Public Comment Period for County Urban Tree Canopy Policy is open until March 31
Kate Lunceford | Published on 3/18/2023
We need your help to get good tree canopy policy into our county laws. The Snohomish County Comprehensive Plan is the overarching policy that governs how codes and regulations are adopted. Cities must reconcile their laws with the county-wide planning policy in the county comprehensive plan. The plan is being updated now to guide population growth of 300,000 people between now and 2044. It will be finished by September 2024. We wrote the first draft of the proposed urban tree canopy policy that was submitted by Council Member Megan Dunn for adoption into the plan. It has been refined by county staff and is ready for your comments. Watch for the Action Alert.
Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz said, “We're about to lose 625,000 more acres of forestland in WA State from human development by 2040.”. In our county this happens mostly in the unincorporated Urban Growth Area. Wooded areas are being clearcut acres at a time.
Large trees are not being saved. Do we have time to plant our way to tree canopy? Significant trees and habitat corridors need to be saved. We need this policy to create a framework for better government. We need education, incentives, and enforcement to balance our place in the ecosystem.
This picture shows 22 acres clearcut for 112 homes on a steep slope right above Puget Sound despite years of protest and lawsuits by neighbors.