Mountlake Terrace unveils first urban forest management plan; council to consider adoption next week

Mountlake Terrace city staff and consultants presented the city’s first Urban Forest Management Plan on Sept. 11 and asked the City Council to schedule a public hearing and adoption vote next week. The plan, funded initially by a Washington Department of Natural Resources grant, lays out goals, metrics and potential implementation approaches including a phased tree-removal permitting system, community-led stewardship and staffing needs.

Why it matters: Mountlake Terrace’s urban forest — street trees, park trees and private canopy — provides measurable environmental and economic benefits, the consultants said. The UFMP frames trees as infrastructure that affects stormwater, air quality, heat mitigation and community health, and it identifies funding and staffing gaps the city must address to preserve and expand canopy.

Planet Geo consultant Matt Irmson told the council the 2024 street-tree inventory identified 6,830 publicly managed trees and a citywide canopy of 32 percent; the inventory covers only publicly managed street trees and not private yards or some natural areas. The inventory shows 73 percent of recorded street trees are in good or excellent condition, about 70 percent are smaller than 12 inches in diameter, and roughly 40 percent of the street-tree…