Washington launches Evergreen Community Recognition Program; Renton among first honorees

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources on Friday officially launched the Evergreen Community Recognition Program at a press event in Renton, recognizing Renton, Lake Forest Park, Ellensburg and Walla Walla as the program’s first communities.

The program, described by Julia Cass, Evergreen Communities Coordinator at the DNR Urban and Community Forestry Program, is intended to celebrate and support municipalities, counties and tribes that demonstrate commitments to maintaining and improving urban and community forests. “This recognition program provides a meaningful platform on how to honor the impressive contributions of these communities while fostering collaboration between local and state levels to advance our urban and community forestry goals,” Cass said.

The launch featured remarks from Commissioner France, who framed urban trees as a public‑health and climate adaptation priority. “A tree can actually cool this area underneath it by as much as 45 degrees,” Commissioner France said, arguing that planting must be paired with long‑term care, canopy assessment and management plans. The commissioner cited funding increases for urban forestry, saying state support has grown to about $8,000,000 and that nationwide federal investment has risen substantially; the commissioner also said Washington has secured more than $16,000,000 in combined federal, state and local support.

Mayor Pavone said the recognition reflects Renton’s ongoing investments in its urban forest and thanked city parks staff, council members and community partners. “As an evergreen community, Renton will continue to see positive returns on these effects both environmentally and economically,” Mayor Pavone said, noting the city’s focus on long‑term care and maintenance in addition to tree planting.

State Representative Bill Ramos (5th District) offered personal remarks about how access to trees shaped his life and career in forestry and thanked local leaders for supporting urban forestry in Renton. The DNR coordinator said the program’s first cohort also includes Lake Forest Park, Ellensburg and Walla Walla and thanked a steering committee of cities, counties and volunteers for shaping the initiative.

Organizers said a park tour of Philip Arnold Park followed the event, with two passenger vans available to shuttle participants and a brief introduction by project manager Betsy Severson.

The event emphasized tree equity — targeting investments to neighborhoods that historically have had fewer trees — and the need to pair planting with maintenance funding, mapping and community engagement. DNR said it has partnered with American Forest to support canopy mapping and equity analysis. Several speakers underscored that achieving stated equity goals will require both expanded planting and sustained investment in care and management.

Next steps described at the launch include outreach to additional communities, development of recognition criteria and continued efforts to connect local governments with state and federal resources. A park tour and local staff briefings were scheduled to follow the press conference.