The Mountlake Terrace City Council unanimously adopted an Urban Forest Management Plan on Sept. 18 after a presentation from the city’s environmental programs manager and a short public hearing. The plan sets goals and metrics for retaining, growing and equitably distributing the city’s tree canopy and identifies implementation options that the council can fund in future budget cycles.

City Environmental Programs Manager Patrick Hutchins told the council the plan is a guidance document that lays out measurable targets, specific strategies and metrics to track progress. “This plan is grounded in community values, rooted in equity and focused on resilience,” Hutchins said, noting the city’s street‑tree inventory shows nearly 7,000 city‑managed trees and a current canopy coverage of roughly 32 percent.

The urban forest plan matters because trees deliver “green‑infrastructure” benefits—stormwater reduction, carbon sequestration, shade and public‑health gains—Hutchins said. The staff presentation cited an estimated annual economic value of two million dollars in ecosystem services from the city’s trees and proposed a goal to raise canopy coverage to 38 percent over time, with monitoring and a no‑net‑loss approach afterward. Hutchins described priority actions grouped under five goals: engage (education and volunteerism), maintain (proactive care and training), grow (tree planting in underserved neighborhoods), retain (policy and development measures) and monitor (data and reporting).

A city volunteer who spoke during the public hearing, Michael Ness, said he supported the plan and the city’s long‑term approach to tree stewardship. “As a member of a city volunteer group, I enjoy the opportunity to care for and plant new trees, and I’m excited to see that we’ll be planting more,” Ness said.

Council members praised the plan’s community process and recommended next steps. Council member Steve Woodard thanked the staff and commissions for the community‑driven work and highlighted how the city’s evergreen canopy is a visible, distinctive feature along I‑5. Council member Erin Murray called a written plan “an incredibly important part of reaching the vision that we want for our community.”

Hutchins told the council the plan was prepared with assistance from a Washington Department of Natural Resources Urban and Community Forestry grant, consultant Planet Geo and local outreach support from Starbird Environmental. He also reminded the council that the city recently adopted a tree code and that funds collected through tree fee‑in‑lieu provisions feed a tree fund used for plantings and preservation.

The council adopted the plan by motion and second and approved it unanimously. Hutchins said staff will return with specific budget options for implementation; the plan document included four implementation funding scenarios ranging from minimal added staff responsibilities to a fully funded program. Hutchins told council he intends to seek a mix of grant funding and stormwater fund allocations when the council considers a budget request.

What happens next: staff will bring back updated cost estimates and a proposed prioritization of actions for the council to consider during budget deliberations; the plan also creates eligibility for certain grants the city could pursue. The city manager and Hutchins indicated staff will coordinate cross‑departmental responsibilities and public reporting on progress.

Adoption of the urban forest plan positions Mountlake Terrace to pursue grants and to track canopy change over time through remote sensing and recurring canopy assessments, staff said.