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GOAL 3: REVITALIZE URBAN FORESTS AND STREAMS Urban forests provide clean water, clean air and habitat for fish and wildlife, and improve human wellbeing through local air and water quality improvements and increased opportunities for nature experiences in urban environments.
ACTION 8: Grow Tree Canopy in Priority Urban Areas Improving the health and distribution of urban forests mitigates adverse environmental conditions associated with urban landscapes such as urban heat islands, pollution and stormwater runoff. These conditions degrade the health and sustainability of adjacent aquatic and riparian ecosystems such as rivers, streams and nearshore habitats upon which salmon and other species depend.
Outcomes Outcome 17: Increase tree canopy by 2,000 acres (3.5% increase) in Snohomish Watershed cities and towns by 2031. Outcome 18: Plant 10,000 trees annually alongside streams, streets and other priority landscapes in Snohomish Watershed cities and towns through 2031, to achieve clean water goals.
Challenge Urban tree canopy cover gains are needed throughout the Snohomish Watershed. A commonly accepted best practice for temperate urban areas is 40% forest cover. Other nearby municipalities (such as Kirkland) and many other cities (such as Washington, DC) are working towards goals of 40% urban forest cover (City of Kirkland 2021, Sustainable DC 2021). Recent data finds that King and Snohomish counties have tree canopy cover in urban areas at 33% and 27% respectively (DNR 2021). Addressing tree canopy loss resulting from pressures related to population growth and increased urban development is vital. In addition to addressing drivers of loss, canopy gain should be made; the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK (COP26), led to commitments to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation, and urban forests are an important part of this (UN 2021). Impacts of insufficient tree canopy are harmful to salmon and to people; access to nature in cities is increasingly seen as fundamental to human health and wellbeing (Lev 2020). However, many cities lack staff support and resources to implement projects. Additionally, urban forestry efforts should be planned for at a municipal level, and urban forestry management plans are important tools that are lacking in many areas. Robust plans would also benefit from thorough canopy analysis and tree inventories, although sufficient recent data is not always collected or available across the state. Existing programs address these issues in part, including DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry program. DNR’s program is relatively limited in resources, although it was recently expanded through state legislation, the Evergreen Communities Act update (HB 1216), which will support increased technical assistance and grants to cities including those in WRIA 7. However, DNR’s program and related efforts such as Forterra’s Green Cities program are largely
