Seattle Canopy WatchEmerald City tree tracker

From SDCI Permit Tree Tracking

What Seattle is losing, by species

Counts below come directly from the trees recorded as removed on Seattle construction and land use permits. Public tree notices don't list species, so this view reflects permitted removals only.

Most-removed species

  1. 1Bigleaf MapleAcer macrophyllum577
  2. 2Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesii455
  3. 3Western Red CedarThuja plicata329
  4. 4Lawson's CypressChamaecyparis lawsoniana310
  5. 5Cherry/Plum/LaurelPrunus sp.309
  6. 6European White BirchBetula pendula302
  7. 7Leyland CypressCupressus x leylandii245
  8. 8English HollyIlex aquifolium232
  9. 9Japanese MapleAcer palmatum202
  10. 10Western HemlockTsuga heterophylla170
  11. 11Orchard Apple or CrabappleMalus sp.151
  12. 12BirchBetula sp.145
  13. 13Black LocustRobinia pseudoacacia141
  14. 14Lombardy PoplarPopulus nigra 'Italica'138
  15. 15AppleMalus domestica135
Washington native Other species

Native trees in the records

Illustrated profiles of Puget lowland natives that appear in the permit data. Removal counts and largest recorded trunk are live from the City's records.

  • Botanical illustration of Bigleaf Maple

    Broadleaf

    Bigleaf Maple

    Acer macrophyllum

    Removed on permits
    577
    Largest recorded
    75"

    Identify: The largest leaves of any maple, often wider than a dinner plate, with winged seeds that spin down in fall.

    Mature trunks carry gardens of moss and licorice fern, holding rainwater and habitat high in the canopy. Its wood was carved into canoe paddles.

    See bigleaf maple records
  • Botanical illustration of Douglas Fir

    Conifer

    Douglas Fir

    Pseudotsuga menziesii

    Removed on permits
    455
    Largest recorded
    53"

    Identify: Cones with three-pointed bracts poking out between the scales; thick, deeply furrowed bark on older trees.

    The dominant tree of the forest that once covered Seattle and the timber that built the early city. Mature firs are among the tallest trees still standing here.

    See douglas fir records
  • Botanical illustration of Western Red Cedar

    Conifer

    Western Red Cedar

    Thuja plicata

    Removed on permits
    329
    Largest recorded
    77"

    Identify: Flat, braided sprays of scale-like foliage that droop from upturned branches; fibrous, stringy reddish bark.

    Central to Coast Salish life — canoes, longhouse planks, baskets and clothing came from its wood and bark. It thrives in moist ground and can live for centuries.

    See western red cedar records
  • Botanical illustration of Western Hemlock

    Conifer

    Western Hemlock

    Tsuga heterophylla

    Removed on permits
    170
    Largest recorded
    62"

    Identify: Soft, feathery foliage with needles of uneven length and a leader that droops at the very top.

    Washington's state tree. Highly shade tolerant, it fills the understory of mature forest and eventually rises to replace older firs.

    See western hemlock records
  • Botanical illustration of Red Alder

    Broadleaf

    Red Alder

    Alnus rubra

    Removed on permits
    125
    Largest recorded
    36"

    Identify: Smooth pale gray bark, often patched white with lichen; small woody cones that persist through winter.

    A fast-growing pioneer that fixes nitrogen in the soil, alder was among the first trees to return to Seattle's logged and regraded hillsides.

    See red alder records
  • Botanical illustration of Western White Pine

    Conifer

    Western White Pine

    Pinus monticola

    Removed on permits
    120
    Largest recorded
    58"

    Identify: Soft blue-green needles in bundles of five and long, slender, slightly curved cones.

    Once common across the region, it was devastated by white pine blister rust last century. Large survivors in Seattle yards are now a remnant of that population.

    See western white pine records
  • Botanical illustration of Black Cottonwood

    Broadleaf

    Black Cottonwood

    Populus trichocarpa

    Removed on permits
    91
    Largest recorded
    83"

    Identify: Broad, pointed leaves that are silvery underneath; sticky buds with a sweet balsam scent in spring.

    The tallest native broadleaf tree in the Northwest. It lines streams and shorelines, shading water for salmon and holding banks together.

    See black cottonwood records
  • Botanical illustration of Pacific Dogwood

    Broadleaf

    Pacific Dogwood

    Cornus nuttallii

    Removed on permits
    50
    Largest recorded
    37"

    Identify: Large creamy-white bracts around a green button of tiny flowers in spring; clusters of red berries in fall.

    A forest-edge understory tree increasingly threatened by dogwood anthracnose, a fungal disease. Mature specimens are becoming uncommon.

    See pacific dogwood records
  • Botanical illustration of Pacific Madrona

    Broadleaf evergreen

    Pacific Madrona

    Arbutus menziesii

    Removed on permits
    56
    Largest recorded
    48"

    Identify: Peeling cinnamon-red bark that reveals smooth green wood beneath; glossy evergreen leaves and orange-red berries.

