TreePAC

An independent Political Action Committee in defense of the urban forest

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Category Archives: TreePAC

TreePAC and Seattle Win Master Builders Appeal!

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TreePAC and Seattle Win Hearing Examiner Appeal By Master Builders opposing updating Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance

TreePAC joined forces with Seattle to stop what could have been a one to two year added delay in updating Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance. TreePAC  hired respected environmental Attorney Claudia Newman of Bricklin and Newman to intervene in the Hearing Examiner Appeal by the Master Builders.

In a strongly worded decision, the Seattle Hearing Examiner denied the appeal by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties from a Determination of Non-Significance  issued by the Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI). The appeal was regarding the potential environmental impacts of a draft update by SDCI of Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance.The decision by Seattle Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil stated, “The Director’s decision to issue a Determination of Non significance for the proposed ordinance is not clearly erroneous and is AFFIRMED and the Appellants’ appeal is DENIED..”The Hearing Examiner did not equivocate but soundly dismissed the MBAKS arguments and witnesses’ statements as speculation and not backed up by any actual data.Seattle  Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil stated “The record indicates that in developing the proposal, the Department considered the City’s goals and policies and developed a set of recommendations that struck a balance between the City’s housing goals related to housing and future development patterns and the City’s goals to maintain a healthy urban forest that provides sizable tree canopy coverage.”You can read the full Hearing Examiner’s decision and detailed response here.

Having an experienced expert Attorney was critical in our winning this appeal. Fighting the Master Builders  unfortunately lasted longer and cost more than planned as they dragged the hearing process out. The decision by the Hearing Examiner strongly supported the city in protecting Seattle’s trees and gives us momentum to get the tree Protection Ordinance updated in the coming months. 

TreePAC needs your help to pay our additional  legal bills for this successful effort as well as our continuing campaigns to update Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance.

  Please send a contribution today to help us retire our debt.  We still have work to do to get the ordinance update passed by the City Council. Thanks.

 

Housing Shortage; Build but also retain trees

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Housing shortage: Build, but also retain trees

Re: “More regulations on housing push us further from the goal of meeting demand” [Aug. 7, Opinion]:

This Op-Ed perpetuates the false narrative that we can only house new neighbors by cutting down Seattle’s trees. We can and should grow our housing stock and our urban forest at the same time.

The science has long been in that urban trees give us cleaner air, cooler summers and better outcomes on every measurable public health metric. Our current building code puts protection of trees in new developments on a separate “tree review” track, which complicates the process.

What if each development started with a look at the existing trees and how new homes could be built while retaining them? Seattle would retain the ecological benefits of our established urban forest, and the residents of the future homes would enjoy the health benefits of living close to big trees.

Sandy Shettler, Seattle

Seattle Hearing Examiner Denies Master Builders Appeal on draft SDCI Tree Protection Ordinance

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News Release
 Steve Zemke – Chair TreePAC
stevezemke@TreePAC.org
For Immediate release
Friday August 12, 2022

Seattle Hearing Examiner Denies Master Builders Appeal, Allows Tree Protection Ordinance Update to Proceed

SEATTLE – TreePAC, a citizen’s group advocating updating Seattle Tree Protection Ordinance, joined as an Intervenor with the city of Seattle in opposing a Hearing Examiner appeal by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County.  The decision allows Seattle to now move forward with updating Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance, a process that citizen groups and others have been urging the city to do for 13 years.
In a strongly worded decision, the Seattle Hearing Examiner dismissed an appeal by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) from a Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) issued by the Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI). The appeal was regarding the potential environmental impacts of a draft update by SDCI of Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance.
The decision by Seattle Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil stated, “The Director’s decision to issue a Determination of Nonsignificance for the proposed ordinance is not clearly erroneous and is AFFIRMED and the Appellants’ appeal is DENIED .”
The Hearing Examiner did not equivocate but soundly dismissed the MBAKS arguments and witnesses’ statements as speculation and not backed up by any actual data.
You can read the Hearing Examiner’s decision and detailed response here.
Quotes
Steve Zemke, Chair of TreePAC  “We appreciate the Hearing Examiner’s reasoned and detailed decision. Trees are critical to maintaining the health and vitality of Seattle’s communities and its citizens.  TreePAC supports the efforts of the city to both increase needed housing and protect our green infrastructure. It is not an either/or situation but a priority of the city to address both as mandated in Seattle’s current Comprehensive Plan.”
Seattle  Hearing Examiner Ryan Vancil in his decision “The record indicates that in developing the proposal, the Department considered the City’s goals and policies and developed a set of recommendations that struck a balance between the City’s housing goals related to housing and future development patterns and the City’s goals to maintain a healthy urban forest that provides sizable tree canopy coverage.”
Steve Zemke, Chair TreePAC  “Trees are critical to dealing with urban heat island impacts and stormwater runoff as the climate crisis continues. That requires protecting as many existing trees as possible and planting more trees in marginalized areas for tree equity and social justice. The proposed draft ordinance update helps the city to do that.”
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Save the Aurora Ave N Sweetgum Trees

