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Advocates push Seattle to consolidate urban-forestry functions and fund canopy protections
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Summary
Tree advocates asked the council to consolidate nine city forestry functions into a single agency, fund canopy incentives and conservation-easement pilots, and measure canopy volume as well as canopy cover to support salmon and orca recovery.
Multiple speakers at the Oct. 7 Select Budget Committee public hearing called for structural and funding changes to protect Seattle's tree canopy.
Sandy Shetler of Tree Action Seattle told the committee Seattle currently has nine different urban-forestry departments and urged funding to begin unifying those functions into one agency to reduce duplication and improve canopy protection. "Unifying urban forestry eliminates silos, is more efficient, and creates synergies of scale," Shetler said.
Speakers including Steve Zemke (Friends of Seattle and TreePAC), Richard Eliason and others urged incentives for preserving exceptional trees and groves, supported the mayor's urban conservation easement pilot and proposed exploring whether SDOT should manage street trees to consolidate responsibility. Jennifer Godfrey asked council to align canopy protections with NOAA's Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Plan contaminants recommendations and to fund canopy volume in planning because larger trees reduce polluted runoff and surface-water temperatures.
Commenters recommended programs such as a $100,000 incentive fund for private preservation, and called for moving tree responsibilities out of permitting-focused departments. No formal council action occurred during the virtual session; the committee recessed for the in-person hearing at 5:00 PM.
Next steps: The Select Budget Committee will continue in-person public comment and then the council will consider budget amendments during its regular deliberations.
