Parks, Open Space & Urban Tree Canopy in Seattle#

Seattle manages over 6,400 acres of parkland across nearly 500 parks, funded primarily through a dedicated property tax district. The city has set a goal of reaching 30% tree canopy cover by 2037, but the most recent assessment shows canopy declining, with losses concentrated in neighborhoods already facing environmental and health inequities. These topics – park funding, open space access, tree protection, and green infrastructure – arise frequently in comprehensive plan debates and levy campaigns.

The park system today#

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) oversees a 6,441-acre system of over 489 parks, 26 community centers, 10 swimming pools, 156 play areas, 4 golf courses, and more than 100 miles of trails. About 12% of the city’s land area is parkland. (SPR About Us)

In the Trust for Public Land’s 2025 ParkScore index, Seattle ranked 8th nationally among large cities. The city spends approximately $418 per capita annually on parks and recreation, and 99% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. (SPR Parkways Blog)

Half of Seattle’s parkland is forested natural areas, maintained through a combination of city crews and community volunteers via the Green Seattle Partnership. (Green Seattle Partnership)

Open space equity#

Park access in Seattle is not evenly distributed. Residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 25% less park space per person than the citywide average and 43% less than residents in high-income neighborhoods. The 2024 Parks and Open Space Plan uses a walkability-based level-of-service standard: a 5-minute walk within Urban Centers and a 10-minute walk elsewhere. (Seattle Park District Planning)

How the city funds parks#

Seattle Park District#

On August 5, 2014, voters approved the creation of the Seattle Park District, a metropolitan park district authorized under Chapter 35.61 RCW. The district has the same boundaries as the city, and the City Council serves as its governing board. (Seattle Park District About)

The Park District replaced the expiring 2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy ($146 million over six years) with a permanent property tax authority of up to $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed value. Unlike a temporary levy, the Park District has no automatic expiration or cost adjustment – the governing board sets rates and spending priorities in six-year cycles. (MRSC Metropolitan Park Districts)

An interlocal agreement between the city and the Park District establishes a General Fund floor for parks spending, adjusted annually for inflation. For 2025, that floor is $123.5 million. Park District property tax revenue supplements but does not replace General Fund support. (SPR Proposed 2026 Budget)

Cycle 1 and Cycle 2#

The Park District sets spending priorities in six-year funding cycles through a public engagement process:

• Cycle 1 (2015–2020): Focused on restoring community center hours cut during the recession, addressing the maintenance backlog, and building new neighborhood parks on previously acquired sites.
• Cycle 2 (2023–2028): Approved by the City Council in September 2022, with an approximately $115 million annual budget. Priorities include opening 12 new park sites, renovating 5 community centers, reestablishing a Park Ranger program (adding 26 rangers), making all 129 restrooms available year-round, and beginning community center decarbonization. The plan roughly doubled the Park District tax rate from about $0.20 to $0.37 per $1,000 of assessed value. (The Urbanist | Park District Planning)

Cycle 3, expected for 2029–2034, will go through community engagement and board adoption in 2028.

King County Parks Levy#

In addition to city funding, Seattle residents pay into the King County Parks Levy, a countywide property tax that supports regional parks, trails, and institutions like Woodland Park Zoo and the Seattle Aquarium. King County voters renewed the levy in August 2025 at a rate of $0.2329 per $1,000 of assessed value, generating approximately $1.45 billion over six years (2026–2031). (King County Parks Levy)

Other funding sources#

SPR also receives funding from the city’s General Fund, federal grants, the Park CommUNITY Fund ($14.8 million for community-led projects, 2023–2028), and private philanthropy through the Seattle Parks Foundation. (How Our Projects Are Funded | Seattle Parks Foundation)

Urban tree canopy#

The 30% goal#

In 2007, the city’s Urban Forest Management Plan set a goal of reaching 30% canopy cover by 2037. The Urban Forestry Commission, established by Ordinance 123052 in 2009, advises the mayor and council on tree policy and has advocated for a more ambitious 40% target. (Seattle’s Trees & Forests)

Canopy assessments#

Seattle conducts canopy cover assessments approximately every five years using lidar data. The results show a slow but persistent decline:

The 255-acre loss between 2016 and 2021 is roughly equal to the area of Green Lake. The two land-use categories with the greatest losses were Parks Natural Areas and Neighborhood Residential zones, which together accounted for 78% of the decline. (Seattle Canopy Cover | 2021 Canopy Assessment Release)

Canopy equity#

Canopy loss is not distributed equally. Neighborhoods affected by historic redlining and economic disinvestment started with less canopy and lost more of it. In 2021, these neighborhoods had 31% less canopy than more advantaged areas, up from a 27% gap in 2016. Frontline neighborhoods like parts of Beacon Hill, Georgetown, and South Park have canopy coverage below 15%, compared to 40% or more in parts of North Seattle. Lower canopy correlates with higher heat-island temperatures, lower air quality, and greater health risks. (2021 Canopy Assessment Release | Cascade PBS)

Why canopy is declining#

Canopy loss has multiple causes: aging and failing trees, climate stress (drought, windstorms), development on private property, and infrastructure projects. Over half of Seattle’s urban forest grows on private residential land. If only public property held trees, the city would reach approximately 18% canopy – well short of the 30% goal. (Seattle Canopy Cover)

Tree protection and regulation#

2023 Tree Protection Ordinance#

The City Council passed Ordinance 126821 in May 2023, replacing the previous code that protected approximately 17,700 trees with a four-tier system covering roughly 175,000 trees. The ordinance went into effect on July 30, 2023. (SDCI Trees & Codes | Council Announcement)

The four tiers:

• Tier 1: Heritage trees. Removal prohibited unless hazardous.
• Tier 2: Trees 24 inches or greater in diameter at standard height (DSH), tree groves, and designated species. Development-standard modifications may be available to retain these trees.
• Tier 3: Trees 12–24 inches DSH. Protected on undeveloped lots and during development.
• Tier 4: Trees 6–12 inches DSH. Limited protections.

