Burien staff say urban-forest work slowed after federal pass‑through funding was frozen

Burien City Council on March 24 heard an annual update on the Green Burien Partnership and how a recent federal pass‑through funding freeze is likely to curb planned work in 2025.

The presentation from city staff summarized 2024 accomplishments and warned the council the program will look different in 2025 because some federal funds are not currently available.

“The Green Burien partnership was able to provide… in 2024,” said Josh Petter, the city’s urban forest planner, listing 2024 outputs. “We planted roughly 1,900 plants,” Petter said, and staff described a 2024 program budget made up of grants, partner-donated time and materials and city staff time that “all of these parts together equaled almost $1,000,000.”

Why it matters: Burien’s urban-forest work underpins the city’s stated goal of increasing tree canopy coverage to 40 percent by 2038. Staff said that, without the now-frozen federal pass‑through funding, the city will have fewer resources for internships, restoration and outreach planned for 2025.

At the meeting, staff said the freeze affected two categories of funding. Gabby (last name not given), presenting on funding details, said the city had co‑written a $350,000 pass‑through grant with Mountain to Sound Greenway Trust that is not available while the federal government provides no guidance. She also said the city was awarded a $65,000 Sustainable Forestry Initiative award tied to the Inflation Reduction Act but could not access that federal pass‑through funding either.

Council members and staff discussed the program’s metrics and next steps. Petter said the partnership had inventoried roughly 1,000 trees and that the city arborist had issued 78 tree‑related permits in 2024; maintenance teams completed about 30 public‑tree work orders. He also said roughly 624 trees were retained during development last year, while major removal permits led to 27 trees being removed and 55 required replacements. Petter said staff and partners planted trees and shrubs across public and private sites and hosted volunteer events and paid youth positions in 2024.

Several council members asked about how private‑property rules and incentives connect to the canopy goal. Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore and Councilmember Linda Akey both pressed staff on whether the city’s tree ordinance and updated canopy analysis would help track private‑property canopy gains; Petter said the updated canopy cover analysis, done with King Conservation District, will give a 2017–2023 benchmark.

On the funding freeze, Councilmember Stephanie Mora described the loss of funding as “extremely disappointing” and said the freeze is a tangible example of how federal actions affect local programs. Gabby told the council the $350,000 grant was a U.S. Forest Service pass‑through to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and that the contract for that grant “is not being signed” at this time.

Staff flagged several near‑term items: a tree giveaway funded by King Conservation District, neighborhood grant deadlines that could fund plantings, and the canopy analysis to benchmark progress. Petter also said staff implemented a standard operating procedure in 2024 to add GIS points when a tree is assessed so the city can track work orders and maintenance over a tree’s lifetime.

Council members raised operational questions — where trees come from, whether mitigation planting could be banked into capital projects, and whether the city could incentivize developers to plant more trees. Petter said trees come from nurseries and partner organizations, and staff are exploring “banking” trees by planting now and using that planting to mitigate future projects.

The presentation also summarized enforcement and permitting: staff reported a rise in tree‑related permit activity since the city updated its private‑property tree code in 2022 and said tree‑related code enforcement is complaint driven. Petter said there were 30 tree‑related code enforcement cases since March 2022, with 15 open and 15 closed.

Staff recommended continuing the partnership’s mix of grant funds, city staffing and partner support but warned the council that, with federal pass‑through funds inaccessible, the partnership’s 2025 program will be reduced unless alternative funding is found.

Ending: Staff asked the council for any further questions; the council thanked staff for the presentation and videos illustrating restoration work and youth participation.