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Bellingham city officials are asking for residents’ help as they create their first Urban Forestry Management Plan, a bible of sorts to guide the use of tree cover in the same way that the city sets goals for development of roads, sidewalks and bike paths.

Their first step was to publish a “State of the Urban Forest Report,” a 31-page document that examines the parts of Bellingham that have the most trees and explains the benefits trees provide for city residents.

“They give us shade, they give us food, they give us medicine. They give us so much and ask for so little in return,” said John Wesselink of Bellingham, a tree enthusiast who’s mapped the various tree species in about a dozen local parks.

Western Washington University is among the greenest areas of the city at 63%, and Wesselkink considers it a gem.

“Western’s campus is far and away the best place to see Bellingham’s trees,” he said.