King County Water & Land Division: Urban Forestry Intern 

Pay Range: $21.21-$26.89

How to Apply: Please e-mail your cover letter, resume or letter of interest to crivers@kingcounty.gov no later than June 6.

Description:

Our internship program creates opportunities for students to launch and grow their careers and supports our mission to care for the environment and King County residents’ environmental health. This program also rejuvenates and challenges us and our work, shares power, and brings more voices to the table.  

King County’s Urban Forestry Internship provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience while supporting environmental sustainability and community well-being. Interns will contribute to critical urban forestry initiatives, helping advance tree equity, conduct research, and engage in community outreach efforts. Through this program, students will build skills in project management, data analysis, and public engagement, while also gaining insight into sustainable urban forestry strategies. 

Interns will receive mentorship and professional development opportunities, and may include  guidance on an independent research project, if deemed mutually beneficial to the intern and King County. This experience will not only support King County’s environmental efforts but also provide students with valuable career-building connections and exposure to local government operations. 

Duration and Schedule 

The duration for each internship is approximately 4 months, from mid-June 2025 through October 2025. Start and end dates are flexible, as are the actual hours worked, although we will give preference to candidates that can work at least 20 hours per week during summer (June-August) and 10 hours per week during fall (September through October).  Much of the work can be done independently and on your own schedule, though you will need to find at least a few hours each week to work with your mentors and other staff. 

Primary Duties 

1. Support Urban Forestry Forum 

• Help develop meetings topics and agendas to support cities’ urban forestry work. 

• Assist with preparation and logistics for Urban Forestry Forum meetings (virtual and in-person formats) including Power Pont presentation development. 

• Provide administrative support such as meeting notes, contact roster updates. 

2. Research Projects 

• Tree Survival: Research and compile best practices and existing resources for successful tree planting and establishment. 

• Tree Education and Care: Research and develop an Excel-based database of existing urban forestry-related educational materials. 

• Tree Code Toolkit: Contribute to research and development of content for a toolkit to support cities with tree canopy protection ordinances. 

3. Community Outreach and Engagement 

• Assist with the creation of content for an urban forestry webpage on King County’s website. 

• Support activities to collect community input on needs and barriers related to tree planting and maintenance. 

4. Additional Contributions 

• Assist with field work, site visits, monitoring, and research projects. 

Independent Research Project 

Midway through your internship, you will work with your mentor to determine whether you want to include an independent research project in your work plan.  If mutually agreeable, you will select a topic or question and design a feasible, internship-sized, research project. The project will focus on your personal and career interests and can be customized to the skills you want to learn, such as data analysis and graphing, statistics, or GIS. You will be supported by mentors from the Agriculture, Forestry, and Incentives Unit (AFI). At the end of your internship, you will present your project to your coworkers and, if you are comfortable doing so, to external parties. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in Washington state. 

• Passion for urban forestry and environmental sustainability. 

• Interest in conducting independent web-based research and data analysis. 

• Curiosity and motivation to explore new programs and ideas. 

• Ability to work effectively in a virtual environment. 

• Comfortable working both independently and in a team setting. 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills. 

• Basic knowledge of MS Word and Excel 

• Willingness to work outside in somewhat challenging conditions (weather, terrain) 

While not required, preference will be given to those that are familiar with South King County, including urban unincorporated communities of Skyway and White Center/North Highline. 

Learning Objectives and Skills Gained 

Learning Objectives 

• Collaborate with industry professionals and community stakeholders. 

• Receive mentorship and participate in professional development opportunities. 

• Contribute to impactful projects that support tree equity and mitigate extreme heat effects. 

Skills Gained 

• Meeting planning, facilitation, and management (virtual & in-person) 

• PowerPoint creation and use 

• On-line research 

• Website content creation 

• Hands-on experience in urban forestry and environmental sustainability. 

Professional Competencies Strengthened 

• Collaboration – Building partnerships and working effectively with others to achieve shared goals. 

• Resilience – Navigating challenges and setbacks with adaptability. 

• Interpersonal Savvy – Comfortably engaging with diverse groups of people. 

• Networking – Establishing and maintaining professional relationships within and beyond the organization. 

• Self-Development – Seeking opportunities for growth and learning through both formal and informal channels. 

At the end of this internship, a successful intern should feel more confident about their ability to develop a project and successfully execute on their vision, network, collaborate, and communicate with coworkers in a virtual environment, and share research findings verbally and in writing. 

To be qualified, you must be a college student currently enrolled. You will need to provide proof of enrollment. 

Wage Information 

Intern II: $21.21-$26.89 

The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly by teleworking, complemented with onsite work and meetings as needed. Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. 

Interns must reside within a reasonable distance of their King County worksites or carpool locations to respond to workplace reporting requirements. 

Please e-mail your cover letter, resume or letter of interest to crivers@kingcounty.gov. Please be sure to: 

• Describe your interest related to Urban Forestry and Environmental Health; 

• Indicate what you hope to gain from the internship; 

Deadline for submitting application materials is June 9, 2025.