If you live, work, play, or travel in these neighborhoods, share your thoughts to inform plans for more street trees and a greener future
Blog stats: 1,300 words | 6-minute read
At-a-glance:
- Take our survey by May 23 to share your thoughts about future street tree planting in South Park, SODO, Roxhill, and Capitol Hill if you live, work, play, or travel in these neighborhoods.
- Survey links:
- The survey is part of a street tree planning study. Funds for this project were provided by the State of Washington Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry Program.
- These neighborhoods were identified because they have less than 25% canopy coverage and represent neighborhoods across the city with residential, industrial, dense urban, and mixed-use areas.
- We’ll use the survey feedback to help us plan for future tree planting in these communities.
- You can find more information and maps on our website. Thank you for sharing your priorities and perspectives!
With spring in full bloom, you might find yourself noticing trees lining streets in your neighborhood and thinking you’d like to see more. In a city as green as Seattle, it’s easy to take for granted the many benefits trees offer our communities. In addition to their natural beauty, trees improve air quality, help prevent flooding, and cool our neighborhoods, making it more comfortable to walk, bike, or play.
That’s why the City of Seattle has made it our goal to achieve at least 30% tree-canopy coverage equitably distributed across the city by 2037. Seattle’s tree canopy includes trees in public parks, greenbelts, private property, and street trees in the public right-of-way. Street trees make up nearly a quarter of Seattle’s overall tree canopy.
As part of these efforts, we launched a survey this week around four neighborhoods – South Park, SODO, Roxhill, and Capitol Hill – to help us identify your priorities and assess support for future street tree planting efforts.
If you live, work, play, or travel in these neighborhoods, we want to hear from you before the survey closes on May 23. You can take the survey via the links below:
Survey links (available in multiple languages):
South Park
- 行道樹種植研究 – South Park – 第 112.00 號人口普查區 (Traditional Chinese)
- កម្មវិធីសិក្សាអំពីការដាំដើមឈើតាមដងផ្លូវនៅសៅផាក – South Park – ជំរឿនលេខ 112.00 នៅក្នុងតំបន់ (Khmer)
- ການສຶກສາການປູກຕົ້ນໄມ້ຕາມຖະໜົນ – South Park – ເສັ້ນທາງສຳມະໂນ 112.00 (Lao)
- Изучение мнения горожан о посадке уличных деревьев в районе South Park – Переписной район 112.00 (Russian)
- Daraasada Dhir beerista Waddada – South Park – Tusmada Tirakoobka 112.00 (Somali)
- Estudio sobre la Plantación de Árboles Urbanos – South Park – Tramo censal 112.00 (Spanish)
- Pag-aaral Tungkol sa Pagtanim ng Mga puno sa Kalye – South Park – Census Tract 112.00 (Tagalog)
- Дослідження посадки дерев на вулицях – Парк South Park – переписний район 112.00 (Ukrainian)
- Nghiên Cứu Trồng Cây Đường Phố – South Park – Khu Vực Điều Tra Dân Số 112.00 (Vietnamese)
SODO
- 行道樹種植研究 – SODO – 第 93.00 號人口普查區 (Traditional Chinese)
- Изучение мнения горожан о посадке уличных деревьев в районе SODO – Переписной район 93.00 (Russian)
- Estudio sobre la Plantación de Árboles Urbanos – SODO – Tramo censal 93.00 (Spanish)
- Дослідження посадки дерев на вулицях – SODO – Переписна ділянка 93.00 (Ukrainian)
- Nghiên Cứu Trồng Cây Đường Phố – SODO – Khu Vực Điều Tra Dân Số 93.00 (Vietnamese)
Roxhill
- 行道樹種植研究 – Roxhill – 第 114.02 號人口普查區 (Traditional Chinese)
- ការសិក្សាអំពីការដាំដើមឈើតាមដងផ្លូវនៅ – Roxhill – ជំរឿនក្នុងតំបន់លេខ 114.02 (Khmer)
- ການສຶກສາການປູກຕົ້ນໄມ້ຕາມຖະໜົນ – Roxhill – ເສັ້ນທາງສຳມະໂນ 114.02 (Lao)
- Estudio sobre la Plantación de Árboles Urbanos – Roxhill – Tramo censal 114.02 (Spanish)
- Pag-aaral Tungkol sa Pagtanim ng Mga Puno sa Kalye – Roxhill – Census Tract 114.02 (Tagalog)
- Nghiên Cứu Trồng Cây Đường Phố – Roxhill – Khu Vực Điều Tra Dân Số 114.02 (Vietnamese)
Capitol Hill
- 行道樹種植研究 – Capitol Hill – 第 74.05 號人口普查區 (Traditional Chinese)
- Estudio sobre la Plantación de Árboles Urbanos – Capitol Hill – Tramo censal 74.05 (Spanish)
- Nghiên Cứu Trồng Cây Đường Phố – Capitol Hill – Khu Vực Điều Tra Dân Số 74.05 (Vietnamese)
Why street trees matter
Tree canopy cover refers to the percentage of the city that is covered by trees, as seen from an airplane. Canopy cover is an important tool for us to understand how many trees there are in Seattle and where they’re located.
