The Emerald City
Working to implement the Urban Forest Management Plan’s (UFMP) goals, City staff adopt annual work plans and issue annual progress reports. The UFMP is a long-term plan for increasing Seattle’s canopy cover from 23% to 30% by 2037. Staff from the Urban Forest interdepartmental team presented the 2011 progress report to Council’s Planning, Land Use and Sustainability committee on February 29. They also presented their 2012 workplan, which includes goals for tree planting, management, and outreach in the community.
At the same Council meeting, members of the Urban Forestry Commission presented their 2011 annual report and 2012 workplan. The nine-member UFC consists of a wildlife biologist; an urban ecologist; a representative of a local, state, or federal natural resource agency or an accredited university; a hydrologist; a certified arborist; a representative of a non-profit or non-governmental organization; a representative of the development community or a representative from a non-city utility; and an economist, financial analyst, or Washington State license real estate broker. The arborist position is currently vacant and a new member being recruited.
For more information about all the City’s programs and policies on trees and how you can get involved, visit the Seattle reLeaf website.