Snohomish County has long been a leader in environmental protections, having adopted regulations as stringent as any in the nation. So I was surprised by a recent guest commentary in The Herald claiming new tree rules — adopted unanimously by the Snohomish County Council and signed by the county executive — favor developers at the expense of the environment. This simply is not the case.
Under the new approach established by the county’s recently adopted tree regulations, developments will be required to provide tree canopy of 30 percent. Developers will now even be required to provide for canopy coverage on sites where no trees previously existed. Further, the county put significant teeth into the measure by imposing fines of $5,000 per tree where violations occur. Clearly, the county takes enforcement and success of the new rules seriously.
Snohomish County’s tree regulations take a long-term, balanced approach to providing and ensuring a healthy tree canopy, while we work to accommodate a growing population as required by our state’s Growth Management Act.
The county and its planners understand its mandate to accommodate 90 percent of our future growth within Urban Growth Areas, a rule strongly endorsed by the environmental community. Rather than inefficiently allowing scarce urban land to remain undeveloped, the county dutifully researched the issue, looking for ways to house an additional 200,000 citizens within existing urban boundaries while providing the most tree canopy possible.
The authority that crafted guidelines for developing and evaluating the tree ordinances we adhere to — none other than the International Society for Arboriculture — recommends jurisdictions regulate tree canopy coverage rather than individual trees.
This holistic approach to ensuring future generations enjoy the benefits of trees is a vast improvement over the previous regulations that ensured little.
The benefits of Snohomish County’s progressive approach to balancing population growth, the environment and the Growth Management Act are unmistakable. Future generations will be assured a healthy tree canopy in urban areas of at least 30 percent. Additionally, we will be better able to accommodate our growing population within urban areas. Pressure to expand those urban areas is alleviated when we succeed at achieving that balance.
Snohomish County should be commended for its strong, foresightful action to balance the needs of our community.
Shannon Affholter is executive director of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.
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