For many Seattleites, trees are more than just part of the scenery – they’re an essential part of our day-to-day life. They provide environmental, health, and social benefits, making our communities more sustainable and vibrant. Street trees are important because they improve our public spaces.
Street trees throughout the city are regulated by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). They’re planted in the public right-of-way, usually in the planting strip (space between sidewalk and curb) or where sidewalks don’t currently exist, in the space approximately 10 feet from the street.
Did you know: The City of Seattle planted over 10,000 trees in 2024. This includes about 900 trees planted along streets and sidewalks by the Seattle Department of Transportation. Many of these trees were funded by the 2015 Levy to Move Seattle. Learn more about trees in Seattle.
Unequal tree coverage
Some neighborhoods have more trees than others. We know this because our Urban Forestry specialists maintain an inventory of more than 250,000 street trees in the city. You can view our tree inventory here and learn more about tree canopy cover in different neighborhoods here.
The number of trees in each neighborhood differs for several reasons. Land use is an important factor. Currently, residential neighborhoods tend to have higher canopy coverage than dense urban neighborhoods with more commercial or industrial uses.
Neighborhoods that have fewer trees receive fewer of the many benefits that trees have to offer. Take SODO, for example. The neighborhood has only 8.5% tree canopy coverage, and there is limited space available for new trees. As a result, SODO has the unfortunate distinction of being the city’s largest “heat island” – a term used to describe how heat can radiate off surfaces like buildings, streets, and roofs, intensifying already hot air temperatures.
By contrast, several other neighborhoods across the city have more than 35% canopy coverage and experience much cooler temperatures in summer. Neighborhoods with more than 30% tree canopy typically have lower rates of air pollution, reduced flooding, and higher property values.
Removing barriers
It’s easy to see why we’re working to plant more trees. So what’s stopping us, you might wonder?
Finding plantable space is more challenging than you might think. Next time you walk down the sidewalk, remember that a complex web of underground utilities lies just beneath your feet and overhead. Street trees must be carefully sited for compatibility with these utilities as well as driveways, light poles, and other public infrastructure. As part of the tree study, expert arborists have been working to find possible planting locations in the four neighborhoods.
Other challenges include a lack of soil and available space, as well as private uses in public right-of-way that can limit future tree planting. Again, the goal of our study is not just to identify the obstacles in these neighborhoods – we’re working to find solutions that will increase street tree planting opportunities and make a real difference.
What’s next?
The feedback we gather from this survey will be summarized in reports to help us determine how to approach future planting efforts. It will also help us improve how we engage with you and your neighbors as we work to make Seattle greener for everyone.
We’ll continue to share updates about this project on the web and with local media so you can stay informed as it moves forward. Thank you in advance for providing your input.
Before you go
Want to learn more about our urban forestry team and SDOT Arborist Nolan Rundquist? Check out this quick video highlight.