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K4C

King County Cities Climate Collaboration Dashboard

Tree Canopy and Tree Plantings

In addition to providing natural beauty and shade, trees have the ability to take greenhouse gases out of the air. Trees act as a carbon sink by removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing it in their wood for long periods of time. Additionally, trees extract atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis. In the face of rapid development, King County has upped its efforts to protect its existing tree canopy. As part of the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan, One Million Trees will be planted in our region by King County and partner organizations by 2020. It is projected that this commitment will offset carbon emissions and provide a necessary cooling effect in the midst of rising temperatures. 

How Many Trees Have We Planted?

King County aims to plant 1 million native trees between 2015 and 2020. The total trees planted in 2015 - 40,830 - reflect only trees planted by King County government, while the number of trees planted in 2016 includes totals from partner organizations as well as government planted trees. Reporting totals from later years will also include trees planted by partner organizations.

Annual Tree Plantings in King County

What Percentage of Our Cities Is Covered in Trees?

This figure shows the percentage of total land that is covered in trees. Caution should be used when making assumptions based on this chart as the data shown is the most recent data available, and was not taken all during the same time. The tree coverage of an area is dependent on many factors, including climate and rate of development. While percent tree cover is telling of the amount of carbon stored by tress in an area, the quality of the trees is arguably just as important as the quantity.

Tree Canopy as a Percent of Total City Land Area