Wedgwood loves us some trees. According to Wikipedia, Wedgwood was Seattle’s first neighborhood to preserve large trees when it was first built. (I don’t recall if our neighborhood historian has confirmed this or not.) Now, the City’s Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Section is proposing an update to the existing street tree ordinance, which hasn’t been updated since 1961. According to the City, the update has been developed with input from a panel consisting of citizens, commercial arborists, and other City department staff.
The City will (has been) holding 5 public meetings to discuss the update, which includes new protections and current non-codified policies. The public meetings are occurring from 6:30-8:30 PM on the following dates:
- Dec. 12th – Highpoint Community Center, 6920 34 Ave SW Multi-Purpose room
- Dec. 14th – Van Asselt Community Center, 2820 S Myrtle
- Dec. 15th – Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E
- Jan. 9th – Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th NE rm. 22
- Jan 11th – Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Ave NW—Sunset room
You can read more about the public meetings and the proposed changes on the City’s website, SDOT’s Blog, or on its public notice.
FUN FACT: Did you know that the SDOT Urban Forestry Section planted 800 trees in Seattle during 2011! In fact, since the Hunter Farm Gathering Place Project officially came to an end in September, 9 street trees were planted along the NE 36th Street sidewalk adjacent to the Hunter Farm site and Wedgwood Presbyterian Church’s south parking lot.
NOTE: This update to the street tree ordinance is only for those trees within the City’s right-of-way. It does not propose changes to those trees that are located on private property.
UPDATE: I came across this interesting video on the benefits of urban forests.
Urban Forests = Cleaner, Cooler Air from ASLA on Vimeo.