Some E Roy greenery (Image: City of Seattle)
Lovers of Seattle’s trees are hoping to celebrate Tuesday afternoon as the Seattle City Council is expected to pass legislation requiring tree service providers to register with the city prior to conducting work on private property.
The bill sponsored by Councilmembers Alex Pedersen and Dan Strauss would extend requirements already in place for companies that trim and remove trees in the public right of way along streets and sidewalks. It will also require the tree service providers to post notice three days before major pruning or removal of trees above a certain size.
With the full council likely to pass the legislation Tuesday, the new rules will likely fan the furor of tree advocates when removal notices will now be posted during construction and yard projects in their neighborhoods, extending the dust-ups to private property.
The latest tree battle on Capitol Hill took place over two 40-foot-tall Norway Maple trees in the planting strip along 13th Ave E marked for removal during an Department of Transportation project in the area. Public feedback was fielded. And the trees were removed anyhow in September.
According to the city, Capitol Hill maintains tree canopy coverage over 34.9% of its street right-of-way, among the highest rates in Seattle and far above neighborhoods in southeast Seattle where street tree coverage doesn’t even hit 20%. Seattle has a goal of achieving 30% coverage citywide by 2037– currently that number is 28%.
There are no similar goals involving trees on private property. But now Seattle tree lovers will at least have warning before the big ones are cut down.
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I live in southeast seattle. while there are certainly multiple distinct neighborhoods in that quadrant of the city, many are “single family” areas with relatively large lots – and plenty of trees that were planted or have grown there in the total absence of any kind of regulations protecting them. Most people who live in houses and have the space host several trees.
Please don’t turn having a tree into a liability – where have to register it, or if you are fined if you have to prune or remove it, even if it is a safety risk to or maintenance headache toward your home. That will – shocker – just disincentivize having trees in the first place. I’ve already stopped planting large variety trees in yard projects I do – and while I’m not a pro I do more than the average person does – for precisely this reason.
And all this upzoning – leave room for trees and they will show up naturally – no regulating required.
Shocker—they’re not leaving room for large trees, and often not for trees at all.
South Seattle has a lot fewer trees than many other areas of the city. It also as a result had higher temperatures than more treed areas this summer when we hit record temperatures. According to the New York Times more than 300 extra people died last summer in the heat wave.
Large trees are important to help shade houses and sidewalks and streets, Temperature differences can be as high as 10-15 higher in areas with few or no trees.
The ordinance the Council passed today with all members present and voting yes was to require Tree Service Providers working on private property to register with the city and acknowledge they have read Seattle’s tree rules and regulations and will comply with the law. They have had to do that for the last 9 years to work on street trees. Washington state already requires registration with the state to do major tree work. So do nine other states. This tree code varies city to city so this ordinance is meant to insure that tree care providers understand the rules in Seattle.
If a tree is a hazard tree it can always be removed. It is important for having healthy communities that we maintain and grow our tree canopy. It is important for climate resilience, reducing stormwater runoff, reducing heat island impacts, for mental and physical health, for wildlife habitat, for reducing air pollution, for storing carbon, and many more reasons. Large trees may require a little more work but they also provide the most benefits.
A signficant problem contributing to tree loss is when property owners cut down trees on their planting strip without first getting a permit from the City. When this is reported to SDOT/City Arborist, there are usually no consequences or followup to ensure a new tree is planted.
I would like to see more control over developers who buy older small houses on property with mature trees and shrubs, then bull-doze the lot including the house, trees and shrubs. usually putting-up a square box with little land-scaping. ugly!
Maybe Justin will report on the pending tree massacre at 722 East Union (3034049-LU).