By Kim Frappier

The Watershed Company’s team of arborists and urban foresters, ecologists, landscape architects, and environmental planners take a multidisciplinary approach to tree care and forest stewardship across the landscape. Whether you are a private homeowner caring for a Japanese maple tree in your backyard garden, a municipality tasked with managing street trees in city rights-of-way, or a rural landowner stewarding 50 acres of second-growth forest – we have the expertise and experience to support our clients’ diverse needs.

Trees play an essential role in the health of our communities. In addition to their aesthetic beauty, trees and forests clean our air and water, capture and filter polluted stormwater, abate flooding, shade and cool our built environment, provide critical habitat for wildlife, and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change. In keeping with our mission of seeking to balance the needs of people and nature, The Watershed Company approaches tree care with a commitment to sustainability and protection of these vital natural resources.

Figure 1.  The Watershed Company’s Arboriculture and Urban Forestry team includes professionals with multidisciplinary expertise in wetland and riparian ecology, landscape architecture, and environmental planning. — The Watershed Company’s Arboriculture and Urban Forestry team includes professionals with multidisciplinary expertise in wetland and riparian ecology, landscape architecture, and environmental planning.

ARBORICULTURE - TREE CARE AND PRESERVATION

Arboriculture is the science of understanding tree biology as well as the environmental and cultural requirements needed to grow healthy trees. The Watershed Company’s team of arborists are all International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified, most of whom are also Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ). We consult regularly with clients on tree health and hazard safety assessments, appraisals, protection, and tree retention plans during both residential and large-scale construction projects. We also have experience providing pruning and specimen tree transplanting recommendations. Our multi-disciplinary arborists and landscape designers are skilled at creating planting plans that highlight both the beauty and aesthetics of trees and provide for optimum tree health and vitality.

Figure 2. City of Shoreline Sidewalks Inventory. Arborists from The Watershed Company inventoried street trees using geospatial mapping, collecting data on tree health and infrastructure conditions. After providing the city with a detailed impacts assessment and recommendations, our design team developed creative solutions for sidewalk conflicts that focused on retaining urban tree canopy, while ensuring sidewalks remained accessible. Our urban foresters were on-site during construction to ensure that trees were protected during construction, roots were properly pruned, trees were protected, and the overall health of the trees were maintained. — City of Shoreline Sidewalks Inventory.
Arborists from The Watershed Company inventoried street trees using geospatial mapping, collecting data on tree health and infrastructure conditions. After providing the city with a detailed impacts assessment and recommendations, our design team developed creative solutions for sidewalk conflicts that focused on retaining urban tree canopy, while ensuring sidewalks remained accessible. Our urban foresters were on-site during construction to ensure that trees were protected during construction, roots were properly pruned, trees were protected, and the overall health of the trees were maintained.

URBAN FORESTRY PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT

Urban forests consist of trees across the entire landscape, including street trees, parks, forested natural areas, and trees on private property. The Watershed Company understands the complexity of caring for community trees in our towns and cities and the diverse needs of public and private landowners. In addition to our arboriculture services, The Watershed Company is experienced in supporting municipalities and other landowners with spatially mapped tree inventories and landscape-scale canopy assessments that provide land managers with the data they need to make informed management decisions for both near- and long-range planning. Our team of environmental planners also work with regional cities to assess and revise tree protection and retention regulations and develop urban forest management plans that provide communities with a guiding, long-term framework for maintaining and improving urban forest health.

Hazelwood Park Urban Forest Management Plan, City of Newcastle The Watershed Company’s urban foresters and ecologists developed an urban forest management plan for Hazelwood Park, a 7.3 acre forested open space in the City of Newcastle. Our staff conducted a forest health evaluation, tree inventory, and wetland assessment to develop a comprehensive management plan including cost estimates to inform a feasible phasing strategy for urban forest improvements. The goals of the project were to address hazard tree mitigation, improve plant species diversity, restore natural systems, and engage the community. In addition to developing the management plan, our staff also supported community engagement efforts to educate neighbors and stakeholders about proposed urban forest improvements. — Hazelwood Park Urban Forest Management Plan, City of Newcastle.
The Watershed Company’s urban foresters and ecologists developed an urban forest management plan for Hazelwood Park, a 7.3 acre forested open space in the City of Newcastle. Our staff conducted a forest health evaluation, tree inventory, and wetland assessment to develop a comprehensive management plan including cost estimates to inform a feasible phasing strategy for urban forest improvements. The goals of the project were to address hazard tree mitigation, improve plant species diversity, restore natural systems, and engage the community. In addition to developing the management plan, our staff also supported community engagement efforts to educate neighbors and stakeholders about proposed urban forest improvements.

FOREST STEWARDSHIP

We also work with natural resource managers and forest landowners to develop forest stewardship and management plans to help landowners better understand current forest conditions and ensure the ecological health of the habitats on their properties. Forest assessments consist of qualitative and quantitative assessments that describe forest conditions, wetlands and riparian areas, forest health threats, and wildlife enhancement opportunities. Management planning may also include cost estimates, management phasing strategies, and GIS mapping services. Our forest stewardship plans meet the Washington State Integrated Forest Management Plan Guidelines. We are also experienced in using the Forest Landscape Assessment Tool (FLAT), a rapid assessment methodology first developed by the Green Cities Research Alliance, to provide baseline forest health conditions for the management of forested natural areas and open space.

Whether you are interested in the assessment of a single tree or an entire forested landscape, The Watershed Company is equipped to provide you with the information and support to meet your tree care and management needs. For more information, contact kfrappier@watershedco.com.

By Sam Payne and April Mulcahy

Do you have forests or wetlands on your property? If so, you could be eligible for a significant tax reduction on your land. We can help you in this process, here’s how.

KING COUNTY PUBLIC BENEFIT RATING SYSTEM (PBRS)

You can enroll your property, or a portion of your property, in the King County PBRS program to get a tax reduction if your land meets certain criteria for use as “open space.”

If you have four or more acres of forest, you may qualify for a tax reduction with an approved Forest Stewardship Plan. These plans allow landowners to manage forests to meet their short- and long-term goals and objectives, optimize resource use, promote wildlife habitat, and ensure long term sustainability. If you are a self-starter, you can draft your own plan, although many elect to go with an experienced consultant.

If you have a wetland or stream on your property, you could also voluntarily increase the surface water quality buffer by 50% to gain an additional tax reduction. This could be a good fit for you if your wetland or stream is far from developed areas. Only one wetland or stream buffer needs to be increased to qualify. In addition to these options, King County has 17 other types of open space resources that qualify for a tax reduction. The more you have on your property, the greater the tax reduction.

Enrollment in the PBRS program is reversible if you change your mind about being in the program or if the property sells. One thing to keep in mind is that pulling out of the PBRS program before a certain time frame may result in a partial loss of the tax credits you receive.

We recommend contacting the King County PBRS Program to talk about the options which work for your property. Prior to hiring a consultant, King County should be able to provide a staff report which confirms enrollment eligibility.

KING COUNTY TAX ASSESSMENT

If you have wetlands on your property that are not in King County’s inventory, you may be paying more taxes than necessary. Development restrictions related to onsite wetlands can lower the assessed value of your land, which lowers your property tax. If this is your situation, you can commission a wetland delineation and send the results to the King County Tax Assessor (assessor.info@kingcounty.gov), ensuring you pay the fair amount.

Wetlands on your property can provide numerous environmental benefits and lower your taxes.

Are you interested in commissioning a Forest Stewardship Plan or wetland delineation for your property? If so, give us a call or email and we would be happy to provide you a quote.