By the Numbers: 1,000+ Trees Have Been Lost in Seattle This Year

and Counting
Published
August 30, 2024
Download the Data

Seattle is cutting more trees, faster, than ever before, and their own data proves it.

We aggregated tree removal notices filed by arborist companies and found 1,000+ trees with trunks over 6” in diameter removed from private property since the beginning of the year. Of these, 121 were extremely large trees with trunks measuring over 2 feet in diameter. 90% of those large trees were removed specifically for construction and many were in frontline communities, including Beacon Hill and South Park.

Here is our table of every tree removed:

Tree removal data from the City of Seattle. Download the data (above link) to see the full analysis.

There are more trees being lost than the ones on this list.

We used SDCI's own Notice of Tree Work data set, which show just legal removals on private property. Many trees are removed illegally, with no notice filed. Even more, trees in the public planting strip are tracked separately through the Seattle Department of Transportation, which reports through our public records requests that between 300-800 public trees are removed each year.  

Q&A on Tree Removal Data

Q: What's a frontline community?

A: The definition from the Vermont Agency of Administration sums it up best:

Frontline communities are those that experience the “first and worst” consequences of climate change.

Q: What do the Tier numbers mean?  

A: The Tier numbers indicate size:


  • Tier 2: trunks 24" in diameter or greater
  • Tier 3:  trunks 12-24"
  • Tier 4:  trunks 6-12" (still significant — a 30 year old oak has a trunk diameter of 7-12"!)
  • Tier 1:  200 remnant trees from the now-defunct Heritage tree program.

Q: What does "Exceptional" on the tree notices mean?

A: "Exceptional" is a leftover category from the previous tree code, referring to trees with trunks 30" in diameter or bigger.

Read More

November 19, 2024
Environmentally Critical Areas Mean Less Protections Under Seattle’s Tree Code
Yes, you read that right. Instead of having more protection, trees in Environmentally Critical Areas have even less protection than all other trees. Trees in ECAs are an essential bulwark against climate change impacts — help us raise awareness and change Seattle's code.
December 6, 2024
New Zoning Will Make Seattle Hotter for Everyone
Seattle just released new zoning codes for former single-family neighborhoods. Instead of following the science – which shows that trees and green space build climate resilience and save lives – Seattle is going in the opposite direction and drastically reducing tree canopy.
October 17, 2024
Lot Sprawl
Towering evergreen trees sheltering homes define Seattle. They mean we can survive and even thrive in the face of growing climate impacts. But our roadmap to natural sustainability is under attack by developer interests who gain quick profits from “lot sprawl.”