varieties offered through the NeighborWoods Program based on disease resistance, hardiness, and beauty. We also choose varieties with non-aggressive root systems to lessen the potential for damage to streets, sewers, and sidewalks.
After attending the NeighborWoods Workshop, you will be contacted to schedule a planting site visit. The site visit evaluates existing site constraints, such as overhead powerlines, underground utilities, and soil types, among others. This is a unique part of the NeighborWoods Program that allows the Urban Forestry staff to assist you in choosing the right tree for your site, one that is the right size, will adapt well, and give pleasure and satisfaction without requiring extraordinary care.
The trees you have chosen will be delivered to your planting site upon completion of the application, attendance at a training workshop, and site visit.
Our goals are
a beautiful city, a healthy tree,
and a happy YOU!
For further information on NeighborWoods, please contact:
Micki McNaughton
NeighborWoods Program Specialist
837 7th Avenue SE/PO Box 1967
Olympia, WA 98507
(360) 570-5847
(360) 753-8087 Fax
mmcnaugh@ci.olympia.wa.us