Even with our commitment to preserving and expanding our urban forest, there are times when we must remove trees to complete needed capital projects, such as for the 145th corridor project or for new sidewalks. 

Transportation and our greenhouse gas emissions

In our fight to address climate change, we must tackle our biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation is Shoreline’s largest source of emissions. In 2019, transportation accounted for 55% of  total community-wide emissions. Most of these emissions come from gasoline use in passenger vehicles. Reducing community-wide driving is our top strategy for reducing emissions. To do that, we are working to create dense,  walkable communities concentrated around transit. 

Unfortunately, we can’t create dense walkable communities without making  significant improvements to our transportation infrastructure. This includes repairing our existing sidewalks,  constructing new sidewalks, and improving transportation corridors to allow for better access for pedestrians, transit, and vehicle traffic. All this work requires the removal of trees to some extent. We cannot meet our goal of reducing vehicle emissions without providing viable alternatives to them. 

Our climate goals inform our work. We always consider the balance between providing safe, equitable methods for people to get around without getting in their cars and maintaining and increasing our urban forest. We are doing  both.

Sidewalks and accessibility

Sidewalks are an important part of or transportation network. Unfortunately, many street trees planted decades ago have caused significant damage to our sidewalks, curbs, pavement, and underground utilities. The tree species (primarily London Plane and Red Maple) that King County and developers planted when they originally built the sidewalks are beautiful, hardy trees. However, these trees are more appropriate in spaces where they have enough room for their shallow, tough roots to spread out and for them to reach their full mature height. We have since developed better practices when it comes to planting street trees, ensuring that we plant the right trees in the right location.

The significant damage to both sidewalks and roadways caused by tree roots has created dangerous conditions on some sidewalks and bike lanes, especially for anyone using wheels (wheelchairs, walkers, strollers, and bikes) or who have mobility challenges when walking. Video example of challenges for sidewalk users.

Our projects must meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. This is not only a federal requirement, but also an important part of our work to ensure that Shoreline is a welcoming and accessible place to live for all our residents. ADA requires minimum four feet wide sidewalks with some circumstances allowing three feet for short segments. In some locations, there is simply not enough space in the public right of way to construct or repair that minimum width of sidewalk next to an existing tree.

To provide safe sidewalks for as many residents as possible, we strive to be fiscally responsible and budget for projects wisely. For every project, we must balance the costs associated with saving as many trees as possible with our need to construct and repair sidewalks throughout the city. Ensuring that we use your taxpayer dollars wisely is a priority.

Sidewalk construction is expensive. The 2019 ADA Transition Plan estimated that the cost to complete retrofits and remove all barriers to meet ADA standards in the City was estimated at over $184 million (in 2018 dollars). We have limited resources to do this work and primarily depend on the $20 vehicle license fee that Shoreline residents pay each year. Purchasing private property to expand a sidewalk or bumping a sidewalk out into the street both add significant costs to sidewalk projects, limiting the number of overall projects we could do. Adding new and untested mitigation to prevent tree removal can also add to the costs, especially if they do not work and we must redo the project and remove the tree at a later date.

If a project potentially involves tree removal, we hire an arborist to evaluate the condition and location of each tree and to identify ways we can protect and preserve existing trees. Arborist reports are available on each project’s webpage for the public to review. After evaluating the arborists’ assessments, the future health of the tree after construction, the space available for continued tree growth, ADA requirements, and the project budget, in some cases our best/only option is to remove the tree.

When a project potentially involves tree removal, we hire an arborist to evaluate the condition and location of each tree and to identify ways we can protect and preserve trees. Arborist reports are available on each project’s webpage for the public to review. If the arborist report indicates a tree could be saved with alternative construction methods, we evaluate the available space and the cost required. We also evaluate what future impacts the tree will have to the surrounding infrastructure.

For example, some of the mitigations and alternative construction methods we may consider for sidewalk projects include

• ramping sidewalks up and over roots. 
• root pruning.
• moving the location of sidewalks.
• hand shaving roots and utilizing steel plates.

Because some of these mitigations are new to us, we haven't been able to identify the full costs associated with them. We may not know how effective alternative approaches are for several years.

Purchasing private property to expand a sidewalk or bumping a sidewalk out into the street all add significant costs to sidewalk projects, limiting the number of overall projects we can do. Adding new and untested mitigation to prevent tree removal can also add to the costs, especially if they do not work and we must redo the project and remove the tree later. It is also important to note that each project is different; what may work on one project may not work for another. 

We try to replace trees we remove in locations where there is space. However, in some locations, the amenity zones (planting strips) are very narrow and do not meet minimum requirements for planting. We are looking for possible tree species that will do well in these very small spaces (three feet or less) and can use in the future.

When there is enough space in the amenity zone, we will plant trees in the winter or spring when the weather is best suited for a newly planted tree to thrive.

We choose trees from our street tree list, which takes into consideration a tree’s root system and height to ensure we do not plant the wrong tree in the wrong place. We don’t want to have to remove the tree in the future due to sidewalk damage or power line interference.

In addition to planting trees when feasible in the immediate location of the construction projects, the City plants trees in other locations every year.

• 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. We planted the street trees primarily along 9th Ave NE between N 155th and N 165th. In addition, we planted 3,314 native plants and trees in our parks with 1,500 more planned for this fall.    
• Our annual Communi-trees program provides 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.   
• Through a joint program between the City, Sound Transit, and the King County Conservation District, the Trees for Rail program planted over 200 trees and 1,100 shrubs and groundcovers in 118 properties along the light rail corridor. 

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.

Below are capital projects that have or are projected to have tree impacts. If you click on the links, they will take you to the project page so you can learn more about the project and any tree impacts. You will also find a link on those pages to the arborist reports, if available, for each project.

15th Avenue NE Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project (NE 155th Street to NE 175th) (Construction)

5th Avenue NE Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project (NE 165th Street to NE 175th Street) (Construction)

8th Avenue NW New Sidewalk Project (North side of Sunset Park to Richmond Beach Road NW) (Early design)

19th Avenue NE New Sidewalk Project (NE 196th Street to NE 205th Street) (Pre-design)

160th and Greenwood/Innis Arden Intersection Project (60% Design)

175th Street Corridor Improvement Project (Stone Avenue N to I-5) (Phase 1: 90% design; Future phases: 60% design)

148th Street Non-Motorized Bridge Project (Phase 1: Construction; Phase 2: 100% Design)

145th Street Corridor and I-5 Interchange Projects (Phase 1: Construction)

Lift Station 12 Improvements (Final Design)