Trees provide many benefits for the environment, our health and safety, and the economy.

• Trees help us prepare for and fight climate change by cooling our city, helping manage rainwater from large storms, and absorbing carbon dioxide.   
• Trees improve air quality by absorbing pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter, while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere through photosynthesis. They act as natural air filters, helping to mitigate the effects of pollution.   
• Trees provide habitat for wildlife and food for many species of birds, insects, and other wildlife. They support biodiversity and ecosystem health in our city.   
• Access to green spaces with trees has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance cognitive function. Trees in our city can also encourage physical activity by providing cool, pleasant spaces for recreation and relaxation.     
• Trees in our city offer economic benefits, too. They can increase property values, reduce energy costs by providing shade and windbreaks, and help manage drainage issues by absorbing rainfall.     
• Trees make our city beautiful. Green, attractive areas of cities help attract tourism and promote business activity.

The City’s Urban Forestry Program supports tree retention and planting on public property and in City parks. This program funds tree planting and restoration projects in our City parks. It also funds planting and maintaining mature trees in the right-of-way and on other public properties. The Urban Forestry Program is inventorying all public property throughout the City to find all potential tree-planting spaces. This effort will also prioritize where trees should be planted first, to support environmental and diversity and equity goals.

In September 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has awarded the City of Shoreline $1 million to enhance Shoreline’s urban forestry efforts. The grant is part of the $1 billion investment in the Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.

The $1 million grant is in addition to $2.76 million in matching funds the City is putting forward for this work for a total of $3.76 million. Shoreline will use the funds to expand and enhance its urban forestry program over the next five years, which will include extensive tree planting. We will

• Expand efforts to actively track the progress and health of our urban forests and tree canopy and prioritize street-tree planting in low canopy neighborhoods. 
• Expand opportunities for the community to plant and maintain trees on private property. 
• Expand the Green Shoreline Partnership to provide urban forestry education, stewardship, and explore the creation of a workforce development initiative in partnership with local schools and community-based organizations, which will also include tree planting in areas with environmental health disparities.  

The City tracks tree canopy in Shoreline. Tree canopy is important because it conveys how much area is covered by trees rather than simply the number of trees. The 2023 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment shows that between 2018 and 2023, Shoreline’s tree canopy increased 10 acres (from 2,741 to 2,751 acres). Shoreline’s tree canopy goal is 40% by 2050. Our current tree canopy is 37.1% of our total city acreage. In comparison with our neighboring cities, the City of Seattle has 28% tree canopy cover, Edmonds has 34.6%. We measure the tree canopy every five years through our Urban Tree Canopy Assessment. Our next tree inventory will be in 2028.

We have an ongoing commitment to climate action, outlined in our Climate Action Plan, first created in 2013 and updated in 2022.

Transportation is Shoreline’s largest greenhouse gas emissions source, accounting for 55% of total community-wide emissions in 2019. Most of these emissions come from gasoline use in passenger vehicles.

• Reducing community-wide driving is our top strategy for reducing emissions.
• The construction of safe sidewalks and improving existing sidewalks is a priority to implement this strategy.

One of the main goals outlined in the Plan is Goal 2: Enhance Ecosystem Health and Sequestration, “Restoration and sequestration strategies improve the health of local ecosystems and their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere, provide habitat, regulate the water cycle, and buffer the impacts of climate change.”

• When we remove trees and there is enough space in the amenity zone, we will replace trees in the winter or spring when the weather is best suited for a newly planted tree to thrive. Newly planted trees will be species that will not grow as tall as the removed trees to avoid future issues with power lines and whose roots systems will not destroy nearby sidewalks, curblines, and pavement.
• On public property, we are working hard to achieve this goal through acquiring new park acreage and open space, restoring existing forests in our parks, and expanding street tree planting. Since 2020, we have planted 123 new street trees in the right of way where they are appropriate and have room to grow. In addition, we planted 3,314 native plants and trees in parks with 1,500 more planned for this fall.
• On private property, we instituted an annual Communi-trees program to provide free trees to residents along with planting assistance and training on tree care. In 2022, we gave away 119 trees that residents planted in locations throughout the City. In 2023, we gave away almost 200 trees.
• The 2023 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment shows that between 2018 and 2023, we had an increase of 10 acres in tree canopy in Shoreline from 2,741 to 2,751. Our tree canopy has been measured at 37.1% of our total city acreage. In comparison with our neighboring cities, the City of Seattle has 28% tree canopy cover, Edmonds has 34.6%.
• Overall, the natural growth of (and additions to) the existing tree canopy was able to counteract tree canopy loss incurred as part of light rail construction, and private, as well as public, development projects.
• Our climate goals inform our work and we always consider the fine balance we need to strike between providing safe, equitable methods for people to get around without getting in their cars and by maintaining and increasing our urban forest.

If a tree of any size is in or near an area such as a stream, wetland, or steep slope, then the tree may be in a critical area or its associated buffer. The City protects and regulates these trees under the City’s Critical Areas Ordinance. City review is required to decide whether property owners can remove or prune these trees.

Check your property for critical areas on the Property Information map or by contacting a City planner at 206-801-2500.

Outside of critical areas or buffers, tree regulations primarily apply to significant-sized trees on private property in residential zones, unless the area cleared exceeds 3,000 square feet. The City defines significant trees as any tree that is six inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) which is measured four and a half feet off the ground. 

