Urban Forestry
Trees and open spaces are integral to healthy urban environments.
Trees and green spaces have significant environmental, economic, and social benefits -- including improving air and water quality, natural stormwater management and soil protection, and attracting people to local business districts and community spaces.
Canopy cover is the percent of the city that's covered by trees, as seen in an aerial view. Canopy cover is an important management tool for the City to understand the extent and distribution of trees in Seattle. Seattle currently has 28 percent canopy cover, and a goal to reach 30 percent canopy cover by 2037. The Urban Forest Management Plan guides the City's progress towards that goal. The Office of Sustainability and Environment oversees implementation of the Urban Forest Management Plan, coordinates the Urban Forest Inter-departmental team, and staffs the Urban Forestry Commission.
The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) is a unique public-private venture dedicated to promoting a livable city by re-establishing and maintaining healthy urban forests. Formed in 2004 by a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City of Seattle and Forterra (formerly known as Cascade Land Conservancy), the GSP is a one-time, 20-year investment in the restoration of our forests. The GSP goal is to restore 2,500 acres of forested parklands by 2025. OSE staffs the GSP Management Team and Executive Council.
Trees for Seattle is the umbrella for all of the City of Seattle's urban forestry efforts. Our commitment is to ensure that Seattle's urban forest is healthy, vital, and growing. You can find information through our website here, or you can contact us at treesforseattle@seattle.gov or 206-684-TREE (8733). You can also follow us on facebook and Instagram or add your email to sign up for the monthly newsletter.
OSE's Key Initiatives
The Office of Sustainability and Environment plays a role in the following initiatives.
A long term vision for increasing tree canopy cover in Seattle.
The City passed Ordinance 123052 in August 2009 establishing an Urban Forestry Commission (UFC) to advise the Mayor and City Council on policy and regulations for protecting, managing, and conserving trees and vegetation in the City of Seattle.
The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP) is a unique public-private venture dedicated to promoting a livable city by re-establishing and maintaining healthy urban forests. The GSP goal is to restore 2,500 acres of forested parklands by 2025 with the help of many dedicated volunteers. Formed in 2004 by a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City of Seattle and Forterra (formerly known as Cascade Land Conservancy), the GSP is a one-time, 20-year investment in the restoration of our forests. OSE staffs the GSP's Management Team and the Executive Council.
The City of Seattle has conducted two Canopy Cover Assessments to track trends of our canopy cover. The first Canopy Cover Assessment was conducted in 2016.
Seattle recently released the 2021 Canopy Cover Assessment. The assessment found the city lost 255 acres of tree canopy (1.7% relative decline, .5% absolute decrease) since the 2016 canopy cover assessment. Seattle’s canopy cover in 2021 was 28.1%, down from 28.6% in 2016.
The study also found that:
Canopy loss is not happening equitably. Neighborhoods impacted by racial and economic injustice not only started with less canopy but also lost more than the citywide average. While there were some canopy gains in environmental justice priority areas attributed to forest restoration programs, the losses outpaced the gains.
Tree canopy cover is critical for lowering temperatures and reducing heat island effects in our warming climate. Trees are a key component of our climate preparedness and resilience strategies as they protect us from extreme heat and improve air quality. The report finds that at the neighborhood scale, a 13% increase in tree canopy is associated with a .5-degree reduction in temperature. Industrial areas and major transportation corridors have lower canopy and warmer temperatures, as well as smaller areas such as neighborhoods in the Chinatown-International District and in the south end of Rainier Valley.
All Management Units (areas based on land use types) lost canopy, with Parks Natural Areas and Neighborhood Residential areas seeing the greatest net losses.
- Parks Natural Areas contain 14% of the city’s canopy and saw a relative loss of 5.1%. These areas require active management to ensure long-term forest health and resilience, and losses here may be due to aging deciduous trees coming down naturally or being selectively removed to allow for growth of evergreen trees.
- Neighborhood Residential areas contribute nearly half of the City’s canopy (47%) and saw a relative loss of 1.2%. A small percent of residential land underwent development during the study, but canopy losses were high on those properties. Most trees on residential land were likely lost due to reasons other than development. Combined, losses in these two Management Units comprise 78% of the total canopy loss during the assessment period.