Each time a mature tree comes out (in combination with the multitudes of trees being removed now), temperature increases, flood buffering is removed, carbon sequestration goes poof!, habitat disappears and stormwater increases. Where have development requirements related to trees been substantive threat to housing supply and affordability? … That’s why there’s been such a focus on ensuring those communities have a seat at the table.”. Street trees may not thrive in hostile, space limited locations. Even new condos and town homes are too pricey for a lot of first time buyers. Is it 5%, 1%, 0.1%, unmeasurable? Hope this helps clarify the unknowns, and I appreciate the discussion! Where has this really happened as a result of policies with the intent to preserve and plant trees? : the land zoned for commercial buildings and multifamily housing that absorbed the vast majority of Seattle’s new apartments, offices, and stores. Air pollution in the Chinatown-ID is so bad that asthma, respiratory and cardiac-related hospital visits are higher than in 99 percent of other Puget Sound neighborhoods, according to a 2016 study conducted by InterIm CDA, a 48-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to affordable housing and community-building. by 2 percent between 2002 and 2007, a period during which the city also grew, albeit not as rapidly as in the current boom. Such rules may increase the tree count but they will also make homebuilding—and therefore homes—more expensive. Developers pay a fee and trees are planted along the Columbia river but not where people live. . It totally discounts the role of trees and the urban forest in fostering healthier and thus more affordable communities. A change analysis shows that the city’s canopy has decreased by approximately 2 percent, down from 41 percent when it was last assessed based on 2010 imagery. Credit is due to numerous, . The place growing cities can make room for more trees is the publicly-owned right-of-way, where, Seattle’s 500,000 curbside parking spaces alone cover land that could hold perhaps one million trees and boost the city’s tree population by two thirds. But the 30% canopy goal is still set at 30% for 17 years from now. Anyone living in the multi-family zone in Ballard knows that the trees are getting ripped down left, right, and center and are not being replaced. tree canopy, assess how it has changed, and interpret the results across a range of geographic boundaries. Given the, well-recognized high value of urban trees. But that doesn’t make it any less important to maximize trees in urban areas. Livability and affordability are different things but both contribute to more people wanting to live in dense urban cities. (Not sure how having more trees would help with that anyway?). the problem with trees in the public right of way is that trees in thre public right of way have limits on the height of the trees and will never function as effective environmental protection by providing temperture relief, air cleaning, water rention. We live in a house that is 104 years old. “‘Oh, aren’t trees pretty’ and ‘Gosh, isn’t it nice to have a park in our neighborhood’— (nature) used to be nice to have,” she said. Also, exactly what kind of “urban forest” can we grow on parking strips, under the power lines? Yes, Seattle’s LiDAR measurement likely counts shrubs over 8 feet as tree canopy cover. In short, Seattle doesn’t have anything like a tree crisis, and concern over trees is no excuse to stop welcoming more new neighbors to the city. one parking space long on every single-family corner (eight spaces per intersection) would make room for 160,000 trees. I’d like to see chunks of the ROW much bigger than planting strips used for trees so they could be more healthy and grow larger. the city’s urban tree canopy, 12 percent are overhanging impervious surfaces. “Now people are knowing and seeing that it’s a necessity to have this green around us.”. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Here is a photo of an area slated for development a few miles from my home: http://pamplinmedia.com/images/artimg/00003556019289.jpg, Here it is today: http://pamplinmedia.com/images/artimg/00003616414761-0600.jpg. What’s worse, bad data can take on a life of its own. But if you and grandpa live in the Chinatown-ID, that might be something to worry about—the district’s tree canopy coverage is among the lowest. We received a notice that the house directly behind us is being torn down. These cookies do not store any personal information. Concern over loss of trees is one of the most common reasons people give for opposing, The risk is that political pressure will beget overzealous tree protection rules that make it harder or, to build new homes. . Slide Presentation – Seattle LIDAR Canopy Cover Assessment – May 8, 