Create urban forester position to protect Seattle’s dwindling tree canopy

When it comes to saving Seattle’s trees, city government is stumped. Too many officials are involved and no one is in charge.

A budget amendment to create a new City Urban Forester — a sort of chief arborist — would help cut through the bureaucratic thicket. The Seattle City Council should create this new position as a prelude to enacting stronger tree protection measures later this year.

Urgent action is needed. While Seattle has a goal to increase its tree canopy, the city actually lost 255 acres of trees since 2016 — equivalent to about the size of Green Lake.

Tree protection in Seattle is insanely complicated. Nine city departments have a role in managing the urban forests. Trees in parks, along sidewalks, under power lines and growing on private property are handled differently. This has left gaping loopholes. Residents are often dismayed to see piles of wood chips and stumps where trees used to stand, and are left questioning why.

A City Urban Forester would work across city departments to ensure effective management of Seattle’s trees. The position would provide an ongoing assessment of policies and programs and recommend changes to decision-makers. The forester could answer questions and field complaints.

Mayor Bruce Harrell did not include the City Urban Forester job in his proposed $7.4 billion budget. Councilmember Alex Pedersen sponsored an amendment to add $147,000 next year and $190,000 in 2024 to pay for the position. Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Dan Strauss have signed on.

After the city budget is finalized later this month, Strauss, chair of the Land Use Committee, intends to take up broader tree protection legislation.

In 2007, the Urban Forest Management Plan established a goal of increasing Seattle’s tree canopy to 30% from about 28% by 2037. The trends don’t look good. Tree canopy coverage decreased from 28.6% in 2016 to 28.1% in 2021.

The region’s record-breaking heat makes this issue about more than tree hugging. Areas with fewer trees retain higher temperatures than neighborhoods with leafy canopies. Lower-income communities have fewer trees than affluent places. Trees aren’t just an aesthetic benefit. In heat domes, they became a matter of life and death.

The record-setting heat wave in 2021 killed more than 30 people in King County, the deadliest climate-related event in the region’s history.

Seattle politics are known to include a lot of talk, and not a lot of accountability. It’s time to change that when it comes to protecting the city’s trees. Even as the council confronts lower revenue forecasts for next year, this investment makes sense.

Councilmembers should approve Pedersen’s amendment to create a City Urban Forester and set their sights on meaningful tree protections in the coming weeks.