TagTrees(42)

The Green Burien Partnership Urban Forest Stewardship Plan outlines a collaborative initiative between the Port of Seattle, the City of Burien, and conservation organization Forterra to assess and improve urban forests in Burien, a community affected by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport operations. Funded through the Port's Airport Community Ecology (ACE) Fund, the program recognizes that neighborhoods bearing the brunt of airport noise and impacts deserve tangible environmental benefits in return. Burien joins a 15-city Green Cities Network across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, collectively working to restore more than 13,000 acres of land for over 3 million residents.

The ACE Green Cities Update, presented on April 13, 2021, provides an overview of the Airport Community Ecology (ACE) Fund, a $1 million initiative established in 2016 to support environmental programs in the communities of Burien, Des Moines, and SeaTac that are impacted by Sea-Tac Airport. The program, managed in partnership with Forterra, funds small matching grants and Green City Programs aimed at improving local ecology and green spaces. The presentation covers program accomplishments, partnership values, the 2021 work plan, and strategies for sustaining resources going forward.

This 2021 Tree PAC questionnaire captures Port of Seattle Commissioner candidate responses on environmental justice, tree canopy, and pollution issues affecting South Seattle and South King County communities. The candidate, a fourth-generation Japanese American raised in Beacon Hill, advocates for cleaning up the Duwamish River, preserving North SeaTac Park from development, and expanding urban tree canopy in historically redlined neighborhoods. Key proposals include partnering with cities and King County to strengthen tree protection ordinances, requiring environmental justice evaluations before Port projects, and empowering Indigenous tribes as land stewards.

The Port of Seattle Commission adopted Resolution No. 3771 in March 2020 to authorize the acquisition of property easements and access rights around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as part of the 2019 Flight Corridor Safety Program. The program aims to remove trees and other obstructions that interfere with aircraft landing and takeoff corridors, in compliance with FAA requirements and state law. The Port is directed to first pursue voluntary negotiations with affected property owners, but is authorized to use eminent domain condemnation proceedings if those negotiations fail.

The Port of Seattle Commission is introducing Resolution 3771 to support the Flight Corridor Safety Program 2019, which involves removing trees near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport that obstruct FAA-designated flight approach and departure paths. The program seeks to acquire permanent easements on private properties to prevent future obstructions and ensure ongoing compliance with FAA regulations and the airport's operating certificate. If voluntary negotiations with property owners fail, the Port is authorized to pursue condemnation as a last resort to secure the necessary property rights.

This October 2019 draft Implementation Plan, prepared by Anchor QEA for the Port of Seattle, outlines a program to identify and remove trees and other obstructions from the flight corridors around Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The plan covers properties owned by the Port, public agencies (including WSDOT and the cities of SeaTac and Des Moines), and private landowners in Burien and SeaTac, detailing removal schedules, revegetation strategies, and best management practices. Its primary goal is to improve aviation safety by ensuring that vegetation and structures do not encroach on protected airspace around the airport.