2017. Seattle’s, has begun picking off pieces of excess roadway to create, . The neighborhood study, which also involved Public Health Seattle-King County and Swedish Hospital, aimed to identify issues affecting the neighborhood’s health and propose strategies to help. Which brings to my second comment, which was a point of degree (in response to you point of degree). Research shows that all of those measures improved with more greenery. https://www.sightline.org/2017/07/24/yes-red-tape-and-fees-do-raise-the-price-of-housing/, On your last point, “livable” and “affordable” are separate issues. Whenever any growing city proposes loosening rules to allow more homes, opponents invariably raise the issue of tree loss. In addition to parking, most North American cities originally laid out their roads with the car in mind, and so they tend to have lots of pavement flab that could be reclaimed for trees, though it’s difficult to estimate that area. Seattle’s 2007 Urban Forest Management Plan, notes that “forested parklands have too few conifers, too many deciduous trees, and too many non-native invasive plants when compared with native ecosystems.”, Street trees may not thrive in hostile, space limited locations. If the cost is as trivial as you seem to be implying, then why can’t we pay for all the trees we want and more out of a city’s general tax fund? You write: “Limiting new homes in the city core to preserve trees pushes homebuilding to outlying areas, accelerating the eradication of not only trees, but forests.”. Leaf area index and volume is the correct metric. do have a measurable positive effect on reduced healthcare costs. Single family residential zoning may have the effect of preserving some trees but but this is rarely the intent of those zones (it is certainly not in Portland) even if some believe that to be the case. Amid growing awareness of tree-canopy benefits for health and well-being, other urban areas including New York City and Los Angeles also have released their own reports. Photo by Dan Bertolet, used with permission. Of course no city will ever convert anything close to all of its on-street parking spaces, or plant 16 trees at every one of its neighborhood intersections, but the upper limit illustrates the huge potential. There is a general trend of slight loss in the measured values, but again, keep in mind the above-quoted caution about error-inducing anomalies in the aerial images. Urban Tree Canopy Assessment 2 Well-placed trees around a home can save 36% of annual air conditioning costs and 25% of winter heating costs in the Pacific Northwest. An alternate measurement method showed 33 percent in 2007 and 31 percent in 2015. Canopy is usually measured by one of two methods: aerial LiDAR (light detection and ranging) that creates a 3D map of trees; and manual observation of satellite aerial photographs. By repurposing underutilized land devoted to cars in the right-of-way to land for trees, cities can welcome more people and grow greener at the same time. Seattle’s best new data on the change in tree canopy over time does show a 6 percent decline between 2007 and 2015. Based on aerial photos, Seattle measured a smaller decline of 33 to 31 percent from 2007 to 2015, and an, found much lower coverage but with a slight. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Similarly, Seattle has about 15,000 street intersections, two thirds of which are in single-family zones. For newer information, please visit the 2019 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Update.. Tree canopy is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above. This discrepancy comes into sharp focus this month as Seattle City Council member Rob Johnson plans to introduce legislation to tweak the city’s decade-old tree ordinance. portland has five vacant units for every homeless person. And that’s the opposite of what’s needed in a city where a shortage of housing has driven rents skyward; where it’s becoming harder and harder for people with low incomes to find homes they can afford. In contrast, Vancouver’s LIDAR data showed a decline of 23 to 18 percent from 1995 to 2013—that’s a full one fifth loss of canopy. Sustainability is about balance. In contrast, Vancouver’s LIDAR data showed a decline of 23 to 18 percent from 1995 to 2013—that’s a full one fifth loss of canopy. during the 1970s and didn’t surpass its late 1960s peak until the mid-1990s. I live in Lake City neighborhood in North Seattle and have noticed many Douglas Firs on private property disappearing with new development. Let me push you your “every cost matters” response. Whether it is air quality, water quality, or urban heat island affect, research has shown urban trees reduce the real health care impacts (and thus costs) resulting from toxic urban design. Sightline Institute is non-partisan and does not oppose, support, or endorse any political candidate or party. More importantly, it perpetuates a myth as flawed at those it tries to refute. Spaces like these throughout the city could instead hold trees. Furthermore, Seattle’s trees are. • Older, larger trees grow much more rapidly than smaller, younger trees. The Seattle Tree Canopy Assessment says white, wealthy neighborhoods are more likely to have trees lining their streets than their poor, non-white counterparts. