A move in the Washington House budget that would wipe out the state’s urban-forestry funding has Tacoma tree-planting groups on high alert. Advocates say the rollback could stall plantings and volunteer programs already underway and make it far tougher for cities to land and manage federal tree grants.
What the House proposal would cut
The House Appropriations Committee’s supplemental operating packet for the 2025-27 biennium lists an “Urban Forest Assistance” item that would remove ongoing state funding for the Department of Natural Resources’ urban-forestry work. The change appears in the House package for SHB 2289 and, if the House language survives reconciliation, the cuts would kick in with the new biennium on July 1, 2026, according to fiscal.wa.gov.
Federal grants and local projects on the line
DNR staff and advocates say the state program functions as the staff and administrative hub that unlocks federal grants for cities, tribes and nonprofits. “There’s about $5.5 million of active pass-through funding out there,” DNR communications staff told The Urbanist, and the agency warned executed projects could be jeopardized without state capacity. The DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry program provides technical assistance and grant awards to local partners statewide, the agency notes on its site.
Tacoma’s shade plans in the crosshairs
In Tacoma, city staff and nonprofit partners say the funding helps pay for equity-focused plantings, school-route greening and tree stewardship work in neighborhoods with low canopy. The Tacoma News Tribune reports the city relied on roughly $335,000 in state UCF support and that the state program awarded about $1.3 million to five Tacoma projects in 2024, work local groups are already delivering, according to Tacoma News Tribune. The Tacoma Tree Foundation, which in recent years has run neighborhood planting drives and distributed thousands of trees, says much of its state funding is directed toward environmental-justice plantings and volunteer-driven programs, per the group’s site.
Lawmakers respond and what happens next in Olympia
House Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon told the News Tribune the House “has heard concern” about the proposed cut and expects to revisit the item during negotiations with the Senate, which he estimated could take about a week, the paper reports. The House was scheduled to vote on its budget on Saturday, Feb. 28, and both chambers must reconcile competing versions before the end of the legislative session, per the House budget packet on fiscal.wa.gov.
Why trees are more than just nice to look at
Advocates stress this is not only about shade. Trees reduce urban heat, help manage stormwater and provide public-health and equity benefits to neighborhoods that have historically lacked canopy. The DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry materials highlight those climate and equity aims and describe the program’s role in channeling federal and other grant dollars into local projects.
Key timeline to watch
The House language could still change in conference with the Senate, and advocates say they will press lawmakers to restore funding before cuts take effect July 1. Local groups and city staff say they plan to track negotiations closely and keep pushing for state support that leverages federal grants and community planting programs.
