Green Kent Partnership volunteer stewards are getting some well-deserved recognition from a statewide urban forestry leadership organization.

The group will receive the Urban Forestry Stewardship Award at the Sept. 11 meeting of the Washington Urban and Community Forestry Council. The award recognizes exceptional leadership, creativity, cooperation and stewardship toward the goals of urban and community forestry in Washington.

“The Washington Urban and Community Forestry Council is pleased to honor such a worthy group of volunteers,” said Councilmember Ara Erickson, formerly with Green Kent partner Forterra and now with Weyerhaeuser. “The Green Kent Stewards are wonderful examples of how volunteers can take active roles in caring for their natural areas and helping their urban forests thrive.

“The stewards’ sheer number of work parties hosted, acres of invasive species cleared, and native trees and shrubs planted greatly impressed the council,” Erickson said. “We are delighted to recognize the stewards and the Green Kent Partnership.”

The Green Kent Partnership empowers residents to be part of a 20-year restoration management plan. Once they receive training, access to tools and support staff, the stewards select a park or natural area they care about and begin a four-phased restoration that starts with removing invasive weeds, replanting with native trees and shrubs, adding eco-friendly weed barriers, then monitoring the area.

There are 21 trained Green Kent Stewards. Some have been leading environmental restoration work parties at their sites for three years.

For more information about the program and the next steward orientation, contact Victoria Andrews, 253-856-5113, vandrews@kentwa.gov.

For more information about the council and the Washington Urban and Community Forestry Program, visit www.dnr.wa.gov/urbanforestry.