An item in the Reporter noted that Redmond has been designated a “Tree City” by the Arbor Day Foundation for the 14th year. To qualify for this honor, a city must “designate staff to care for trees, appoint a citizen tree board to advocate for community forestry, establish a tree ordinance, spend at least $2 per capita on tree care and celebrate Arbor Day.” Redmond is missing one critical element of these qualifications…a citizen tree board to advocate for community forestry.

The City of Redmond relies upon staff members to manage community trees and uses citizen volunteers for forest restoration manpower, but decidedly not for policy suggestions. We know because Sustainable Redmond has advocated for a citizen tree board consistently over the last year and has just as consistently been rebuffed.

As we observed Earth Day and Arbor Day in 2012, both Sustainable Redmond and neighbors of the Redmond Bike Park were appealing city decisions permitting considerable loss of tree cover in our community. Lack of a responsive public engagement process figured in both of these appeals and resulted in proposed amendments to Redmond’s Comprehensive Plan by Sustainable Redmond that are scheduled for an upcoming City Council vote on May 7.

Realizing that hard data on tree losses can be more persuasive than passionate testimony, Sustainable Redmond conducted a research project on tree protection practices from 2010 to the present. Preliminary findings were presented to the City Council on April 2. In the 24 projects reviewed from throughout the city in that time period affecting 6,161 trees, we found that 3,892 trees were lost and 2,223 retained, just over the minimal retention standards of 35 percent. Because Redmond has a “no net loss of trees” provision, those mature trees removed will be replaced with saplings, but the loss of habitat, amount of air cleaned, storm water mitigated and community character preserved will take several generations to recover. “Exceptions” to tree protection regulations were routinely requested by developers and just as routinely approved by administrators. Opportunities for public involvement in the permitting process are minimal in comparison to development interests.

We realize that Redmond will continue to develop in accord with long-term community visions. A tree board presents an opportunity for residents to participate in the process more fully, identifying and resolving conservation issues as they emerge. Therefore, we ask that you contact your council members and encourage them to harness the competencies and commitment of Redmond’s residents in an advisory group such as the Tree USA program requires.

See www.arborday.org/programs/treecityusa/standards.cfm for more information.

Kathe Low and Bob Berg, Co-Chairs Sustainable Redmond