Just like a seed, Zachary Cunningham’s tree project started out small. A third grader at Fall City Elementary School, Zachary at first just wanted to read about trees, but then he had an idea to plant them on the school grounds, too.

“As you can see, the other trees got knocked down, or cut down,” he says, pointing out the large cedar stumps drawn into a rough map of the school grounds. “So my plan was to replace the other trees with newer trees.”

He talked to school librarian Meg Handy and his reading buddy, Anne Loring about it, and they encouraged him to pursue his plan. Handy, the school’s leader in various green efforts, was especially excited to see Zachary’s project succeed, because she’d been so disappointed when Fall City Elementary had to remove five cedars, roughly 160 years old, on the west end of the property in recent years.

Zachary went to work. He drew a map of his project site, showing the cedar stumps and the new trees, and built a clay diorama of his idea, showing both a downed cedar tree and a new tree growing in its place. Later, he added a miniature book to the scene, with the information about the trees he wanted to plant.

“Then I went to talk to Mr. S about it,” says Zachary. Principal Dan Schlotfeldt watched Zachary’s presentation and approved of the project.

Next, he met with Kris Brevick, of Fall City Trees. She discussed what types of trees would work on the site, and agreed to provide the trees this spring, but be paid for them after Zachary’s fund-raising efforts were complete.

Zachary chose the Pacific sunset maple because maples are his favorite kind of tree. Also, “They have a beautiful color in the summer and fall and they’re small enough that they won’t get into the power lines like the other trees… So they’re basically a perfect fit!”

To start his fund raising, Zachary talked to the Fall City PTSA, and “they said my project was great.”

The PTSA gave special support to Zachary’s project by providing the labor, and not just any labor “We got the high school wrestling team!” Zachary said. Three Mount Si High School wrestlers planted the new trees in an April downpour, for a $100 PTSA donation that they used to attend a tournament.

The new trees are doing well in their new homes, says Zachary, and he’s already got the plan to pay for them, with the help of Handy, and the Weyerhauser Corporation, which donated 600 shore pine seedlings to the school for Earth Day.

“People make a dollar of a donation, and then they get a seedling to plant,” Zachary said. “I’m getting three of them!”

For now, he will put his small seedlings in a shared pot, but he knows they won’t stay small for long. Just like his ideas.