SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane City Council is looking into a new way to incentivize property owners to keep mature trees in their yards, a move members of the council say will not only maintain natural beauty but help the environment as well.
Tall mature evergreen trees help shape Spokane. They also can help homeowners save money by reducing cooling costs, improving air quality and mitigating the amount of storm water. It’s why some city councilmembers want to keep as many of them as possible upright.
“We do have a housing crisis. We are going to need to build more housing. But at the same time, constituents have some concerns about what does that mean for the beloved trees in our neighborhood. So this ordinance tries to strike a balance,” said Kate Telis, Spokane City Council member.
“It tries to incentivize replanting trees when trees have to be taken out due to development and do our best to explain that heritage trees and old growth trees are part of why we love Spokane, and as much as possible, we want to keep them if we can,” Telis said.
But exceptions would be made if trees need to be chopped down for safety reasons.
Council member Telis expects some pushback from prospective developers, but she says that in the long run, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages.
“The truth is that if we can have and preserve some of those old growth trees in new development areas, that’s only going to add benefit to the people who eventually will occupy those areas. No one wants to move into a residence with no trees. If they could have a substantial mature tree to provide shade and charm,” Telis said.
While no vote is imminent, it’s expected to come before the council sometime this summer.
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