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Tumwater board urges quick individual letters after House draft would cut DNR urban forestry grant
Summary
Board members warned that a House budget draft would eliminate a $1.5 million DNR urban and community forestry line, which staff said could forfeit about $5 million in federal matching funds; members were urged to send individual letters to the House committee within days.
A Tumwater staff member told the Tree Board on March 9 that a House draft budget would remove the Department of Natural Resources’ $1.5 million urban and community forestry grant on which the city has relied, and that the change could cost the state an estimated $5 million in leveraged federal funds.
“Because DNR has had that 1.5 million…they used it and leveraged it to gain access to an additional 5 million in federal funding,” the staff member said, adding that if the House line is accepted the overall cut to the statewide program would be roughly $6.5 million.
The staff speaker, who identified as a city employee and who the board later referenced as Alyssa, said Tumwater has received two grants from the program since her tenure began: one to revise the street-tree code and another in 2024 for a tree inventory and maintenance plan. She said the inventory identified more than $3 million in deferred maintenance and has been used for planning and outreach.
Alyssa asked board members to send individual letters quickly to members of the House appropriations process and said it is permissible for signers to note they are Tumwater Tree Board members in their signature block, but cautioned that the board as a whole is not authorized to send a collective letter. “If you do plan to send a letter, you can write that you are a Tumwater Tree Board member in your signature part,” she said.
Board members discussed whether other funding sources — including proposals tied to the Climate Commitment Act — have been suggested, but Alyssa said that revenue is under heavy pressure for other uses and likely cannot fully backfill the cut.
Alyssa offered to distribute a draft letter if a volunteer prepares one and to provide technical information to members who want help composing messages. Multiple members said they would forward the suggested text to interested contacts and citizen networks.
The board did not take formal action beyond encouraging members to write and to coordinate quickly with staff for technical details. The city’s final conference budget was expected in the days after the meeting; staff said that budget would reconcile House and Senate differences and proceed to the governor, who may line-item veto sections.
The board plans follow-up communication by email from staff to circulate any draft the volunteer prepares and to provide additional guidance on signatures and timing.