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. As most of the residents are from a minority group, I believe they should be first in line for an opportunity to ‘forest bathe’. History of canopy cover assessment in Seattle. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Spaces like these throughout the city could instead hold trees. Stay up to date on the Northwest's most important sustainability issues. Annie. Thanks for the reading suggestions. The city has roughly 500,000 curb-side parking spaces . “Well, if you can’t do that, then it’s really important that you have an expression of nature in your own community.”. She cited the Duwamish Youth Corps, whose home in the valley between Beacon Hill and West Seattle is among the least-treed swaths of the city. Plant Maps – Interactive Plant, Tree and Gardening Maps and Data. Vancouver 2011 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment iii 18.6 Percent of Vancouver land area covered by Tree ... Bellevue (36%), Kirkland (40%), Shoreline (31%), and Seattle (23%), but similar to Salem, OR (18.3%). In Portland, we also have a lot of infill development, where single family homes are being taken out and replaced with larger footprint duplexes and other higher density designs within single family zones. The best available evidence busts the myth. Cities throughout Cascadia and beyond can opt to take back underutilized pavement from cars instead of further squeezing much-need housing options. (Click on the photo below to see a time lapse of the three images.). Read on for the longer story. The problem is you focus your reader only on the cost of regulations to housing (the trees) and overlook broader determents of a more affordable community (the forest). Because Seattle has no comparable LiDAR data from prior years, analysts relied on sampled, manual observation of aerial photography to assess canopy change over time in 2007, 2010, and 2015, as summarized in the chart below. Even though the measured decline in Seattle’s single-family zones was statistically significant, is it possibly just bad data? Again, we can’t say to what extent this is impacting canopy, since our analysis didn’t go down to that scale. The best available evidence indicates no need for drastic policy measures that could risk thwarting homebuilding to save trees. Our neighbor is getting decimated by developers taking out entire lots of old, beautiful tall trees. The opportunity is enormous: Rights of way cover at least a quarter of a typical city’s land. In 2007, Seattle adopted a goal of 30 percent tree canopy cover by 2037. —like adding about half of the neighboring city of Bellevue. Interesting link about the cost benefit of trees in reducing healthcare costs. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. Thanks! Regarding a tree inventory, Seattle estimated 1.4 million in 2007, though unfortunately without identifying tree types. Even if the data did show some tree loss caused by the construction of apartment buildings, though, Seattle would be ill-advised to reflexively prioritize trees over new homes in a city suffering from a housing shortage that’s been inflating rents and prices ever higher. Though the scale of this development is unusual in an urban area, the relative loss of big trees is not unusual. People have different tolerances and priorities for dense urban living in its current form. Also keep in mind that the Portland planners believe that tree canopy is increasing in the areas of the city where redevelopment has been happening. But, more importantly, pitting housing against trees in the name of affordability is as myopic as it is inaccurate. Rapid urbanization in Seattle … Three different ways to measure tree canopy from left to right: LiDAR, aerial photography, and color infrared, with Seattle’s final LiDAR-based tree canopy result mapped on the far right. Hyperlink didn’t get incorporated. They are the survivors and provide the most ecological services to the city. Dedicated to the preservation of the urban tree canopy in The Puget Sound Consulting Arborist Arboricultural consultation to identify potential risks and mitigating solutions. Increasing urbanization around the globe is leading to concern over the loss of tree canopy within cities, but quantifying urban forest canopy cover can be difficult. A thought-provoking, well-researched and well-written piece! So as question of fact, the claim (implied in the statements above) that tree preservation and planting policies are a significant threat to housing affordability simply doesn’t hold up to the facts. Whether you need guidance on tree care, a formal risk assessment or specialized technical services, we can help you make informed decisions and complete your project. Higher graduation rates? And that’s great news, because trees bring immense value to city dwellers in numerous ways. