Urban Forestry
Trees are an essential part of our lives, contributing to the health, beauty, and enjoyment of our communities. In urban landscapes, this benefits humans, wildlife, and the environment.
Capitol Campus is an internationally accredited arboretum that showcases high-quality urban forest planning, maintenance, and development.
Urban forestry on Capitol Campus dates back to 1929, when the Olmsted Brothers developed their master landscape plan. The Olmsted plan focused on having an urban forest with diverse trees, a woodland edge, and planting designs that complemented the government buildings' layout and the surrounding views.
Campus grounds staff follow urban forestry best practices to maintain the Olmsted's legacy, caring for trees from the moment they are planted, throughout their lifetime, and even after they die. Many trees on Capitol Campus live on in the form of benches and other repurposed woodwork across campus.
Today, the campus boasts 105 types of trees, representing various species, sizes, and ages.
Learn more about urban forestry on Capitol Campus in the following videos.
Urban forestry management on the Capitol Campus
Aesthetic benefits
Capitol Campus has a variety of beautiful trees. Riley shares how the trees create a rich tapestry of sizes, shapes, colors, and textures which changes throughout the seasons.
Human health and happiness
Spending time around trees has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and increase wellbeing. Bruce talks about how this improves health and safety in the community.
Mental benefits of trees
Lou talks about the mental and physical wellbeing that trees bring. Did you know that simply looking at trees can reduce stress?
Heat island effect
Jason talks about the heat island effect and how trees provide shade and natural air conditioning, helping keep Olympia cool.
Stormwater mitigation
Kym discusses how trees play an important role in managing storm water. Acting as an umbrella and a sponge, trees reduce the amount of stormwater that ends up in Puget Sound.
Wildlife habitat
Jesse talks out how the Capitol Campus trees encourage biodiversity and provide food and shelter for wildlife.