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Please send an e-mail to Seattle City officials to help save the Aurora Ave N Sweetgum street trees  from being cut down..
Click on the link below to do it quickly through Action Network. Thanks.
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/aurora-ave-n-trees?source=direct_link&
Don’t Clearcut Seattle is a project of TreePAC. They maintain the action network website.
Donations to TreePAC are needed to support their work  protecting existing urban trees and efforts to plant more trees to increase our urban canopy. Please donate today. Thanks.
Contribute to TreePAC

 

Tree protest in North Seattle, 5-29-22

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TreePAC and The Last 6,000 prevented (for now) a pair of exceptional Doug Firs from being cut down this weekend. Ideally this will force a permit from the landowner at minimum (and potential fines) but watch this space for more.

From KIRO 7, on the scene today:

New TreePAC newsletter on the site!

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The latest Spring 2022 TreePAC newsletter is now on the site – click here to check it out! Highlights include the recent Seattle City Council passing legislation to require Tree Service Provider registration, some great news from Save Shoreline Trees and Trees4Livability in Bellevue , and the usual digest of local and worldwide tree news. Enjoy!

kevin orme
TreePAC

TreePAC Intervention approved in MBAKS Hearing Examiner Appeal

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As this is public record now, here’s the official filing of our Motion to Intervene in the recent Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Hearing Examiner appeal of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections’ draft Tree Protection Ordinance Determination of Non-Significance after their SEPA evaluation.  – you can read their original SEPA appeal here.. The hearing Examiner has approved TreePAC’s intervention.

 

 

 

Press Release – Seattle City Council Passes Tree Service Provider Registration Legislation

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Press release
stevezemke@TreePAC.org
for immediate release:
Seattle City Council Passes TreePAC Priority Legislation to Increase Tree Protection in Seattle
 
The Seattle City Council today adopted legislation to require that Tree Service Providers working in Seattle be registered and certified to remove significant trees and do major pruning.
The ordinance passed was sponsored by Councilmember Alex Pedersen and Councilmember Dan Strauss. By a unanimous vote of Council member present, Council passes CB 120207 – AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and urban forestry; adding a tree service provider registration procedure and requirement .
Steve Zemke, Chair of TreePAC stated “We appreciate the City Council  taking action with this bill to increase tree protection. This is a good first step and we look forward to working with the Council to adopt a more comprehensive update of the Tree Protection Ordinance later this summer” Efforts to update the Tree Protection Ordinance have been going on for 13 years now after an interim draft was passed in 2009.
The goal of the adopted ordinance is to minimize the illegal cutting down of trees on private property that are protected by the existing Seattle Tree Protection Ordinance. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) will oversee the registration of Tree Service Providers and their meeting conditions in the just passed ordinance to be able to do tree work in Seattle. Registration will be required to be completed by Nov. 10, 2022. See summary and fiscal note here.
The new registration requirements are patterned after what the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT)  has been doing for the last 9 years. Spokane , Washington also has a similar program in place, to require registration of Tree Service providers doing any work on public trees in their city.
The state of Washington requires that a business be registered as a contractor if they deal with “Tree removal” – A contractor in this specialty falls and/or removes trees, stumps and/or branches on residential or commercial property or near a residential or commercial structure, outbuilding, or fence.” They also need to purchase a Washington Continuous Contractor Surety Bond in the amount of $12,000 for general contractors or $6,000 for specialty contractors. In addition, they need a general liability insurance policy in the amount of $200,000 liability and $50,000 property damage, or $250,000 combined single limit..
At least 8 other states require registration as a Tree Service Provider to do tree care work..  These states include – California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
Seattle’s registration process will provide additional oversight in protecting Seattle’s trees and tree canopy.. It requires Tree Care Providers to acknowledge they are familiar with Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance and other related regulations. If a second violation of current rules and regulations occurs in any year, the Tree Service Provider will not be allowed to work in Seattle for the next year. The city will publish a list on line of Tree Service Providers registered to work in Seattle.
The just adopted Ordinance was only one provision of nine recommended for adoption in 2019 by the Seattle City Council in Resolution 31902. A draft bill from the Department of Construction and Inspection on meeting some of the provisions in Resolution 31902, was released in Feb. with a SEPA determination of non-significance (DNS). The DNS is being appealed to the Seattle City Hearing Examiner by The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties and several developers . Once this process is completed, the expectation and stated goal is that the City Council will take up this summer the adoption of a stronger tree ordinance.
The Seattle Urban Forestry Commission released a draft ordinance in 2019 – Tree and Urban Forest Protection Ordinance. . TreePAC is urging the Council to use this bill as the starting draft for a comprehensive update, instead of SDCI’s draft..

