Management
Urban Forestry Management Plan Update
The City of Seattle is creating a new Urban Forest Management Plan. This plan will provide a framework for policy and action that will guide the City's work to maintain, preserve, enhance, and restore Seattle's urban forest.
The draft plan is now available and can be viewed here. You can also review the Executive Summary and view a presentation on the plan. The public comment on the draft plan has closed.
Plan Development Timeline
October - November: Public comment period
December: incorporate public input
January 2021: Mayor's Office review and approval
February 2021: State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) decision and plan production
Spring 2021: City Council adoption process
Initial Assessment Findings
As part of the 2020 Urban Forest Management Plan update, the City of Seattle (Office of Sustainability and Environment, OSE) contracted with Davey Resource Group to conduct a gap analysis of existing urban forestry programs, a review of the Trees for Seattle website, and recommendations for consideration in the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) update. The full report can be found here.
Public Engagement Phase I Overview
Prior to beginning work on the new Urban Forest Management Plan, the City of Seattle completed a Racial Equity Toolkit process to guide planning work with a focus on equity. Commitments from that process included dedicating most resources to engaging historically under-represented communities, seeking input prior to drafting the plan, valuing feedback equitably, and transparency. Learn more about what we are doing with this background presentation.
The City of Seattle began reaching out to communities in different ways to gather public input prior to drafting the new Urban Forest Management Plan. These included:
- Working with Seattle Public Utilities Community Connections Program to reach communities impacted by Seattle's trees but who have not historically been involved in the City's urban forestry work.
- Engaging stakeholders through the listening sessions and briefings listed below.
- An online input form for anyone to submit comments
Listening Sessions Schedule and Notes
| Date | Event | Location / Time | Open to public? |
| 9/5/18 and 11/7/18 | Urban Forestry Commission Listening Session Notes |
Seattle Municipal Tower 700 5th Avenue Room 2750 3-5 pm |
Yes |
| 9/14/18 | Urban forestry government agencies listening session Notes |
No | |
| 9/14/18 | Tree advocates listening session Notes |
Seattle Municipal Tower 700 5th Avenue Room 2750 11:30 am - 1:00 pm |
Yes |
| 9/19/18 | Tree service providers Notes |
No | |
| 9/25/18 | Urban forestry implementation partners Notes |
No | |
| 10/16/18 | Freight Advisory Board Notes |
Seattle City Hall Room L280 9:30 - 11:30 am |
Yes |