Contact:

Molly Beeman                                  Heidi Taffera

Office of Energy & Sustainability     Forterra

Molly.Beeman@snoco.org              HTaffera@Forterra.org

425-262-2888                                  425-269-9981

Healthy Forest Day Invites the Community to Help Improve the Health of Our Greenspaces

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash., October 21, 2022 – Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project and Forterra are hosting Healthy Forest Day on Saturday, November 5, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. to help restore urban parks, including McCollum Park. Volunteers are needed to plant trees, remove invasive weeds and provide a helping hand to our green spaces. The event is open to people of all ages and features fun activities such as planting native trees and shrubs and removing introduced weeds. 

Green City Days 2022 is a series of events across 13 cities throughout Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties. They will be held between Oct. 8 – Nov. 19. This year during Green City Days, Green City Partnerships will host events at more than 40 different parks. The goal is to engage 1,400 volunteers and plant more than 10,000 new and healthy forest plants. 

“The value of this volunteer work is immeasurable,” said Tom Teigen, Director of the Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “Communities are working together to restore our local urban forests that clean the air, buffer noise and retain water to reduce the impacts of flooding. Forests also provide important habitat for wildlife and make outdoor recreation more accessible, which is a vital part of Snohomish County life.”

“Fall is the optimal time of year to get outside and plant a forest. In the Pacific Northwest, our native plants and trees have the best chance of survival when planted in the fall and winter months,” said Joanna Nelson de Flores, Senior Managing Director of Green Cities at Forterra. “Green City Days are a fun way to dig-in, support your community and get to know the local parks and greenspaces.” 

Green City Partnerships and its Green City Days bring together local nonprofits, community members and city partners who are dedicated to the region’s forested parks, natural areas and communities. It’s a true community effort. This fall marks 17 years of outstanding service. 

For more information about the Healthy Forest Day and to register for festivities, visit https://forterra.org/our-work/projects/green-snohomish-county-partnership/, or GreenCityDays.org. For more information contact Ash Lehto at SnocoHealthyForest@Forterra.org.

Volunteer Information

No experience is necessary - tools, gloves and training are provided. Activities include planting young trees and plants, removing weeds (blackberries and ivy), spreading mulch and more. If you can’t make it to a Green City Day event this year, there are other ways to help! Find more upcoming events on CEDAR. You can also donate or become a sponsor. Learn more here.

ABOUT THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY HEALTHY FOREST PROJECT

The Snohomish County Healthy Forest Project is a partnership between the county and Forterra that focuses on urban forest restoration.  Community stewardship is a central program component. The project goals are to improve urban forest and natural area health, galvanize an informed and involved community and ensure long term sustainability of county owned urban forested areas.

ABOUT FORTERRA

Forterra is an unconventional land trust that works across Washington’s communities and landscapes, from the ranches and shrub-steppe of the Yakima basin to the estuaries, farms and forests of Washington’s coast, reaching more than 100 counties, cities, towns and rural communities. Working cooperatively with people and nature, Forterra drives land stewardship, management and planning; innovative programs and policies; farming and forestry approaches; community ownership opportunities; and development solutions.

ABOUT GREEN CITY PARTNERSHIPS

In 2004, natural areas around Seattle were infested with invasive plants, which prevented a new generation of trees from growing. Forterra and the City of Seattle recognized an opportunity to restore and maintain Seattle’s 2,500 acres of forested parkland with the help of the community. From there, a 20-year strategic plan was developed, and the first Green City Partnership began. Today, there are 14 cities and one county involved. Green City Partnerships help urban communities in the Puget Sound region effectively enhance and care for their natural open spaces and tree canopy.