Seeing the Urban Forest: Why Tree Stories and Place Awareness Matter

All of my life living in Tacoma, I have felt strongly connected to the city. But recently, the ways I connect to it—emotionally, physically, and intellectually—have changed. I am thinking, feeling, and acting outwardly. Instead of asking only what Tacoma’s places do for me alone, I am asking questions like: “What can a place do for us?”

Connection to place, also called sense of place, “involves a personal orientation toward place, in which one’s understanding of place and one’s feelings about place become fused in the context of environmental meaning” (Hummon, 1992). My understanding of the Puget Sound is built on the stories I was told about its people, places, and creatures, and continues to be informed by new stories. The connection between place and story is emblematized in this saying by the Indigenous Salish Coast Peoples, the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw or Kwakiutl: “A place is a story happening many times.” As the stories we know change, so does our sense of place and how we choose to interact with place.

My sense of place began to change last winter, when I participated in the Tacoma Tree Foundation’s Tree Stewards Training, where I learned to see the urban forest for the first time. A significant part of the training is focused on the limitations of urban forestry. We discussed the infrastructure considerations that determine where trees can be planted such as powerlines, underground piping, and concrete. In addition,  we discussed the social systems that shape the urban forest, such as structural racism and redlining, and how these affect the design of our cities and the distribution of trees.

On the way home from the training, these new-to-me stories about the relationship between racism and trees changed the way I saw Tacoma. Before the training, I did not think about the shape of our urban spaces, who those shapes might be catered to, and if those shapes met my needs and wants or those of the community. Racism is a major example of how our lack of awareness of the stories that shape the urban forest have a negative impact on us and our environments. It is also an example of how and why we should become more aware of these stories.

In order to maintain and create healthy ecological and social environments, we need to become place aware. Place awareness–being aware of the values embedded in the stories we already know, and seeking out new perspectives– will be critical to understanding which of our stories are causing harm, and how we can contribute positively to a place with the actions we choose to take. One way to become more place aware is to ask questions about your neighborhood trees and of the shape of the urban forest.  

Where are the trees?

The image to the left looks south down Pacific Avenue where there are virtually no trees in sight.

This interactive map of redlining in Tacoma shows that this area was deemed “riskier” to invest in, a decision that encouraged further racial and economic segregation of the city. In contrast, the photo below, which looks north through a tunnel of trees in the Proctor district, shows an area of the city that has been historically invested in.

Are the trees healthy?

To the left is an image of a tree that has started to grow into the surrounding metal grate, which is meant to protect the tree’s roots and keep the soil from becoming compacted. Instead, the grate might kill it, if it is not expanded or removed.

To the right of it is an example of a tree that has been topped instead of properly pruned, leaving it susceptible to disease and stress-related death.

Pictured below are the trees recently planted along I-5 North, many of which have died, likely due to having been planted during the summer (which is not tree planting season!). These examples tell the story of a lack of community knowledge as well as of lacking capacity around tree care and maintenance. When we walk the city streets with place awareness, it becomes apparent that the presence of unhealthy trees often correlates with the historic levels of investment in each area. Generally,  those trees in redlined neighborhoods seem to have poorer health and maintenance.

Image Credit: KIRO 7 News.

What changes are being made?

With all of these stories in mind, I find myself excited to notice new trees, such as those pictured to the left that were recently planted outside a downtown Tacoma apartment building to replace the dead stumps in the right of way.

The same is true when I notice native endangered species being planted, such as the Oregon White Oak or Garry Oak, pictured to the right, which tells a story of community members who were empowered by place awareness, and who value the health of the local ecology. 

What do tree stories teach us to see?

These tree stories demonstrate how our sense of place can literally shape the places around us. When our sense of place is informed by destructive values such as racism, and when we remain unaware of the values we hold, we are likely to build hostile places. But when we work to gain awareness and new perspectives, we can find ways to create healthier, happier places. My new awareness of how every tree in an urban space tells a story about choices and values is currently what directs my activism and understanding of the urban forest.

Asking questions about trees, their placement, and their health while walking down the streets of Tacoma and the great urban area reveals the stories of our shared place, provides insight into our own sense of place, and guides us to take action for the better.

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Wendy Call and Lowell Wyse for contributing to the content of this post through their research on place and environmental justice.