SEATTLE — Seattle, known as the "Emerald City" for its luscious greenery, now has a new ordinance in effect, that will help protect trees.
"Trees planted today, can and will create the canopy for my children," said Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss said back on May 23 when the ordinance was passed.
The ordinance expands protections to 175,000 trees across the city, compared to the previous code which only protected about 17,700. But some acknowledge it’s not perfect.
"We need to use our creativity to ensure we can have denser, better, affordable housing, while also living in conjunction with ecosystems we can rely on," said a man who goes by the name of Droplet. He and other activists have been living in a cedar tree found in Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood for two weeks. It was supposed to be chopped down to make way for housing construction.
"There's certainly a quality over quantity concern here, which is a stand of new trees... sequesters much less carbon, provides certainly less ecosystem services and also doesn't have the memory of this tree," Droplet said.
As part of the ordinance, removed trees must be replaced or a fee must be paid to plant additional trees elsewhere. In a statement, Councilmember Strauss wrote, "My aim was to pass a balanced bill that protects trees in our neighborhoods and during development while making space for the housing {in} our city."