Shoreline's Tree Canopy - Why It Matters

So, Tree Canopy. Why does it matter?

Part of Shoreline's Tree Canopy

Shoreline City Council will be discussing it tonite.

5/9/2011 7:00 PM

Location:Shoreline City Hall - Council Chamber 17500 Midvale Avenue North
Shoreline, Washington 98133

They are looking for direction on why the Tree Canopy matters and how it will affect us in the present and future.

The City commissioned a Tree Canopy Survey in the last year and it found that the size of our canopy has NOT improved and the amount of impervious surface has increased to 46%. 

Here is the survey link:

http://cosweb.ci.shoreline.wa.us/uploads/attachments/cck/Council/Staffreports/2011/staffreport041811-7a.pdf

It matters for so many reasons. Here are just a few of them.

• Many of the largest trees are what is being cut throughout the city

• Economic Value for the overall community, including improvements to shopping districts.

• Canopy survey showed the value for stormwater detention of existing canopy to be at least $900,000 per/yr to the City Budget.

• Puget Sound and other water bodies are suffering greatly from the impacts of stormwater runoff. Retaining and increasing Tree canopy, especially the evergreens, is a very cost effective way to improve water quality. The City has an obligation to address this problem.

• Trees are a proven way to also meet our “carbon sequestration goals” to address climate change.

• Trees, especially conifers are a guaranteed way to improve air quality in our increasingly urban environment.

• Shade in the summer, is often at a premium here when afternoon temperatures can be debilitating to people of all ages, but especially the elderly.

• Shading of impervious surfaces can decrease the “heat island effect” of an urban area.

• The survey showed there is still quite a bit of available area to plant trees in the single family zones and parks, even allowing for space for sports and recreation.

• Tree City USA is a very attainable goal for Shoreline and would be a benefit to the entire community, bring pride and grant funding which could be used for education on trees, and help for tree planting programs.

• Trees are obviously valuable for wildlife habitat.

• Trees are in our City logo.

• Trees make our City more attractive and improve the general well being of citizens.

Today Is Arbor Day - Shoreline's Trees Need Protection

And we need much more tree canopy! 

Neighborhood Trail in Briarcrest at Street End

Will a tree ordinance be enacted to protect our current tree canopy and increase it? 
The recently completed Tree Canopy study and report states that Shoreline hasn't made any progress on increasing it's tree canopy and the American Forests organization states that urban forest canopy should be at a minimum 40%. The council's current goal has been "no net loss"
but in order to truly meet their Sustainability Strategy's vision, shouldn't the bar be set higher
to really meet the expectations of our community?


On Arbor Day, it's good to reflect on what trees do for us, and what is the current state of trees in our City.  At minimum, why is Shoreline not at least a part of the Tree City USA program?
Afterall, we have trees as one of the main features in our logo! Let's get in on the benefits of being designated at Tree City.

So what gives Shoreline? We have what it takes. We have volunteers. We have some resources
(free trees or grant funds are available even in this tough budget time). We have the desire.
The benefits of improving our canopy and protecting trees are OBVIOUS!
Trees are a value that is specified in our City Vision!
Let's get going!

Hamlin Park Pathway

Here are the four relatively simple criteria for becoming a "Tree City":

Arbor Day Foundation Tree City Sign
Shoreline Could Do It! Even Seattle Did!
Also Lake Forest Park Did!

The Four Standards for Tree City USA Recognition

To qualify as a Tree City USA community, a town or city must meet four standards established by The Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters.

These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community would have a viable tree management plan and program.

It is important to note that they were also designed so that no community would be excluded because of size.

1. A Tree Board or Department
2. A Tree Care Ordinance
3. A Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita
4. An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation
   1. Here are some actual benefits we could receive for our City if we applied for Tree City status:
   1. • Citizen  Pride
      

      1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1.   • Educational Benefits

      
      
      

      
      
      

      
      

      
      
      

      
      
      
   1. • Grant Funding and Financial Assistance
   1. • Economic Value for the greater community and property owners too
      
      
      
      
      
      

      
      
      
      
      
      
      
   1. • Public Image
      • Publicity

At a recent City Council meeting the Tree Canopy Study that had been completed was discussed. The Tree Canopy study was done by AMEC Earth & Environmental and was very basic, limited in scope, and paid for by grant funding. The objective of the study was to establish a "baseline" for what our tree canopy is now. 