    Clings to dry bluffs and shorelines and gives the Madrona neighborhood its name. It is difficult to replant successfully, so each mature tree lost is hard to replace.

    See pacific madrona records

Illustrations are representative, not photographs of recorded trees. Trunk sizes are diameter at standard height (DSH) as reported to SDCI.

Telling the native conifers apart

Notices and permits often say only “conifer” or give a species name you may not recognize from the sidewalk. Here's one feature to look for on each of Seattle's eight native conifers.

  • Illustration of Douglas Fir foliage and cones

    Douglas Fir

    Hanging cones with three-pointed bracts poking out between the scales.

    455 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Western Red Cedar foliage and cones

    Western Red Cedar

    Flat, scale-like sprays instead of needles; stringy red-brown bark.

    329 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Western Hemlock foliage and cones

    Western Hemlock

    Drooping top; short needles of uneven length; tiny cones.

    170 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Grand Fir foliage and cones

    Grand Fir

    Flat needles in two neat rows, notched tips; cones stand upright.

    37 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Sitka Spruce foliage and cones

    Sitka Spruce

    Stiff, sharp needles all around the twig; papery hanging cones.

    9 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Western White Pine foliage and cones

    Western White Pine

    Soft needles in bundles of five; long, slender curved cones.

    120 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Shore Pine foliage and cones

    Shore Pine

    Short needles in pairs; small, lopsided prickly cones.

    51 removed on permits

  • Illustration of Pacific Yew foliage and cones

    Pacific Yew

    Flat soft needles; red berry-like arils, no cones; flaking purplish bark.

    2 removed on permits

Native species index

Every Washington-native tree and large shrub we found in the permit records: 29 species, 2,368 trees removed. Genus-only entries, cultivars and species native elsewhere in North America are left out.

Native to the Puget lowland

SpeciesRemovedExceptionalLargestWhy it matters
Bigleaf MapleAcer macrophyllum57720875"Moss-draped canopy giant; the most-removed native.
Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesii45511653"Dominant tree of Seattle's original forest.
Western Red CedarThuja plicata3298777"Cultural keystone for Coast Salish peoples.
Western HemlockTsuga heterophylla1707862"Washington's state tree.
Red AlderAlnus rubra125—36"Nitrogen-fixing pioneer of disturbed ground.
Western White PinePinus monticola1207958"Survivor of the blister-rust epidemic.
Bitter CherryPrunus emarginata100130"Bark strips were used to wrap and decorate baskets.
Black CottonwoodPopulus trichocarpa911683"Tallest native broadleaf; shades salmon streams.
Vine MapleAcer circinatum733920"Understory maple with brilliant fall color.
Pacific MadronaArbutus menziesii565648"Bluff-dweller that rarely survives transplanting.
Shore PinePinus contorta 'contorta'514244"Wind-shaped pine of coastal bluffs and bogs.
Pacific DogwoodCornus nuttallii505037"Declining from dogwood anthracnose.
Grand FirAbies grandis371049"Tall fir with flat, two-ranked needles and upright cones.
Oregon AshFraxinus latifolia29332"Wetland tree now at risk from the emerald ash borer.
Sitka SprucePicea sitchensis9931"Fog-loving coastal spruce with sharp needles.
Scouler's WillowSalix scouleriana8828"Upland willow; early nectar for native bees.
Pacific CrabappleMalus fusca7217"The only apple native to the region; its fruit was a traditional food.
Black HawthornCrataegus douglasii4422"Thicket-forming native hawthorn with dark fruit.
Beaked HazelnutCorylus cornuta3—18"Understory shrub-tree producing native hazelnuts.
Hooker's WillowSalix hookeriana3325"Coastal willow that stabilizes dunes and shorelines.
Pacific WillowSalix lasiandra2226"Streamside willow important for riparian habitat.
Pacific YewTaxus brevifolia2214"Slow-growing source of the cancer drug paclitaxel.
Garry OakQuercus garryana1110"Washington's only native oak; prairies once kept open by Indigenous burning.
Western ServiceberryAmelanchier alnifolia117"Spring blossom and berries valued by people and birds.
CascaraRhamnus purshiana1110"Bark was harvested as a medicinal laxative.

Native elsewhere in Washington, usually planted here

SpeciesRemovedExceptionalLargestWhy it matters
Quaking AspenPopulus tremuloides38926"Scattered in the lowland; widespread inland.
Alaska Yellow CedarChamaecyparis nootkatensis15140"Mountain species, usually planted in the city.
Lodgepole PinePinus contorta 'latifolia'9923"Inland form of shore pine, usually planted here.
ChokecherryPrunus virginiana2—14"More common east of the Cascades.