History & significance
A city cut from a forest
Seattle was built on land cleared of old-growth conifers. Today its canopy is measured, mapped and short of the City's own goal.
Citywide tree canopy cover
28.1%in 2021, down from 28.6% in 2016
- Canopy lost 2016–2021
- 255 acres
- Gap to goal
- 1.9 points
- Goal set
- 2007
Timeline
Before 1850s
A conifer forest to the shoreline
Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock covered the hills around Elliott Bay and Lake Washington — the homelands of the Duwamish and other Coast Salish peoples, who lived with and from this forest.
1850s–1900s
The forest becomes the city
Settlers opened a steam sawmill on the waterfront and logs were skidded downhill along what became Yesler Way. Within decades most of the old-growth forest within today's city limits had been cut.
1900s–1930s
Parks, boulevards and regrades
The Olmsted Brothers' park plan set aside green corridors and parks, while regrades leveled whole hills. A few old-growth remnants survive today in places like Seward Park and Schmitz Preserve.
2007
A citywide canopy goal
Seattle set a goal of 30% tree canopy cover by 2037, along with healthier trees and a more equitable distribution across neighborhoods.
2021
Measured loss
The City's most recent assessment found 28.1% cover, down from 28.6% in 2016 — a net loss of 255 acres, falling hardest on neighborhoods that already had the least canopy.
Today
Advance notice of removals
Under the current Tree Protection Code, SDCI posts public notice before many tree removals. Seattle Canopy Watch records each of those notices every day so changes and removals stay visible.
Why the canopy matters
Cooler streets
The City reports that a 13% increase in neighborhood canopy is associated with about a half-degree drop in temperature — shade matters most in a warming climate.
Uneven shade
Neighborhoods affected by racial and economic injustice started with less canopy and lost more than the citywide average, including parts of the Chinatown–International District and the south end of Rainier Valley.
Rain held in the canopy
Large conifers and moss-laden maples intercept rainfall before it reaches streets and storm drains that flow to Puget Sound.
Irreplaceable size
A newly planted sapling takes decades to approach the canopy of the mature trees removed under permits — which is why size and tier appear on every record here.