10 Best Cities for Urban Forests: Seattle
Sitting on a narrow strip of land between bodies of salt and fresh water, Seattle has water recreation aplenty, but you can also find an old-growth forest, a former crude oil plant location turned into a park, a sandy beach park and a lake that serves as a natural preserve for hundreds of species of trees, plants, birds and waterfowl — all within the city limits.
Seattle recently completed an iTree analysis and Interactive Habitat Map, designed to let urban forestry team members know not only where trees can be planted, but also what kind of species would be most desirable. The city’s nonprofits are also improving the city’s urban forest and are adapting training models and systems that can be embraced by other cities in the region, across the country and around the world. Seattle’s 4.35 million trees are estimated to be worth about $4.9 billion, contributing to $5.9 million in energy savings and storing two million tons of carbon.
