Tumwater staff weighing homes for 50 Garry oak saplings; Arbor Day plans unchanged

Alyssa (city staff) told the Tumwater Tree Board the city is caring for about 50 Garry oak saplings rescued or supplied to the city and is seeking appropriate planting sites or partner organizations.

"We have about 50, but we have no formal nursery to support them. These are the meager oak saplings," Alyssa said. "We expect 50 will last the winter because we don't have a formal, like, nursery for them. So they're being taken care of in a way that we've not really done with plants before."

Why it matters: the saplings are a limited supply of a culturally and ecologically important species. Board members discussed options to place them in parks or with partners rather than mass distribution because the saplings have exacting needs.

Distribution and partners: board members and staff discussed possible recipients including the Burke Herbarium, the Washington Native Plant Society chapter, Pierce County Conservation District, Wolfhaven (a wildlife organization named in discussion), Oak Harbor volunteers and tribal landowners. Alyssa said she would ask whether the tribes want saplings for property inside the urban growth area. She also said staff learned these are not good roadside trees and that planting decisions should avoid car conflicts.

Arbor Day logistics and volunteer staffing: the board agreed to repeat the same species and quantities as last year for Arbor Day and to use the same handouts and seed packets; staff said the event will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with volunteers to load plants starting at 9 a.m. Alyssa said last year the city gave away about 100 plants and that seed packets were especially popular. "Was there consensus to do the same plant, same quantity as last year? Yes," Alyssa reported.

Emerald ash borer readiness: Alyssa also said Department of Natural Resources staff contacted the city offering money from a state emerald ash borer preparedness grant, and she estimated available funds between $12,000 and $20,000 to buy injectors and treatment supplies and to support proactive removals and replanting. She said the city would focus treatment and removals where ash are concentrated, such as along the Toyota dealership on Tai Yi (as cited in staff remarks).

Next steps and constraints: staff said they will follow up with parks staff to identify planting locations, consult with tribes about potential plantings on tribal property, and reach out to local nurseries and plant brokers for availability. The city also noted concerns about maintenance capacity for protected trees in parks.

Ending: Staff will order Arbor Day plants by the next meeting, continue outreach to partner organizations, and bring further updates to the tree board.