Bothell planning commission studies urban-forest plan, weighing canopy targets and code changes

The Bothell Planning Commission on Oct. 22 held a study session on an Urban Forest Management Plan that presents baseline canopy data, outreach results and a menu of code and incentive options the city could use to reduce tree loss as development increases.

The plan shows Bothell at about 44% tree canopy inside city limits (41% in the urban growth boundary), summarizes public outreach and modeling from consultants, and offers options ranging from modest steps—clarifying species lists and lowering some parking-lot thresholds—to stronger measures such as a landmark-tree definition and mitigation tied to DBH (diameter at breast height).

Consultant Matt Picone of Greenworks and Planet Geo told commissioners that, using assumptions about mortality, regeneration and continued development, “your canopy is going to decrease in the short term. Period.” He and staff presented scenario modeling over a 25-year horizon (with discussion of aligning targets to 2044 or 2051) showing that restoring or increasing canopy under sustained infill would require substantial planting and/or reductions in loss. The presentation cited a projected annual development-driven loss equal to roughly 3 hectares (about 7.5 acres) per year, an assumed ~1% compounded mortality of existing urban trees, and a modest natural-regeneration gain of about 0.5% per year; the consultants said aggressive scenarios could require on the order of several hundred additional new trees planted per year to change the trend.

The public-outreach summary reported…