You can review it here.
http://cosweb.ci.shoreline.wa.us/uploads/attachments/cck/Council/Staffreports/2011/staffreport041811-7a.pdf


Some of the most significant findings of the Tree Canopy study were that the consultants claimed that as of 2009, (when the last arial surveys were available) despite perceptions that many trees have been lost over the years, many more have grown in scale and that now there is virtually the same percentage of canopy (30.6%) as 2001.  However, the study also showed that the City now has approximately 46.2% "impervious surface" (streets, parking lots, rooves which do not absorb stormwater).  This number is significant because the tree canopy is one of the best ways to mitigate the large amount of impervious surface which causes huge problems such as flooding, sedimentation in streams. pollution runoff into water bodies.  The study said that the tree canopy now provides approximately $900,000 in annual cost savings for stormwater storage capacity.


It has been scientifically proven that up to 50% of the precipitation that falls on trees, especially conifers, never hits the ground!


The study also pointed out that there is still plenty of space for planting trees in single family residential areas and parks, which could mitigate many problems such as air pollution, water pollution and provide 770 tons of carbon sequestration annually.  And, trees do this work year after year for a very small investment.

Also, obviously trees provide that quality of life and sense of place that means so much to our residents. There have been very clear studies that show that commercial areas with more trees attract more customers and the customers shop longer, spending more money. So the tree canopy is clearly an economic asset. 


It's time to get serious about protecting and improving our Shoreline Tree Canopy! 

Ronald Bog surrounded by trees

It's what makes Shoreline a place we care about!

Seattle - Urban Forestry Open House, Tonite

Seattle's Urban Forestry Commission is holding a special Open House TONITE (Tuesday).

Huge, ancient Willow tree towers over Thornton Creek Park #1, Seattle
photo credit-Janet Way

The Urban Forestry  open house TONITE, Tuesday 9/21/2010 starts TODAY at 5:30 in the Bertha Landres room at Seattle City Hall.  


DPD (Department of Planning and Development) and others will be making presentations at 6:00 PM.


DPD has a Tree Ordinance proposal that is being shopped around. Ostensibly it is claimed to be for a better tree policy, but many tree advocates are skeptical. There is an existing "interim" tree ordinance in Seattle passed last year which actually protects Groves of Trees and many other types of trees. Experts say it is far superior to the current proposal which has only "voluntary" compliance tools such as incentives and not enough teeth to be effective.


Also there is a very substantive and lengthy article yesterday in the seattle PI.com 

"City of Seattle hosts Urban Forestry open house"

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/427030_trees20.html

Lets get going Seattle and Shoreline and really create a better "Tree Infrastructure".

Trees Are My View

Community Forum on Carbon Neutrality Hosted by Seattle City Council, Tuesday

Seattle City Councilmember Mike O'Brien invites citizens interested in Carbon Neutrality as a goal for Seattle to a Community Forum this Tuesday at 6pm in Bertha Knight-Landes Room.


This could be a great venue to emphasize the value that preserving existing trees and increasing the canopy would have in the carbon neutrality goal. The goals of carbon neutrality and tree canopy are not counter active, but should work in tandem to really balance community values and community character.


The Council is looking for input and ideas from citizens on how "Carbon Neutrality" can be implemented on policy, private sector, non-profit and personal levels.

The Council will hear from community members who will present their recommended actions Seattle can take over the next 1-3 years as we start down the path towards carbon neutrality.

I’ve reviewed drafts of many of these recommendations, and I am impressed with the thoughtfulness of these recommendations that are both grounded in reality but will challenge us to tackle bold issues. We are hosting a website for these efforts, which can provide helpful background on this effort here: 

http://m1e.net/c?124061708-hKkzbAe5R3yAY%405692292-X3Uju66bJNuKw

If you would like to RSVP to this event, please reply to mike.obrien@seattle.gov

I hope to see you there!

 Best,

 Councilmember Mike O'Brien
 Seattle City Council
 Po Box 34025
 Seattle, WA 98124-4025