Resources
Urban Forest Protection Ordinance Update
2023 Ordinance Update Activity
June 2023 update:
In May 2023, City Council passed and Mayor Harrell signed the updated Tree Protection Ordinance. A history of the activity leading to development and passage of the ordinance can be found on the UFC's Resources page. The new ordinance takes effect on July 31, 2023. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections has posted information on the upcoming changes in tree regulations on their Building Connections webpage.
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In March 2023, Mayor Bruce Harell and Councilmember Strauss issued an updated version of the draft ordinance. This draft ordinance was introduced at Council's March 22 Land Use Committee meeting, along with associated documents:
- Summary and Fiscal Note
- Summary Attachment - Expanded Summary of Code Changes
- Draft Director's Rule 2023-XX - Tier 2 Trees
- Draft Director's Rule 2023-XX - PIL
- Director's Report
Council's Land Use Committee (LUC) will hold special meetings through March and April to address different portions of the draft updated ordinance, and is expected to vote on the ordinance in late April or early May. The current schedule of meetings is listed below:
- March 29 - LUC Special Meeting - Policy discussion: Tree Protections & Tree Protection Standards
- April 7 - LUC Special Meeting - Policy discussion: Tiers of Tree Protections, Budget Allocations, & Central Staff Analysis
- April 21 - LUC Special Meeting - Committee vote on amendments to the bill
- April 24 - LUC Special Meeting - Public hearing
- April 26 - LUC regular meeting - Vote on ordinance as amended
- May 9 - Full City Council - Vote on ordinance as amended
- May 4 - date held in reserve for additional LUC Special Meeting if needed
- May 16 - date held in reserve for full City Council vote if needed
Information on LUC meetings can be found on the LUC meeting information page.
Comments on the draft legislation can be submitted to Council through LUC Chair Dan Strauss at dan.strauss@seattle.gov.
2022 Ordinance Update Activity
In February 2022, SDCI published the SEPA Determination of Nonsignificance for the Draft Ordinance for an updated tree protection ordinance, along with the Draft Ordinance, two Draft Director's Rules and a SEPA Draft Director's Report. These documents are linked in the list below.
2022 Tree Protection Project Information and Documents
- SEPA Draft Ordinance including Project Documents
- SDCI Project Documents page
- Tree protections update SEPA Draft Ordinance
- Draft Director's Rule - Designation of Exceptional Trees
- Draft Director's Rule - Payment in lieu of tree replacement pursuant to the tree protection code
- Tree protections update SEPA Draft Director's Report
The SEPA determination was appealed by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in March 2022, and in August 2022, the Hearing Examiner upheld the SEPA determination.
2019 UFC version of the Tree and Urban Forest Protection Ordinance - Per City Council Request
Adopted Tree Regulations One-Pager
Residents' emails with comments/input though:
- July 25, 2019
- August 7, 2019
- August 25, 2019
- September 3, 2019
- September 11, 2019
- September 19, 2019
- October 1, 2019
- October 9, 2019
- October 30, 2019
- November 7, 2019
- November 14, 2019
- December 5, 2019
- December 17, 2019
- January 13, 2020
- February 1, 2020
- February 17, 2020
- March 4, 2020
- March 19, 2020
- April 7, 2020
- May 6, 2020
- June 2, 2020
- July 16,2020
- August 3, 2020
- August 6, 2020 (Majority of public comment is related to SDCI's Draft Director's Rule 13-2020)
- August 13, 2020 (Majority of public comment is related to SDCI's Draft Director's Rule 13-2020)
- August 15, 2020 (Majority of public comment is related to SDCI's Draft Director's Rule 13-2020)
- August 17, 2020 (Majority of public comment is related to SDCI's Draft Director's Rule 13-2020)
- September 3, 2020
- September 16, 2020
- October 8, 2020
- November 4, 2020
- December 10, 2020
- January 14, 2021
- February 22, 2021
- May 20, 2021
- August 23, 2021
NOTE: If you would like to comment on the tree regulations update, please send an email to lauren.ergenson@seattle.gov.
Urban Forest Management Plan Update
The City has updated its Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP).
- 2020 Urban Forest Management Plan
- 2020 UFMP Executive Summary
- UFMP update presentation
During public comment, we received 165 responses to the online comment form (89 of them with details) and 11 emails with detailed input. Below is the raw data for comments received:
- Detailed input provided via the online comment form.
- Public comment provided via email through December 15, 2020
- Urban Forestry Commission letter of recommendation on the UFMP update (December 9, 2020)
- The City's urban forestry team produced a summary of the public input received, including initial recommendations to City leadership on how to incorporate public input into the next iteration of the plan.
Other Resources
2009 City Auditor Report on Management of City Trees
Supporting documents:
- 2011 City Auditor's Final Report (see actions #163 through #175 on pages 26-30)
- 2016 Mayoral Directive on new urban forestry coordination structure to enhance urban forestry services (10-14-16)
- 2018 Trees for Seattle Core Team Charter
- 2021 City Council's Statement of Legislative Intent on urban forestry consolidation (SLI-MO-001-A-002)
2016 Canopy Cover Assessment
- GIS canopy cover layers
Director's Rule 16-2008 on Exceptional Trees
Draft 2020 Urban Forest Management Plan
Draft Tree Regulations Ordinance ORD D7
Email for general support for tree-related questions/issues (OSE): TreesForSeattle@seattle.gov
Find it, Fix it - Service Request Mobile App
(you can report tree removals under the 'Other' category)
File a complaint with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for suspected tree code violations on private property:
- Call the SDCI's Code Compliance group at (206) 615-0808 - Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- File a complaint online
Forest Health Watch project presentation
Green Seattle Partnership SLI response to Council (9-29-20)
Healthy trees : Healthy City - presentation by Kathleen Wolf, PhD, UW Research Social Scientist
Interim Tree Protection Ordinance
King County Million Trees Campaign
PLUZ Committee December 18 meeting video
Resolution 31902 (Strategies to protect trees - 2019)
SDOT service numbers:
- To report sidewalks uplifts: (206) 386-1218 (24/7 dispatch line for imminent needs)
- Tree related issues: (206) 684-TREE (7733) (message-only line)
- Street maintenance request form
SPR SLI SPR6A2: Progress report from SPR on Green Seattle Partnership Program
Street Tree Manual
Seattle's Forest Ecosystem Values Report (2012)
TreePAC 2019 City Council candidates questionnaires
Trees for Seattle Street Tree Story Map
Tree Protection Regulations in Seattle (TIP 242)
Tree Protection Executive Order 2017-11
Tree Regulations Research Project Phase I Final Report(9/27/16)
Tree Regulations Research Project Phase II Final Report (3/31/17)
Two for One Tree Replacement Executive Order 03-05