City presentation: Lakewood urban forest assessment finds 24.4% tree canopy, inventories public trees and identifies planting opportunities

Consultants from FACET presented the results of Lakewood’s 2024 urban forest assessment to the planning commission on Feb. 19, reporting that citywide tree canopy cover is 24.4% and identifying opportunities and constraints for meeting the city’s canopy goals.

Kim Frappier, a senior urban forester and environmental planner with FACET, and Sam Payne, an ecologist and certified arborist on the FACET team, told commissioners the team used three methods to analyze trees across the city: lidar‑based canopy analysis to calculate tree canopy cover and plantable area; an on‑the‑ground inventory of publicly managed trees (city right‑of‑way, parks and selected institutional grounds); and a rapid forest landscape assessment for larger natural areas.

The lidar‑based urban tree canopy analysis (2020 flight) returned a citywide canopy cover of 24.4%. FACET calculated roughly 3,400 acres of plantable area — about 31.4% of the city — and noted roughly half of that acreage would need planting to reach the city’s stated goal of 40% canopy cover by 2050.

Inventory highlights presented by FACET included:

• An on‑site inventory of nearly 12,000 public trees collected by ISA‑certified arborists, with species, size and condition recorded; 73% were rated in good condition and about 21% had documented maintenance needs (pruning for clearance, deadwood removal, or removals for dead/critical trees).

• Species composition dominated by Douglas‑fir (about 30%) and oaks (about 14%, with approximately 11% Oregon white oak). Fifty‑four percent of public trees were concentrated in five common species (Douglas‑fir, Oregon white oak, Norway maple, cherry plum and red maple).

• Zoning‑level canopy analysis showed residential zones provide about 59% of the city’s canopy; commercial/industrial zones had about 11.3% canopy cover.

• Forest landscape assessments on large parks/natural areas (Fort Steilacoom Park, Wards Lake Park, Seeley Lake Park and the South Puget Sound wildlife area) used a triage matrix to prioritize restoration and management; about 28% of inventoried natural‑area acres scored high for native overstory composition, while roughly 34% scored low and could be candidates for restoration.

FACET also produced a canopy height model for selected parcels to estimate tree counts and height distributions at sites where a full field inventory was not feasible. The model is limited to canopy trees detectable via lidar and can undercount understory trees; FACET described the method as a practical, commonly accepted approach for city‑scale canopy assessment.

City staff noted identified near‑term funding for implementation: roughly $665,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funds and the City Tree Fund (permit fees), plus an anticipated $185,000 in state grant funding — about $850,000 total identified through mid‑2029 for near‑term urban forestry actions.

Commissioners asked technical questions about methodology, what the canopy percentage includes and whether water bodies and major impervious areas were excluded from plantable‑area calculations. FACET said the 24.4% canopy figure used total city land area excluding water bodies; plantable‑area calculations excluded impervious surfaces and other incompatible land uses but may overestimate plantable acres because some technically plantable areas (e.g., sports fields) are not practical for tree planting.

Commissioners also asked whether inventory work accounted for year‑to‑year 'churn' (trees dying and being replaced). FACET said the present assessment documents current conditions and maintenance needs; estimating net annual loss or replacement rates would require a recurring inventory or tracking system.

FACET and staff discussed options for tree inventory and asset management tools, including integrating tree data with city maintenance systems or adopting standalone tree‑management software for inspections, work orders and public‑facing data. FACET recommended the city build on the new dataset as a baseline for an urban forest management plan and offered approaches for prioritizing plantings, maintenance and restoration.

Why it matters: The assessment establishes a baseline against which Lakewood can measure progress toward canopy and climate‑resilience goals and helps staff identify where to direct limited planting dollars to achieve equitable canopy gains. The report also highlighted an equity gap: canopy cover correlated positively with median household income, a pattern FACET noted is common regionally.

Next steps: Staff will use the FACET data to develop an urban forest management program and implementation plan and to consider integrating the data with asset‑management or work‑order systems. FACET’s report and supporting geodatabase were provided to the city; staff said the assessment will inform policy, budget requests and grant applications moving forward.