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Urge the Seattle City Council at Tues. March 29th meeting to pass CB 120207 to regulate tree service providers

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URGE THE SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL TO PASS COUNCIL Council Bill 120207 

THIS TUES MARCH 29th

Dear TreePAC supporters,
Last Wednesday, the Seattle City Council Land Use Committee passed a key component in our effort to update Seattle’s Tree Protection Ordinance. All 5 committee members voted to forward Council bill 120207 – An ordinance relatng to land use and urban forestry adding a tree service provider registration procedure and requirement“ to the full City Council for a vote on Tuesday, March 29 starting at 2 PM.
This ordinance update is needed to help stop illegal tree removal in the city and to ensure that Tree Care Providers are knowledgeable of the existing tree code and regulations. If operating out of compliance, they will face fines for violations and after 2 violations are prohibited from working in the city for a year. The companies must be registered also as contractors with the state, carry adequate insurance and have workers compensation for their employees in case they are injured on the job.
Click on the link above to send a pre-written e-mail that you can edit.

The Seattle Department of Transportation has required such registration for nine years for contractors working on street trees. Spokane Washington also requires registration for all Tree Service Providers working on public trees.
Eight states require similar registration of Tree Service Providers doing work on both public and private property – California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. Seattle needs to follow suit.
We need your help to ensure this bill passes the full City Council on Tuesday and is signed by Mayor Bruce Harrell. Please send the e-mail letter linked below with any added personal comments and stories of why this legislation is needed to the City Council and Mayor. Thanks for your help.
You can also help by calling Council members offices and urging they pass this much needed legislation. You can see their contact information here.
If you want to testify for the bill, you can sign up starting 2 hours before the 2 PM meeting time on Tuesday March 29th.  Public comment is at the beginning of the meeting. It will probably be limited to 1 minute.
PUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may sign up to address the Council for up to 2 minutes on matters on this agenda; total time allotted to public comment at this meeting is 20 minutes. Register online to speak during the Public Comment period at the 2:00 p.m. City Council meeting at http://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment. Online registration to speak at the City Council meeting will begin two hours before the 2:00 p.m. meeting start time, and registration will end at the conclusion of the Public Comment period during the meeting. Speakers must be registered in order to be recognized by the Chair
Thanks for your help!
Steve Zemke
Chair – TreePAC.
Donations are welcome to help us continue our efforts. Thank-you.

Bellevue Group – trees4livabliity.org – online petition!

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It’s great to see more tree advocacy groups springing up around the Puget Sound! The newest is Trees4Livability.org in Bellevue, which started up a few months ago. Here’s the latest, they are pursuing an online petition – if you have any relatives or friends in Bellevue, please get them to weigh in and sign!

From Trees4Livability:

Environmental advocates in Bellevue are coming together to improve tree protections in our city to help preserve livability, critical habitat, and combat climate change. Trees4Livability is a nonprofit formed by a group of concerned citizens to strengthen Bellevue’s tree codes. The group has a mission to preserve existing tree canopy and ecosystems, as well as institute rules to require replanting and maintenance of trees.

Bellevue has some of the weakest tree codes in the region. They allow developers to remove five Significant trees without a permit and have no special protections for Landmark Trees which take 100 – 150+ years to grow.

Trees4Livability is urging citizens who live, or work in Bellevue to sign their Tree Code Petition  https://trees4livability.org/tree-code-petition  during March to urge City Council members to make changes in 2022! This is a critical time for birds and wildlife in our region. Please sign the petition and spread the word.

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