tree-planting-2015Two hundred and fifty trees provided by the Port of Vancouver USA will be part of a larger planting and restoration effort on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service, Monday, Jan. 19.

The native saplings will be part of a Vancouver Watersheds Alliance (VWA) planting along Burnt Bridge Creek. Hundreds of volunteers will plant approximately 7,000 trees and shrubs as part of ongoing efforts to restore and improve the waterway. Burnt Bridge Creek drains 28 square miles of urban land in west Vancouver.

The port is running out of room to plant mitigation trees, a requirement when developing property to support industry and attract employers. On Dec. 9, 2014, the port’s Board of Commissioners approved unique mitigation agreements with VWA and Portland, Ore.-based Friends of Trees. The agreements allow both groups to plant trees on behalf of the port to help mitigate for development of port properties.

Several port employees are volunteering with VWA on Jan. 19, and you can, too! View the event flyer and visit www.vancouverwatersheds.org for more information on how you can help VWA and the port keep Vancouver green and healthy.