Honored as a Tree City officially from the Arbor Day Foundation, SeaTac is committed to preserving our natural lands and assisting with the protection of our green spaces.
The 2017 Urban Forest Enhancement Guide found SeaTac canopy coverage totaled 25 percent (not including the Sea-Tac Airport). Restoration and planting efforts are ongoing since 2019 within North SeaTac Park and Angle Lake Nature Trail to remove invasive species and plant trees and other native plants.
What we have done
We regularly plant new trees, even hosting community events to engage residents in the process. We planted archangel trees, clones of the world’s largest trees, back in 2017 at Angle Nature Trail. These trees have the potential (like their ancestors) to become giants and offer a large canopy to the area.
2022 marked the 13th year SeaTac has been recognized as a Tree City USA participant and also received 8 awards in that time to acknowledge program growth. The Tree City USA program provides communities with a four-step framework to maintain and grow their tree cover.
We also frequently offer free trees to people in the city to plant on their properties. Sound Transit has given away free trees to people living in the cities impacted by the Federal Way extension it is building, with another tree giveaway expected this fall. You can reserve a tree here.
We have committed to advocating for the protection of North SeaTac Park and are working with the Port of Seattle to ensure we maintain the space.
Our Public Works crews do not remove trees unless they are diseased, a risk to public safety or conflicts with the proposed sidewalk and/or frontage improvements. We also implement landscaping design requirements that include the possibility of planting new trees with any street improvements.
Current zoning regulations allow residential property owners to remove trees on their properties, but not in the public right of way. When properties are redeveloped in residential, commercial and other zones, there are requirements to maintain what we call “significant trees”–bigger trees offering more canopy.
Working with WSDOT
Work on WSDOT’s SR 509 Completion project includes following WSDOT’s protocols for replacing trees impacted by the project’s scope of work. WSDOT’s policy can be viewed online.
Essentially, WSDOT calculates the numbers of trees needed to replace those cut down for construction based on the type of tree and size of tree. WSDOT’s SR 509 Completion project spans parts of Kent, SeaTac, Burien and Des Moines so not all trees removed for the project fall within SeaTac city limits.
WSDOT expects to remove up to 2,500 trees in the current stage of the project that have a diameter of 4 inches or more. Approximately 19,700 trees will be planted to replace the trees taken down for construction. WSDOT’s policy is aimed at replacing canopy and the first choice is to replant them in a project’s region.
The final construction stage of the SR 509 Completion project has not been awarded, so more could be removed. WSDOT projects fewer than 8,000 trees will be removed for the final stage of the project and estimates that as many as 43,000 trees could be planted to replace the trees lost.
Overall, WSDOT estimates around 10,000 trees will be impacted by the project and with up to 62,700 new trees planted.
How to get involved
The long-term goal is to not only maintain the current 25 percent of tree cover in SeaTac but to grow the canopy area over time. Programs and events that plant new trees are heavily dependent on volunteers and non-profit groups that assist in this effort.
If interested in helping the City in our efforts, stay on the lookout for more opportunities to help us weed out invasive species and plant new trees. You can also join the City’s Tree Board, which advises City Council about preserving trees as well as removing those that are diseased and or hazards to the public.
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