Today we should be celebrating Arbor Day and cherishing trees. Instead we are still hunkered down trying to survive the deadly Covid-19 virus, as we should be. But let’s take a look outside for a moment with our masks on and consider the marvelous trees that still remain in our city.
We live in one of earth’s best climates for nurturing the growth of majestic evergreen trees. Thus, our state is called the Evergreen State. We have some of the world’s finest examples of temperate rainforests with remnant groves in Seattle city parks. You would think Seattle would love, even cherish, its natural heritage. Think again. Our city seems intent on destroying it. That is why we need to pass the tree ordinance now.
Seattle’s Urban Forest Stewardship calls for the modest goal of 30% canopy by 2037. To put this into perspective, Atlanta and Tampa have already achieved a 36% tree canopy and ultra-dense New York City has a 39% tree canopy and planted a million new trees between 2007 and 2116. Portland’s (the original “Stumptown”) goal is 33%. For a while Seattle was making progress toward its goal, reaching 28%. UPDATE: Based upon a report released in 2022, Seattle lost 255 acres of trees since 2016, an amount equivalent in size to Green Lake, located in the city’s most popular park.
Meanwhile other cities around the country are taking their tree canopy seriously. Some have big tree-cutting moratoriums, including: Atlanta, GA; Cambridge, Mass; Lake Forest Park, WA; San Marino, CAL; Richmond, VA and South Miami, FLA.
I along with many others have testified to City Council multiple times in support of a tree ordinance. While the mayor a few councilmembers agree with us, the time table for implementation is glacially slow: thirteen years of delay. What are we waiting for — the day when the last evergreen tree in Seattle gets cut down?
Seattle’s 2013 Urban Forest Stewardship Plan clearly states that evergreens and large existing trees are top priority: “Preserve existing trees because it takes decades for most trees to reach their ultimate size, trees already growing in Seattle generally provide immediate and ongoing benefits that cannot be matched by small/young replacement trees. Focus especially on: Evergreen trees. Because they maintain their canopy during the rainy season and are active year-round, evergreens can better attenuate rainfall, absorb carbon dioxide, and reduce air pollutants.”
Despite this sage advice, trees in Seattle are falling fast, including large evergreens.
Several years ago, I conducted a tree inventory in one of the proposed upzone areas near my home. According to the city’s EIS, a total of 6-12-acres of trees will be removed in total in all of its upzone areas. Trees that could be lost in the Ravenna upzone alone include 80-100-foot-tall Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Grand Fir, Western White Pine and Western Red Cedars. One has an active Osprey nest. When developers build on up zones, they tend to clear all trees and vegetation prior to filling the lot with hardscape.
Our city is rapidly being deforested; transformed into an urban heat island. This is not only bad from an environmental standpoint; it is bad for those who end up living in the heat islands. As Dr. Robert Bullard, a professor at Texas Southern known as the father of environmental justice, said: “If it’s going to be too hot to work outside, we know who’s going to be affected. If we’re talking about urban heat islands, we know who can’t afford to run their air conditioners 24/7.”
Trees are being cut down in residential neighborhoods too. Due to our current weak laws and lack of enforcement, large evergreen trees are being lost on a daily basis. We watched in horror as an exceptional 80-foot tall Western Hemlock was cut down in our neighborhood two days after Christmas. Unethical arborists, rogue tree companies and neighbors that simply don’t care can destroy any tree.
We need to pass the pending tree ordinance and adhere to our City’s Urban Forest Stewardship plan. The longer we delay, the more trees will fall. This year, both Earth Day and Arbor Day were hijacked by the Covid-19 virus. But the virus is no excuse for inaction – the City of Seattle should adopt a new tree ordinance, or a moratorium on large tree cutting until it passes.
If you live in Seattle, please write your Councilmembers to encourage them to pass the tree ordinance. Let me know if you would like have a free SAVE OUR TREES sign for your yard.
If you don’t live in Seattle, encourage your city, town or region to protect its tree canopy. Trees are essential not expendable. They help keep us alive and they are a last line of defense against climate change. As George Monbiot said so well “There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little, and builds itself. It’s called a tree.”
