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Kenmore council signals support for 50% urban canopy goal in draft forest plan
Summary
At a study session, Kenmore staff and consultants presented a draft Urban Forest Management Plan and councilors signaled support for a citywide 50% canopy target, asked for regular five‑year check‑ins, and directed staff to refine implementation details and return with a final draft.
Kenmore City Council members signaled support for setting a citywide urban tree canopy goal of 50% during a study‑session presentation of a draft Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) from Environmental Services and consultant teams.
The plan, presented by Environmental Services Director Richard Sawyer and Climate Action Plan Program Manager Nina Rasmussen with consultants Kim Frappier and Deb Powers, lays out a data‑driven roadmap to preserve and grow Kenmore’s canopy over time. “This is a high‑level, guiding, strategic document,” Sawyer said, adding it supplies tools and data for later project‑level work but “is not…a document that provides specific code updates.”
The nut of the plan: Kenmore currently has about 1,790 acres of tree canopy — roughly 46% of the city’s total land area including St. Edward State Park (about 41% excluding the park). The draft identifies approximately 605 acres of potential plantable area (465 acres on private land, 99 acres public, 42 acres in rights of way) and a GIS ranking that prioritizes plantings where climate resilience and equity needs overlap. Consultants said about 31 stormwater detention sites could yield roughly 2.5 acres…
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