Little white flags and hash marks on the curb line some streets in Whittier Heights. These markers indicate where a new tree will be planted.

“Thanks to the voter-supported ‘Bridging the Gap’ initiative, SDOT is planting over 800 street trees per year,” Marybeth Turner with the Seattle Department of Transportation tells us. The project in Ballard is focused on planting street trees from 9th Ave NW to 14th Ave NW and NW 65th St to NW 85th St on blocks with planting strips at least five feet wide.

Homeowners get to select one of four trees to be planted in front of their home. Shorter trees will be planted if there are power lines above and a selection of taller trees are available if there are no power lines.

“As part of our ‘Bridging the Gap’ program, we water the trees for the first two to three summers to help ensure survival,” Turner says. “They will be added to the inventory of SDOT trees and will be the responsibility of SDOT urban forestry to maintain.”

The planting is scheduled to begin next month.