Trees are an essential component of healthy cities and neighborhoods! Halp save existing trees and plant new trees for a better future.

Giant Sequoia bark is designed to protect from fire & insect infestation It can be up to 2-3 feet thick, & is spongy to the touch This one is in England, so no risk from fire, & is a baby at a mere 165 years old

In Seattle the city has said new trees need watering for up to 5 years to help them get established. Planting of trees occurs in October and November, not the much drier summer months.

Our "curly elm". There are two others nearby, but Dutch elm disease has claimed one and the other is showing symptoms. May not have long to enjoy this one.

🌳 Cities are setting targets for urban tree cover, but how effective are they? A new study finds targets range from 4% to 50%, with timelines from 3 to 51 years. Researchers recommend using the SMART framework to make these goals realistic and impactful. www.forestresearch.gov.uk/news/thinkin...

"...how many trees need to be planted every year — especially if we want to advance Tree Equity and slow climate change? The magic number to plant is 31.4 million, according to a new American Forests study..."

“Trees offer many benefits to cities, and cooling is one of them,” Pickett explained. “Trees are good at cooling because they pump a lot of water from the ground into the air, and when that water evaporates at the leaf surface, it absorbs a vast amount of heat."

He is a maniac.

Trump taking us back to the dark ages. He and his GOP MAGA Cult are tearing down our scientific and medical infrastructure. It's part of their plan to privatize everything so the rich can get richer. We the people need to oust these incompetent clowns to save our country. Vote them out!

“Trees offer many benefits to cities, and cooling is one of them,” Pickett explained. “Trees are good at cooling because they pump a lot of water from the ground into the air, and when that water evaporates at the leaf surface, it absorbs a vast amount of heat.That's just the physics of evaporation"

ICE raids are cruel, inhumane, and do nothing to serve public safety. My responsibility is to be the mayor to each and every person that calls this city their home. That includes millions of immigrants— of which I am one.

Modern Proverb - A society grows great when men, women and children plant trees for a healthy environment now and for the future.

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 230 # 229 contd. A difference in behaviour noted in previously isolated #bumblebees: touching their antennae to the BODY of other #bees more often - like attempting a handshake but shaking the other person’s knee not their hand!😳 #nature #science

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 231 Research suggests that #bumblebees can improve their foraging efficiency by learning how many nectaries are in a specific flower type regularly visited and moving on when they have foraged that number of nectaries.🤯🤔 #bees #nature #science #wild

Guten Morgen, happy day 🐿️🌞 #ColorADay #YellowThu 💛📷 #squirrel #ukwildlife #wildlife #trees #woodland #scape #nature #photography

Croham colours 🍁🍂 #trees #woodland #autumn

Winter is upon us. A couple of simple ways to help birds survive, particularly in urban areas.

Like other nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches use their strong legs and claws to walk up, down, and sideways on tree trunks, probing in the bark crevices for food. They readily come to seed and suet feeders and will cache food in crevices to return to later. Learn more on our guide, birdweb.org.

My entry for #WoodpeckerWednesday is this Pileated Woodpecker in my yard a few years ago in #Tacoma. #Birds #Nature #Photography

Building healthy cities and communities means incorporating trees and nature as a critical component. We are part of nature and need it where we live everyday, not just something to see on a vacation once a year. Urban forests help clean our air and water, reduce urban heat islands and much more.

It's that time of year when the leaves are gone and the lichen and mosses growing on the tree branches take center stage #Photography #SeattleWashington #SeattleAutumn #OurNeighborhood #Lichen #Mosses

Yes nature is good for kids and also adults. Let's keep nature and trees in our cities as we add more needed housing. We can do both with good planning.

And Trump and his GOP MAGA Cult following are proposing burning more coal and oil as the impacts of climate change increases.

Autumn fallen leaves can be dramatic and a delight to our eyes.

"According to the US Forest Service, urban forests have an economic impact in the billions of dollars: $5.4 billion in air pollution removal, $5.4 billion in reduced energy costs, and $2.7 billion in avoided emissions. Beyond economics, trees safeguard environmental health ...humans included."

