Seattle Washington - Master Street Tree Plan

The City of Seattle Street Tree Master Plan is a comprehensive three-phase study that recommends priorities, provides a list of appropriate plantings for Seattle’s arterial streets, and explores new concepts for street tree plantings to connect existing open spaces and green areas in the Seattle. The Street Tree Master Plan serves as a mechanism to prioritize areas for tree plantings and identifies tree species for planting and removal.

Phase I inventoried the location, type and condition of trees planted along all improved city streets. From 1991 to 1992, nearly 84,000 trees were assessed for a wide range of factors, including age, species, health, site features, planting strip width and relationship to power lines.

Phase II developed criteria for deciding priorities for planting street trees and designated arterial streets for tree plantings. It also quantified the planting and maintenance needs of Seattle’s street trees and created a comprehensive list of old and diseased trees for removal.

Phase III identified goals for urban forestry growth for the city of Seattle and presented new ideas to increase the quantity and quality of green spaces within the city limits. Goals include a 13 percent increase in Seattle’s tree canopy, to a total of 40 percent. Fresh ideas and new partnerships are now being made among the public, private, commercial and nonprofit sectors to reach the goals for a green Seattle.