Hundreds of residents received free trees from the city in 2021 and 2022 giveaways. If you are interested in participating in this program in the future, or have any questions, email trees@bellevuewa.gov.
Why Participate
The city has a goal of 40% tree canopy by 2050. To achieve that goal, we need to plant 75,000 trees over the next 30 years and preserve our existing trees. If every household in Bellevue plants a tree, we will be well on our way to achieving our goal!
Program Overview
The City of Bellevue gave away more than 1,000 trees in 2021 and 2022 giveaways to support our character as "a city in a park." When you participate in our Tree Giveaway you receive:
- Free trees (up to two for residents and up to 20 for community organizations)
- Training on proper planting and care
- Reminders about tree care
- Optional watering bag, mulch and "We Love Our Trees" yard sign
- For selected applicants, trees will be distributed Oct. 21-23
- Applicants can select their top three choices for trees.
Resources
Choosing the Right Tree(s)
How to Plant a Tree Guide and Video
Learn about how to plant a tree the right way before you take home your tree. Check out our illustrated guide on how to plant a tree and use a watering bag.
- How to Plant a Tree Guide (also available in español and 中文)
- 5-minute How to Plant a Tree Video, where you can watch us plant a tree (subtitled versions available in español, 繁體中文 and 简体中文
Available Trees
Available Trees
We are offering a variety of trees, from the following categories of trees: fruit, small flowering, deciduous shade, medium-sized conifers and large conifers. We choose our trees based on a variety of factors: native plants, current and future climate conditions, ease of maintenance, disease and insect resistance, adaptability to a variety of conditions, easy growing, appearance, regional availability, and low likelihood of limb failure. Applicants can designate their first, second and third choices.
If you have questions or need help evaluating your planting site or available tree choices, email trees@BellevueWA.gov or call 425-452-4852.
Residents
Get up to 2 Free Trees
Bellevue residents are eligible to receive up to two free trees to plant in their yard. People who live in multifamily housing, such as a condo, townhome, or apartment, can apply with written consent from the property manager or owner.
These trees are intended to be planted on the applicant's property, not along the street or in public space.
We will offer limited delivery and planting assistance for people who cannot pick up their tree or have mobility challenges and are unable to plant their tree. Assistance with tree planting will be available during the month of October from our volunteers.
Community Organizations and Schools
Get up to 20 Free Trees
Trees are also available for local businesses, schools, and community organizations. Eligible community organizations include places of worship, non-profits, small businesses, schools, and other organizations providing a community benefit. Community organizations may receive up to 20 trees for their properties. We offer a variety of trees: small and large, deciduous and evergreen for landscaped areas and also offer recipients free tree watering bags and mulch. Bellevue's urban forestry team can work with you to help determine the right number and type of trees for your available space.
We're happy to answer any questions. Apply for trees or contact us for a consultation and to schedule a site visit. During our consultation we can review site conditions (amount of space, any obstacles, etc.) as well as summer watering and maintenance plans. Email trees@BellevueWA.gov or call 425-452-4852 with questions.
Educational Opportunities
Is your group interested in learning more about trees and the environment? Contact trees@BellevueWA.gov to schedule a workshop.
Tree Care and Requirements
Tree Care and Requirements
Trees are living, growing things and require some ongoing care to thrive. We will provide resources on tree planting and care for young trees as well as summer watering reminders to help you succeed. To ensure your tree has the best chance of growing up healthy, we ask that you commit to the following actions to prepare to adopt a new tree:
- Choose the right tree for the right place. If you have a larger space, consider planting a larger tree.
- Properly plant your tree, water your tree each summer for 3-5 years and care for your tree for its life
- Assume all future responsibility for maintenance, including summer watering, pruning, raking, etc.
- View our training resources on tree planting and learn about the basics of tree care to help your tree thrive
Volunteer to Help
Help us plant some trees
We will need assistance from volunteers when we distribute trees, as well as helping with delivery and planting for selected residents and community organizations. If you'd like to volunteer to help at our distribution event or plant trees for people who need assistance, signups will be available in Sep to help. No experience is necessary, and we will provide training. Volunteers must be age 14 or over.
Tree Equity
Tree Equity
Our commitment to creating inclusive and equitable opportunities in Bellevue as part of our Diversity Advantage Initiative applies to our urban forest along with other city programs. The Diversity Advantage Plan guides city programs through a set of actions that help our city and city programs grow in cultural competency and appeal to more of our communities.
We studied other tree giveaways around the country (major articles here and here) and discovered that community members most in need were the least likely to receive trees. This means that people who live in areas with high existing tree canopy and high community investment were more likely to participate in tree giveaways than diverse communities. The intent of free giveaways is to help people plant trees, increase tree canopy overall, and help people learn about nature. If most of the trees are going to areas with already high tree canopy and resources, the gap in access to environmental resources continues to widen. In Bellevue, neighborhoods with the lowest canopy are also our most diverse. We know that trees won't eliminate disparities and access to resources by themselves, but they are a step toward equitable access to programs and resources in our city.
In Bellevue, income level, immigration status, race, and a myriad of other reasons determine where people live. Where we live has a huge impact on every part of our lives and tree canopy impacts many of them. In general, people who live near trees experience less stress, are less likely to develop heart disease, are less likely to develop a mental illness, do better in school, have more community connections, are less likely to lived in an under-resourced or under-served community, and much, much more. Trees are good for us but are just one indicator of investment in communities. This program's aim is to give all our communities additional environmental resources for a healthy, sustainable and equitable future.
There are multiple barriers for many to participate in this kind of program. Sometimes people may not hear about a program because they speak a different language, use different social media, or participate in different projects that our traditional outreach methods haven't served. Some issues, like a lack of trust in government services, can require more nuance to resolve. To start addressing these issues, we are taking the following steps:
- Working with a consultant who has experience working with diverse groups to build community relationships
- Focusing additional resources on reach diverse Bellevue community members
- Trying new outreach strategies
- Offering smaller, flowering and fruiting trees that are more appropriate for small spaces
- Offering trees that are similar to those seen in Latin America and China (our target language outreach groups)
- Providing tree education to help address gaps in tree knowledge and tree care
- If demand outpaced supply, we will weight applications based on Tree Equity Score and language spoken to ensure diverse applicants receive trees