Kirkland Celebrates Forest Day on October 15

Published on September 13, 2022

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Media Contact:
David Wolbrecht
Communications Program Manager
dwolbrecht@kirklandwa.gov
(425) 587-3021

KIRKLAND, Wash. – The City of Kirkland invites the community to celebrate Kirkland Forest Day with forest stewardship, a tree giveaway, ceremonial tree planting and more on October 15, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Juanita Beach Park.

“Forest Day is a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate Kirkland’s dedicated efforts to preserve our trees and improve the urban forest,” said Councilmember Kelli Curtis. “Trees are important for our environment, our well-being, and our wildlife. Each of our individual actions add up to a collective impact in helping protect our natural spaces and enhance our urban tree cover. I’m grateful to the King Conservation District for their support with this event.”

The Forest Day schedule of activities include:

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Green Kirkland Volunteer Stewardship Event. Volunteers will lend a hand and learn about forest habitat around Juanita Creek.
12 – 12:30 p.m.: Ceremonial Tree Planting. Join City of Kirkland staff as we plant a tree at Juanita Beach Park to celebrate Arbor Day.
12 – 2 p.m.: Tree Giveaway with King Conservation District. Two (2) 5-gallon FREE trees per property will be available for pickup. There are 20 different species both native and non-native, available. Trees must be planted on private property within Kirkland with permission from the landowner.
12 – 2 p.m.: Forest Day Learning Booths and Demonstrations. Learn about your garden, your tree, current City programs such as the Tree Rebate Program, Comprehensive Plan updates, and Energy Smart Heat Pump Campaign, and ask questions of King County Master Gardeners who will have a booth at the event.

Pre-registration is required for the tree giveaway and the volunteer stewardship event. For more registration information, visit the Forest Day event page.

The City is hosting Forest Day in recognition of Arbor Day, which officially occurs in April but is recognized in some communities in the fall in alignment with the planting season. Hosting an Arbor Day celebration is one of the requirements to receive an annual Tree City USA recognition, which Kirkland has received for 20 years.

Kirkland maintains an Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan(PDF, 3MB) that provides a framework of performance measures for sustainable urban forest management. The City also measures its tree canopy cover with a goal of a 40% canopy cover. For more information on all things trees in Kirkland, visit kirklandwa.gov/trees.

This event is led by the City of Kirkland Planning and Building Department in partnership with the Green Kirkland Partnership and King Conservation District. For questions about Kirkland Forest Day, contact Katie Hogan at KHogan@kirklandwa.gov or 425-587-3289.