SEATTLE NEEDS TREES PETITION
Seattle is losing tree canopy at an alarming rate. That's why we've filed a legal petition to protect trees. The Tree Protection Ordinance (126821) that the City Council passed in May 2023 does not protect trees on lots undergoing development. It does not align with city goals regarding tree protection, environmental equity, and climate change mitigation.
On August 9, 2023, Trees and People Coalition, TreePAC, and the Duwamish Valley Neighborhood Preservation Coalition filed a petition with the Washington Growth Management Hearings Board to review the Tree Protection Ordinance and require the City to:
Please support our legal action!
On August 9, 2023, Trees and People Coalition, TreePAC, and the Duwamish Valley Neighborhood Preservation Coalition filed a petition with the Washington Growth Management Hearings Board to review the Tree Protection Ordinance and require the City to:
- Meet the City’s Comprehensive Plan goals
- Amend the Ordinance so that Seattle can increase its tree canopy (currently 28%) to 30% by 2037 and to 40% over time
- Update its analysis of the environmental impacts of the Ordinance to include the impact of 2023 City amendments and new state laws (especially the Middle Housing Bill, HB 1110)
Please support our legal action!
UPCOMING GRANT PROJECT
Let's Talk! Trees for Seattle's Future
Our proposal for this innovative grant project was accepted by the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in February. We look forward to working with the Seattle Parks Foundation (SPF), our fiscal sponsor for the project, and DNR over the next few years. We hope to make the future better for generations to come.
Goal: Educate and engage young children, their parents, and other members of Seattle communities affected by racial and environmental inequities about the importance of urban tree canopy and how to get involved in caring for existing trees and planting new ones.
Grant activities:
Our proposal for this innovative grant project was accepted by the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in February. We look forward to working with the Seattle Parks Foundation (SPF), our fiscal sponsor for the project, and DNR over the next few years. We hope to make the future better for generations to come.
Goal: Educate and engage young children, their parents, and other members of Seattle communities affected by racial and environmental inequities about the importance of urban tree canopy and how to get involved in caring for existing trees and planting new ones.
Grant activities:
- Create educational curriculum and provide programs for parents, children, and other community members to increase knowledge and excitement about and engagement in improving tree canopy and urban forestry in priority neighborhoods
- Involve community coalitions and organizations in educational and engagement programs
- Emphasize the ways that trees contribute to healthy communities by improving residents’ physical, mental, and emotional health, reducing heat island effects, improving air and water quality, increasing local wildlife habitat, and increasing and improving open space
- Create products such as an educational booklet and video about the value of trees and the fun of tree care and planting in neighborhoods
- Engage videographer, artists, writers, arborists, teachers and parents in planning and engaging community members in connecting with trees and nature