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Tons of people who want to live in cities don’t because they can’t afford the housing. (According to census estimates, Broadview is home to an 87.5 percent white population with a median household income of $125,400.). The city should take the lead to “distribute those trees in a way that is equitable and recognizes the lack of canopy in some neighborhoods,” Johnson told the Urban Forestry Commission earlier this month. Here’s the catch, though: most of the confirmed tree loss happened on land reserved for detached houses, the single-family zones that cover over half the city but where population has barely budged for decades. That’s the view of many, including Jill Mangaliman, executive director of Got Green, a grassroots environmental justice organization based in South Seattle, who serves as co-chair of the city’s Equity and Environment Initiative steering committee. (Remember, on the Green View Index, Vancouver scored higher than Seattle.) Question Answer . Realistically, how much do you think the aggregate cost of tree preservation or planting compares with the other numerous factors determining the aggregate cost of housing in cities? Apparently, the 40 percent data point for 1972 was based on a. that was assessing the region, not just Seattle proper. The city also plans to work with community youth to make them understand the importance of trees, Pinto de Bader said. The area of the city was almost completely logged by the early 20th century, but contains many mature second-growth trees and an extensive network of parks and green spaces. Additionally, when planting relies on preferences of property owners, “right tree right place” is not always employed, with long lasting consequences. They include Douglas fir and western red cedar and Big leaf maples. How do you factor in the fact that existing trees are always growing? The people who appealed Seattle’s ADU liberalization specifically called out the threat that backyard cottages pose to trees. But does that mean they can’t? 5-10-17 Final . Background of the UTC Assessment The Urban Tree Canopy Assessment approach and protocols were invented by the U.S. Forest Service in 2006 to map and quantify landcover for Baltimore City. If you think that little black boxes are going to save our collective derriers, think again. Fortunately, Seattle and other North American cities facing the same affordability challenge have a big escape hatch for accommodating trees: the publicly owned right-of-way—the quarter of urban land typically devoted mostly to pavement, mostly for motor vehicles. revolution that’s brewing in transportation. : “In the 1970s, Seattle was mantled with trees, with about 40 percent canopy cover… but as the number of city inhabitants has increased, we’ve shed at least a quarter of that protective green veil.” Nope. Correction: “Preserving the massive swaths of single family zones and “free” parking (policies that actually exist) might do this but requiring the preservation of the largest, healthiest, highest value trees (policies that don’t exist in Portland) will not. On one hand, they are critical to the city meeting its environmental stewardship goals; but on the other hand, protecting them at all costs might at times interfere with attempts to increase urban density. Even if sensible strategies for preserving and planting urban trees did have a measurable negative impact on aggregate housing supply and affordability (I am still waiting for the evidence on this), urban trees do have a measurable positive effect on reduced healthcare costs. After all, the city’s coniferous crown is what makes the Emerald City emerald in the first place. Compared to LiDAR, the aerial photography results are higher across the board. The Seattle Tree Canopy Assessment says white, wealthy neighborhoods are more likely to have trees lining their streets than their poor, non-white counterparts. All told, Seattle’s tree studies demonstrate that, contrary to what the casual observer might assume, cities can build up—a lot!