SEATTLE — Seattle residents frequently ask the city who owns the trees along the street where they live, what kind of trees they are, and whose responsibility it is to maintain them. Residents can now obtain that information using a new web-based map showing most of Seattle’s street trees. This access to the city’s tree inventory is timely because the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is in the midst of drafting an ordinance that will aid in regulating and managing street trees.

The data shown on the new map comes from an inventory first compiled in 1992. The information has been updated several times as more trees were planted, and SDOT’s work continues. Of the estimated 140,000 street trees in the city, 122,000 are now included in the inventory. In addition to the map, the website lists additional information about many of the individual trees: the common and scientific name, the diameter of the trunk, the street address, the party responsible for maintenance, the date the tree was planted or inventoried, and the date that the tree was last checked by a city arborist.

“Our new Web page is a great place to start to get general information about your neighborhood’s trees,” says Nolan Rundquist, city arborist. “The public can also help add to this inventory by providing information about nearby trees not listed on the map.” Rundquist did caution, however, that residents should remember to contact SDOT’s Urban Forestry office to verify the online information before taking serious action with any particular tree.

Find the map at www.seattle.gov/transportation/treeinventory.htm.