City staff and the Tree Board reported progress on two data and grant efforts that could reshape planting priorities. Sam Hall, the city’s urban forest planner, said he and Mark Phillips expect to submit the draft required for the US Forest Service-funded SFI grant by January 8; the board was told that the award under discussion would be about $70,000 to hire a consultant for a community-forest gap analysis.

Sam also said he has located shapefiles tied to a King Conservation District (KCD) grant, and the KCD contract includes access to PlanItGeo (an interactive mapping tool) and updated LIDAR-derived canopy metrics. Members noted the last publicly referenced canopy figure was about 49 percent and that updated data could inform council recommendations, planting priorities and outreach.

Board members asked staff to prepare a concise presentation of key findings when the PlanItGeo results are available so the board can communicate results to the council and public. Sam and volunteers agreed the board can help implement the grant, assist with vendor selection and suggest deliverables, but the day-to-day grant administration will remain a staff function.