Glen Allen, a Seattle City Light tree trimming representative, inspects one of the newly planted trees in Greenlake.
Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation worked together to plant 415 trees in parking strip right of ways in the Greenlake area this month.
The two departments pooled resources to maximize cost effectiveness and efficiency. City Light provided trees and support in areas where there are overhead power lines to ensure that appropriate species were planted so they do not create conflicts as they grow. SDOT planted larger trees where there are no power lines.
City Light’s trees are American Hornbeam (Carpinus Caroliniana), Rosy Ridge Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera “Rosy Ridge”) and Snowcone Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus “Snowcone”).
City Light’s work is part of the utility’s urban tree replacement program, which is charged with mitigating for the utility’s impacts on the urban forest through outreach and education, neighborhood tree planting projects and by replacing the trees we remove with species compatible with our power infrastructure.
SDOT plants about 800 trees each year along its rights of way. These trees were paid for with money from the Bridging the Gap levy.
Both departments are committed to working towards the City of Seattle goal of increasing the urban canopy cover to 30 percent by 2037.
The general area for the tree plantings is bordered by 80th Street on the north, 69th Street and Green Lake on the south, Roosevelt Way on the east, and Aurora Avenue on the west.
Tree planting area.