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…..