Trees removed in association with development must be replaced, and owners may either replant on-site or pay into the One Seattle Tree Fund for planting in under-canopied neighborhoods. (SDCI Building Connections)

Controversy#

Tree advocacy groups and some researchers have argued the 2023 ordinance does not go far enough. A Cascade PBS investigation in February 2025 found that the majority of trees counted as “protected” under the new code were never threatened by development in the first place, and that significant tree loss continued on construction sites. (Cascade PBS)

2025 Executive Order#

In October 2025, Mayor Harrell signed an executive order directing city departments to develop additional policies to preserve mature trees on private property, including a new conservation easement incentive program and pest management planning. (Mayor’s Office)

City tree programs#

One Seattle Tree Plan#

The One Seattle Tree Plan requires a 3-to-1 replacement ratio for any tree removed on city-owned land and targets new plantings in under-canopied neighborhoods. Since 2022, the city reports planting approximately 30,000 new trees through combined public and private efforts. (Mayor’s Office)

Trees for Neighborhoods#

Trees for Neighborhoods is a Seattle program that provides free trees (up to 3 per year, 6 lifetime per property) to homeowners, along with planting workshops, watering supplies, and five years of care reminders. Since 2009, the program has distributed over 15,400 trees with an 88% ten-year survival rate. (Trees for Neighborhoods)

Foresting Seattle#

Foresting Seattle is a neighborhood-based initiative funded by a $12.9 million USDA Forest Service grant (from the Inflation Reduction Act). It focuses on two neighborhoods with low canopy: Chinatown-International District (14% canopy) and Beacon Hill (25% canopy). The program combines forest restoration, community-led planning, and youth workforce development, with a goal of restoring 37.5 acres and planting over 4,000 trees by 2029. (Foresting Seattle | Mayor’s Announcement)

Green Seattle Partnership#

The Green Seattle Partnership (GSP), established in 2005, is a collaboration among SPR, community groups, nonprofits, and volunteers to restore Seattle’s 2,700 acres of forested parkland. As of 2025, the partnership has 2,032 acres in active restoration, has trained 494 Forest Stewards, and has logged over 1.4 million volunteer hours. In 2023, the United Nations named Seattle a “Role Model City” for ecosystem restoration. (GSP 20th Anniversary | Green Seattle Partnership)

Green stormwater infrastructure#

Trees and green spaces play a direct role in stormwater management. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) uses green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) – rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavement, tree boxes, and green roofs – to collect, slow, and treat runoff before it reaches waterways. (SPU Green Stormwater Infrastructure)

Key programs and projects include:

• RainWise: A city/county rebate program that covers up to 100% of the cost to install cisterns and rain gardens on eligible private properties.
• High Point Redevelopment: The largest natural drainage project undertaken by the city, integrating stormwater management into a high-density housing development in West Seattle.
• Ballard Roadside Rain Gardens: 12 blocks of bioretention swales managing runoff from 5.5 acres, infiltrating 4.2 million gallons per year.

Green infrastructure connects directly to tree canopy: trees intercept rainfall, reduce runoff volume, and filter pollutants. SPU has set a goal of managing 700 million gallons of stormwater through green infrastructure. (700 Million Gallons)

Advocacy organizations#

• Seattle Parks Foundation: Nonprofit that provides fiscal sponsorship, fundraising, and advocacy for community-led park and public space projects. Priorities include equity, nature-based climate solutions, and civic engagement.
• Green Seattle Partnership: City-community partnership for urban forest restoration. Offers volunteering, Forest Steward training, and school programs.
• Friends of Urban Forests: Advocacy group focused on strengthening tree protection regulations and preserving Seattle’s urban forest infrastructure.
• Tree Action Seattle: Sponsored by the Seattle Parks Foundation. Campaigns for an independent urban forestry division, stronger tree ordinance, and equitable canopy distribution.

Data sources#

Tree canopy data#

SPR and the Office of Sustainability & Environment publish canopy cover assessments approximately every five years. The 2021 assessment data is available as a GIS layer.

Access the data: Seattle Tree Canopy 2021 (Open Data) | Seattle GeoData (ArcGIS)

Parks data#

The Seattle Open Data Portal and GIS portal host park boundary shapefiles, facility inventories, and related datasets.

Access the data: Seattle Open Data Portal | Seattle GeoData

Park District budget documents#

The Park District publishes financial plans, annual reports, and project updates.

Access the documents: Park District Projects and Reports

Key statistics#

Sources: SPR About Us | Seattle Canopy Cover | Park District Planning | GSP 20th Anniversary

Related resources#

• Funding & Policy Glossary - Terms like TIF, MFTE, and impact fees relevant to parks funding
• Land Use Glossary - SEPA, comprehensive plan, and GMA terms that arise in open space planning
• Pedestrian Safety & Infrastructure - Overlap with street trees, green infrastructure, and Vision Zero
• Seattle Park District - Official Park District homepage
• Seattle’s Trees & Forests - Office of Sustainability & Environment urban forestry page

Last updated: February 2026