If you haven’t seen the tree-themed banners that are part of the Urban Forest Project Tacoma, you have until May 31 to view them hanging in the wild along Pacific Avenue as part of downtown Tacoma’s urban jungle. Once the calendar strikes June, these art banners come down and get repurposed into one-of-a-kind messenger bags.

You can also go to ufp-tacoma.com to see the banner artwork and purchase T-shirts or posters with your favorite banner designs for $30 each. The messenger bags made out of the art banners will go on sale June 15, price to be determined. Proceeds from the sale of the T-shirts, posters and bags will go toward planting and maintaining trees in Tacoma.

The Urban Forest Project Tacoma is a community collaboration featuring nearly 100 tree-themed banners by local artists, designers and students to raise awareness of the importance of trees in the city while celebrating the city’s vibrant creative community. The banners create a forest of thoughtful images amid the concrete and asphalt of Tacoma’s urban landscape.

For more information on the Urban Forest Project Tacoma, go to ufp-tacoma.com or contact City of Tacoma Urban Forester Ramie Pierce at trees@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-2048.

Tacoma’s urban forestry program, EverGreen Tacoma, was created to plan, manage, protect and preserve the natural and planted vegetation in Tacoma for the health and well-being of residents and visitors. The City of Tacoma wants to grow its tree canopy (the amount of Tacoma covered by trees) to 30 percent by 2030. In 2001, the U.S. Forest Service calculated Tacoma’s tree canopy at nearly 13 percent. The City of Tacoma is currently updating its municipal code to reflect the recently adopted new Comprehensive Plan Chapter, the Urban Forest Policy. The City of Tacoma also offers education, outreach and resources about tree planting maintenance.

Learn more about Tacoma’s Urban Forestry Program and how you can get involved in increasing Tacoma’s tree canopy at cityoftacoma.org/evergreentacoma.