Momentum builds for new leadership!

And it goes on and on as GOP MAGA Cult is afraid to do anything that upset the WannaBe Dictator.

An example of action being taken in Seattle to save more trees as the city increase efforts to build more needed housing. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signs a new Executive Order to increase protection for existing trees.

Fall colors on display at the Seattle Arboretum.

“Eighty to ninety percent of issues urban trees face,” Erwin told me, “come from problems in the growing place.”

An example of how King County in Washington State responded to the need to address clearcutting of lots in unincorporated areas. A final tree protection ordinance has not been adopted yet but 2 studies of what cities are doing and what the county is not doing have been done.

"Street trees provide a wide range of environmental, social, aesthetic and economic benefits. They improve air quality, conserve energy, reduce stormwater impacts, increase property values, provide habitat for local wildlife, and enhance the appearance and character of neighborhoods."

Sunset at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle, Washington. Across Puget Sound you can see the Olympic Peninsula in the background.

Wise words to think about and act on.

Bellingham "Despite its beauty, Samish Crest Open Space faces threats from a growing population. I have spent much time contemplating how to balance protecting wildlife corridors, trails, and scenic views with the need for more housing. ... I believe it is possible to achieve both objectives."

Bellevue, WA - a Northwest Urban city striving for 40% tree canopy cover. See more details here.

"...research published in The Lancet has found that increasing tree cover in European cities to 30 percent could have reduced premature deaths from urban heat islands by 40 percent."

"When developers look to clear-cut residential lots to put in more housing, they often point to street trees as a viable alternative to keeping the city green. But Seattle can’t accomplish its own tree canopy goals without preserving and protecting existing trees on private properties."

TreesCharlotte simple on the ground temperature test shows an 11 F degree temperature difference between open ground space with no tree cover and under trees. Why trees in neighborhoods where people live can have multiple health benefits.

A "basic tree protection area" that can not be modified during development is what is killing trees. It is contrary to guidelines issued by the International Society of Arboriculture. One inch tree diameter equals 1 foot of radius of basic tree protection area is a made loophole by Master Builders.

The State Legislature has passed HB 1110 and requires cities over 75,000 to allow 4 plexes & 6 plexes on all residential lots. So that is no longer an issue. The question is how you do that. TreePAC supports incentives for stacked flats (build up) on all lots as well as common walls on row houses.

This was a post from 2016 and is no longer the policy of TreePAC. A different Chair headed up TreePAC at that time and the board had a different membership composition. Tree PAC currently supports building needed housing and protecting trees. Build up & consolidate, not spread out in separate units.

People had only one minute to speak and there are over 100 possible amendments. Speakers prioritize one or two issues. The legislature already with HB 1110 requires large cities like Seattle to allow building a minimum of 4 housing units and up to 6 per lot in residential zones. That's decided.

And how would it accelerate tree loss? The basic tree protection area loophole allows most trees, particularly large ones, to be removed by developers & not how the International Society of Arboriculture describes tree protection areas as being able to be modified for tree species & site conditions.

Article in Lancet on value of urban trees. - “planting urban trees offers an important opportunity to mitigate high temperatures and, compared with other strategies, is relatively simple and cost-effective to implement.”

Madrone tree in Seattle. It naturally sheds its thin, reddish-brown bark as an evolutionary defense against fungi, mosses, lichens, & insects that can harm the tree. The peeling reveals smooth, greenish bark underneath, which then photosynthesizes & turns red as it is exposed to sunlight.

Living on the hill is fun 🌳 #City #Trees #PNW

This is the consequence of developers inserting amendments into a Seattle Tree Protection Ordinance update 2 years ago that greatly increased their ability to clearcut most lots to increase housing density. Cities can both build more housing and save trees with better site planning and coordination.

"The extreme heat isn't just uncomfortable; it's the top cause of weather-related fatalities nationwide. According to a New York City mortality report, extreme heat kills an average of 350 New Yorkers each year." Planting more trees can help reduce heat islands in urban areas.