Seattle Looking for Better Tree Protections

Advocates are pushing for better tree protection practices in the city of Seattle.

According to an article by Amy Radil, the city's complaint-based system is often too late to save trees, Advocate Carolyn Rodenberg, of 150 Trees and Me, says "We need to get it to where we're protecting the trees while they're still standing."

A prominent example of the failure of the city's current protection scheme came when a group of homeowners cut own trees to improve their views. The homeowners ended up paying an $800,000 fine for removing the trees, but the trees are gone.

Rodenberg's group is pushing the city to combine its climate goals with any potential tree ordinance the city might approve in the future. Meanwhile, the city lacks any practices to track trees or to enforce compliance from private landowners. Nearby suburbs, however, can provide the city of Seattle with models for better tracking and enforcing tree regulations.