The City of Seattle invites residents to take this 10-minute survey to share thoughts on where and how SDOT should focus street tree work through 2024.”We’d appreciate it if you could take a 10-minute survey to share your thoughts on where and how SDOT should focus street tree work through 2024. For more information, please visit the Street Tree Management Plan website. Together we will continue to Keep Seattle’s trees growing and thriving!”
The City says they “have recently launched an informational website to provide anyone who is interested with more information about our activities. Thanks to the Levy to Move Seattle, coupled with new data collection capability, we have the opportunity to engage with Seattle’s street trees with an innovative approach that we believe may be of interest to you and your organization. This program is called the Street Tree Management Plan (STMP).”
They say, “of the estimated 250,000 street trees, we maintain 40,000 of them, which is no small task! The STMP aims to improve the condition of SDOT maintained street trees by the end of 2024 in a more comprehensive way. Through effective inventorying, maintenance and community involvement we hope to ensure the health, preservation, and expansion of Seattle’s urban forest. Moving into the second year of the program, we would like to engage with communities and do our part in creating and maintaining clean, healthy, resilient, and safe environments.”
From SDOT’s FACT SHEET on Street Tree Management
PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Urban Forestry launched the Street Tree Management Plan in 2016. This program gives us the opportunity to engage with Seattle’s Street Trees with an innovative approach. To do this, we created 27 management units throughout Seattle, based on City Council Districts and U.S. Census tracts and will complete 3 units per year. Through effective inventorying, maintenance, replacement, and community involvement, we hope to ensure the health, preservation and expansion of Seattle’s urban forest.
WHAT IS A STREET TREE? All trees growing within public right-of-way are street trees, and are protected through the implementation of the Street Tree Ordinance.
PROJECT GOALS
- Inventory: Update inventory of all street trees by 2024.
- Maintain: Prune every SDOT maintained street tree at least once by 2024.
- Replace: Plant at least two trees for every one removed.
- Connect: Perform a program-long engagement plan that connects healthy green spaces equitably to all communities.
PROJECT BENEFITS Healthy, well-maintained street trees provide many local benefits to communities such as reducing crime, improving health, minimizing stress, and calming traffic
Working with the project on outreach is Anne Pfeifer, SDOT Urban Forestry Intern, University of Washington, Class of 2017 anne.pfeifer@seattle.gov 206.615.1569