trees

Seattle passes new tree ordinance amid calls to tweak legislation

Cara Kuhlman

On Tuesday, Seattle City Council passed a long awaited update to the city's tree protection ordinance for trees on private property. The legislation, which aims to appease both developers and tree advocates, will continue to be revised.

A woman with long dark hair wearing a coat stands on a wooden boardwalk with greenery and houses behind her.

Environment

Can Seattle balance its need for housing with its need for trees?

Bellamy Pailthorp

Despite its reputation as ‘the Emerald City’ in ‘the Evergreen State,’ Seattle has been losing trees. A long-awaited update to the city’s tree protection ordinance will be voted on by Seattle City Council next week.

Weyerhaeuser employee Teri Rongen, left, student Troy Rath, 15, and Tacoma Public Schools board member Chelsea McElroy work on planting a tree in the fields behind Mount Tahoma High School during an event with American Forests, Friday, April 14, 2023, in Tacoma, Wash.

Environment

Historic investment in urban trees underway across the U.S.

The Associated Press

A historic amount of money is being spent on urban tree planting and maintenance in underserved, often concrete-covered neighborhoods across the country.

A fallen pine tree surrounded by brown grass and some snow with living pine trees behind it.

Environment

Citing wildfire risk, Spokane to thin 1,000 acres of urban forest

Rebecca White

Fire officials say Spokane is one of many communities across Washington at extremely high risk of catastrophic fire because of climate change and development into natural, or forested, areas.

A stressed western red cedar loaded with seed pods is visible, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, in Seattle. Increasingly, the challenge for city arborists is to keep old and new trees alive, and it's incurring a bigger hit on municipal budgets. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Environment

New protections for Seattle’s trees are inching forward

Bellamy Pailthorp

After losing 255 acres of tree canopy in the last five years, long awaited-amendments to Seattle's tree ordinance have been released. It’s a balancing act between making room for more housing and ensuring that the urban forest thrives.

A line of six people dressed to work outside pass bags of dirt in a parking lot with a truck and trees in buckets behind.

Environment

In Tacoma, growing the urban tree canopy is a community effort

Bellamy Pailthorp

More than a decade ago, Tacoma set an ambitious goal to increase its tree canopy and do so equitably but so far, its been a slow start. At Tacoma Tree Foundation's annual Branch Out event, community partners distributed and planted almost 500 trees. Homeowners, city leaders and volunteers described growing momentum through this kind of community outreach.

Tree-ring increment cores collected from bigcone Douglas fir trees growing on Mount Pinos in Southern California. Each growth ring is a couplet of light colored spring wood and dark colored summer wood. Wide rings form in wet years and narrow rings form in dry years. (Daniel Griffin 2022)

Environment

Rising temperatures are harming trees

Tree expert Daniel Griffin shares what tree growth rings in southern California tell him about cycles of drought over centuries in North America.

Environment

Tacoma’s uphill battle to grow its urban tree canopy by 2030

Bellamy Pailthorp

Amid increasing heat waves driven by climate change, the role of trees in urban environments becomes more crucial every year. Tacoma has fewer trees than any other city in the Puget Sound region – and some of the most aggressive goals to change that.

Environment

Seattle’s Draft Tree Protection Ordinance Maintains Protections For Smaller Significant Trees

Bellamy Pailthorp

It’s early days yet, but the first draft of a new law to protect and increase Seattle’s tree canopy is out. The proposed ordinance extends safeguards to…

Environment

As Seattle Works Toward New Rules For Tree Cutting, Neighborhood Activists Push For More Protections

Bellamy Pailthorp

Seattle is working on changes to its tree protection ordinance. Trees provide shade and clean the air. They’re acknowledged by the City of Seattle for the…