Seattle council members want groves of trees protected

Two Seattle City Council members today asked the Department of Planning and Development to extend Seattle's tree-preservation rules to groves of trees.

The resolution introduced by Council President Richard Conlin and Council member Sally Clark will be the subject of a public hearing at 2 p.m. on June 24 and could be acted on by the full council June 30.

The department's existing rules focus on protecting individual, "exceptional" trees, rather than groves.

Council officials say that gap has meant that proposed construction projects, such as town houses near the Maple Leaf reservoir and the expansion of Ingraham High School, may result in the cutting down of stands of Douglas firs and other evergreens whose diameters are too small to meet the department's threshold for preservation.

Less than one-fifth of Seattle's land is covered by tree canopy, "too low by national standards," according to the Urban Forest Management Plan, a report assembled by city departments last year.

The tree canopy is shrinking in large part because of the city's desire to become denser, rather than to sprawl.

The council has a goal of increasing the canopy at a rate of one percent per year, until 40 percent of the city is covered in trees.

"Increasing the tree canopy will enhance air and water quality, and help lessen the impact of climate changing gases," Conlin said in a statement.

Clark added, "Preserving tree groves is a vital part of greening the Emerald City."

Mayor Greg Nickels has said he intends to introduce new tree preservation rules by year's end but he has not committed to preserving stands of trees on private property.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com