For trees with a DBH between 6 inches and 24 inches, a permit is required for removal. There are allowances in some instances for significant trees less than 24” DBH to be removed in a 36-month period without being subject to permit review, retention, or replacement requirements: 

• During a three-year period, property owners may remove up to three significant trees on lots up to 7,200 square feet and one additional significant tree for every 7,200 square feet of lot area.
• The City must be informed about tree removals using this allowance in order to track the number of removals in a 36-month period, ensure compliance with City regulations, and avoid code enforcement action. 

The City requires a permit for removal of trees greater than 24 inches DBH.

The City requires a permit for removal of trees in the rights-of-way (typically near the street).

Failure to obtain proper permits can result in fines. Removal of significant trees without a permit can result in a penalty of $9,000 per tree. Removal of landmark trees without a permit can result in a penalty of $15,000 per tree. Please contact Planning and Community Development prior to any tree removal or pruning activity to verify requirements.

Trees located in the City rights-of-way are classified as street trees and are subject to different regulations than trees on private property.

The removal, pruning, or damaging of any tree on City property is a violation of City code and is a punishable offense. If you see an unauthorized person removing, pruning, or damaging a tree on City property, which includes parks and rights-of-way, call 911.

In commercial zones, tree removal is exempt unless within a critical area or buffer, or if the existing trees were included as required landscaping within the previous three years.

Pruning less than 25% of a tree’s canopy is allowed without a permit. Excessive pruning, including topping, stripping, coppicing, or creating imbalances are not allowed unless necessary to protect life and property. When a tree is located in a critical area, the pruning must be completed by a qualified arborist.

Trees that pose an immediate danger to life or property, or are substantial fire hazards, may be removed without a permit. If possible, the property owner should document the size of the tree and the hazard situation. Examples of emergency situations include tree trunks or limbs that are demonstrably cracked, leaning on power lines, uprooted by flooding, or were damaged in heavy winds or storm events. The City retains the right to dispute the emergency and require the property owner obtain a Tree Removal Permit.

To remove hazardous trees within Critical Areas, they must be hazardous to life or property as determined by a qualified professional arborist. Hazardous trees that are an active threat (falling or about to fall) to life or property may be removed as described under Exemptions, below.

Hazardous trees that are not an imminent threat may be exempt from permitting and replacement requirements if they are dead, dying, or otherwise unhealthy. Staff may request documentation from an ISA certified arborist. Please note that barren trees in the wintertime may not be dead, just dormant. Please follow up with a City planner on any tree removal projects for guidance in permitting and exemptions, it’s the best way to avoid code enforcement action. 

Shoreline, and the region, are growing. Under the State’s Growth Management Act (GMA), we must accommodate our share of population and job growth in the region. In Shoreline, we’re accomplishing this by promoting dense, transit-oriented development. This type of development supports climate action, equity, and affordable housing.

• Climate action: Walkable communities close to public transit will help reduce car use. This will reduce our largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.   
• Equity and affordable housing: These communities include more housing options for different income levels.
• Shoreline's local economy: Mixed-use buildings, apartments with businesses on the ground floor, support local businesses.   

To encourage development in these areas, we do not apply our private property tree codes. By concentrating growth in dense, walkable communities, we can preserve more trees citywide. If we do not do this, growth would spread across every neighborhood, most likely putting more trees at risk.

One concern we hear about development projects is that they remove trees and create more hard surfaces. This causes rainwater runoff. Rainwater runoff, especially polluted rainwater runoff, is known to harm streams, lakes, and the Puget Sound. We require all redevelopment projects to install systems that slow the flow of rainwater runoff. When possible, we also require them to allow rainwater to soak into the soil on-site. Depending on the type of development project, we may also require developers to treat stormwater for pollution.

The Tree Board was established by the City Council in 2012 in support of the City’s designation as a Tree City USA. The members of the PRCS Board also serve as the Tree Board which serves as an advisory board to the City Council. The primary responsibility of the Tree Board is to make policy recommendations concerning the management of trees located on city-owned public property and in city rights-of-way. The role of the Board does not extend to guidance regarding individual trees.

•  Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Tree Board

Municipal Code language regarding the Tree Board:

• Chapter 12.30 PUBLIC TREE MANAGEMENT (codepublishing.com)

Additional information regarding Development Code regulations related to private trees and trees impacted by development:

• Chapter 20.50 General Development Standards (codepublishing.com)

Urban Forest Strategic Plan

The Urban Forest Strategic Plan outlines where Shoreline wants to go regarding its urban forest and ideas on how to get there. The plan is also intended to help promote a more unified effort to manage the entire urban forest between the City and residents, business owners, utilities, and other tree stewards in the community.

• Urban Forest Strategic Plan
• 2023 Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
• Green Shoreline 20-Year Forest Management Plan

The 2022 Climate Action Plan (CAP) outlines key actions the City will take to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and prepare our community for the impacts of climate change. The CAP also identifies strategies that improve equity, increase community resilience, and protect ecosystems in Shoreline. 

A listed goal in the CAP is to protect local and regional natural resources and restore ecosystem health with an emphasis on the City's tree canopy. Follow our progress on this goal on the Trees, Parks, and Ecosystems page.