By Kate Lunceford, Program of Work Leader, and Joan Smith, LWVSC Natural Resources Committee, LWV of Snohomish County 

As a response to the climate crisis, the LWV of Snohomish County launched a program of work to protect and enhance the urban tree canopy in Snohomish County. Our Tree Campaign includes calling on our county officials to craft and deliver good government, helping the public understand the function of tree canopy, and seeking partnerships to share the responsibilities of urban forest stewardship. We are lobbying the Snohomish County Council to adopt a new urban tree policy into the County Comprehensive Plan Update. We are educating the public with several YouTube videos, including two lectures scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 9 and Tuesday 16. These Evergreen Tuesday Evenings feature leaders from the state and county agencies. We are partnering with the Delta Neighborhood in the city of Everett to plant trees on private property, using a grant from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation to purchase trees. 

Environmental journalist Julie Titone of the Everett Daily Herald gave a boost to our efforts with a three-part series on the importance of the urban tree canopy. Titone “looks at how climate change threatens our urban trees and highlights their value in helping us cope with it.” Part two of the series, “League of Women Voters Has a New Mission: Defend Urban Trees,” featured the League’s work. (Julie Titone’s stories are supported by the Herald’sEnvironmental and Climate Reporting Fund. Please consider contributing to this essential reporting at HeraldNet.com/climatedonate. 

The urgency to protect trees has taken a back seat to development in Snohomish County. No regulation in the county building code effectively protects trees and habitat in the unincorporated urban growth area. Significant trees are sacrificed! Permits with required planting are issued but without oversight. The goal for the environment espoused by the Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2050 says, “The region cares for the natural environment by protecting and restoring natural systems, conserving habitat, improving water quality, and reducing air pollutants. The health of all residents and the economy is connected to the health of the environment. Planning at all levels considers the impacts of land use, development, and transportation on the ecosystem.” The details of Vision 2050 live in county code.  

For more information, contact the LWV of Snohomish County at info@lwvsnoho.org.