—and still keep lots of trees around. NASA – Above Ground Woody Biomass Map. Downtown Vancouver, BC, as seen from the Cambie bridge in 1978, 2003, and 2017, illustrating how cities can densify and add trees at the same time. What is happening in Seattle’s single-family zones to cause the tree canopy loss? Some homeowners cut trees for views or safety reasons, but that also doesn’t seem prevalent enough to be a main cause. As a result we have no baseline. “(The survey) gives a bit of a narrative of what the community is saying, what the community is concerned about in those areas,” said Darren Morgan, SDOT’s urban forestry manager. The city’s most rigorous analysis to date pegged it at, 33 percent in 2007 and 31 percent in 2015, . Tree removal fees could be the financial straw the breaks the camel’s back, dissuading an owner from building a new home. I agree, that based on my anecdotal observations, Seattle’s lowrise zones are likely losing canopy as detached houses are converted to townhouses and rowhouses that cover more of the lot. However, in that case we observe that trees don’t receive the maintenance they require. on the change in tree canopy over time does show a 6 percent decline between 2007 and 2015. In 2014, University of Washington researchers applied three different methods that yielded 26 or 30 percent in 2009, and 29 percent in 2012. “If the cost is as trivial as you seem to be implying, then why can’t we pay for all the trees we want and more out of a city’s general tax fund?”. While this might be good for urban planning, it doesn’t offer the kind of carbon sequestration that a healthy tree canopy can offer. City of Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Collection. In Portland a significant portion of this cost of street tree maintenance is also left to property owners to maintain street trees in front of their houses. Nice try. But that’s a false choice. That question is an interesting one, but far outside the scope of our study. ASSESSMENT BOUNDARIES This study assesses urban tree canopy … URBAN TREE CANOPY IN BELLEVUE Results of this study indicated that in 2017, the city of Bellevue contained 37 percent tree canopy (or 7,877 of the city’s 21,435 total acres); 2 … A comparison of Cascadia’s three major cities—Vancouver, BC, Portland, and Seattle—illustrates the inconsistency. Trees have always been a part of Seattle’s draw. There’s a photo in the article that shows Seattle circa 1970 (near the Seattle Center) as a testament to how few trees there were in the city back in the day. “Communities where folks of color have been able to live are usually the most polluted areas … so it doesn’t surprise me that a lack of green space is part of it as well,” said Mangaliman. It’s a remarkable success story: Seattle increased its stock of homes by 14 percent, confined almost completely to the 18 percent of city land where multifamily housing is allowed—with no measurable impact on trees! Much has been written about the wide ranging and enormous benefits provided by urban trees: they sequester carbon, absorb stormwater, improve air quality, mitigate the heat island effect, calm car traffic, and improve mental health; plus they’re just plain beautiful. The most common tree-monitoring yardstick is canopy cover—that is, the portion of the ground that is covered by trees’ branches and leaves when looking down from above. Make a year-end donation to Sightline today. Overall, the city’s tree cover is just below the goal of 30 percent by 2037, and most categories are near or exceed their targets. Seattle’s latest data on tree canopy cover demonstrate that cities can rapidly densify without sacrificing trees. Concerning this article, more density, at the expense of trees, does not mean more affordable housing. Source: City of Seattle. Pinto de Bader, the Office of Sustainability’s urban forest lead, told InvestigateWest that city officials want to gather information and reach out to residents of the least-treed neighborhoods before barging into those areas and planting trees without considering the area’s culture and day-to-day living patterns. Most of these efforts have been focused on street trees, which are currently being, by Department of Transportation analysts who expect the total count to hit 200,000 or so. Regarding tradeoffs, I would point out that housing insecurity causes all kind of health issues for people. Nearly all of Seattle’s population and job growth occurred in the multifamily, commercial/mixed-use, and downtown areas where the data show no statistically significant changes in canopy between 2007 and 2015 (see chart above). About half of those spaces are in single-family zones. Does “every cost really matter” if it has a disproportional benefit, especially for the goal of more affordability living? Clad in bright blue polyester vests emblazoned with Chinese characters, the Chinatown-International District Block Watch volunteers spend a Tuesday evening canvassing the neighborhood’s low slopes on the lookout for signs of trouble. 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