Council urges more private property incentives, better public tree management to reach UTC goal of 30% by 2040; Seattle, WA

Council urges mayor to approve stronger rules to protect urban forest | Ballard News-Tribune: "By Robinson Newspapers Staff
May 18, 2009 updated 5 hours ago
On May 18 the Seattle City Auditor presented a report to the city council on the management of city trees, which calls the urban forest, “a vital part of the city’s infrastructure” and recommends better management of urban trees as a valuable resource.
Seattle has specific goals to increase the urban tree canopy from 18 percent to 30 percent by 2040.
“We know that in addition to fighting climate change, a healthy and expanding tree canopy provides financial benefits to the city in managing drainage, filtering our air, and boosting property values by making neighborhoods greener,” said council president Richard Conlin, chair of the Environment, Emergency Management, and Utilities Committee, which will take up the report at its Friday meeting."