Seattle Natural Areas/Green Spaces

Vegetation Management Plans (VMPs) (Links to Seattle Parks and Recreation Website)

VMPs are written to guide the growth, development, and maintenance of parks and open spaces. Each VMP is designed to bring together the diverse interests at work (and at play) in a park or open space, and inform and direct the actions of the organizations and individuals that manage it.

the organizations and individuals that manage it.

* Burke-Gilman Trail VMP If you click on the map there it will take you to section you’ve selected and show a larger scale map.  Or you can chose to download a PDF of the entire plan (although the maps may not show in it).
* Camp Long VMP
* Carkeek Park Draft Forest Management Plan
* Cheasty Greenspace VMP
* Cowen Park Draft VMP
* Discovery Park VMP
* Fauntleroy Park VMP
* Frink Park (Several Chapters) http://www.frinkpark.org/conceptplan/index.htm
* Golden Gardens VMP
* Green Lake VMP
* Hitt’s Hill VMP
* Kerry Park and Viewpoint VMP
* Kiwanis Ravine Management Plan
* Lake Washington Boulevard VMP
* Lawton Park VMP
* Lawton Park – Sherwood files
* Lewis Park VMP * Licton Springs VMP
* Lincoln Park VMP * Magnolia Boulevard VMP
* Marshall Park VMP
* Marshall Park – Betty Bowen Viewpoint Geotech Report
* Northeast Queen Anne Greenbelt VMP
* Orchard Street Ravine VMP
* Ravenna Woods Forest Management Plan
* Seward Park VMP – Draft
* Viewpoints VMP – Draft (12th Ave S, Bagley, Belvedere, Bhy Kracke, Commodore, Discovery, Dr. Jose Rizal, East Portal Overlook, Kobe Terrace, Lakeview, Louisa Boren, McCurdy, Montlake, Mt Claire, Myrtle Edwards, Plymouth Pillars Park, Rainbow, Riverview, Roanoke Street, Rotary, Sunset Hill, Viretta and West Seattle Golf Course)
* Volunteer Park VMP – Draft
* Warren G. Magnuson Park VMP
* Warren G. Magnuson North Shore Restoration Plan
* West Raye Street VMP
* Woodland Park Draft VMP * Magnuson Park (numerous chapters) http://www.seattle.gov/parks/magnuson/vmp.htm

More on Magnuson Vegetation Management Plan

Table 4.1 in Section 4 gives the sizes of zones and describes habitat type except for a few zones.  Much or all of the historic zone and housing east zones are not park land but instead belong to the University of Washington or Housing (I think the Seattle Office of Housing, but maybe Solid Ground). The Forest Remnant zone listed in the table is all natural area although the table does not break it down by type– it is now mostly forest and wetland.

Developments since the VMP was written have altered the amount of natural area such that totals derived from table 4.1 would now be inaccurate.  Much of the 10 acres in the Building 193 zone has become natural area, but some portions of other zones which were listed as various sorts of natural areas have become sports fields and therefore it is difficult to come up a present total for natural area.  Overall there is almost certainly more wetland, but the total natural area may have diminished.

A portion of the acreage listed as non-native shrub has been restored to upland forest, wetland, or the other native natural area categories.

Resources for Urban Forest Information and “the science”  www.fs.fed.us/pnw/research/gcra  A US Forest Service program, in cooperation with the UW, Forterra, Earthcorp, King County, City of Seattle and others.  It involves a program of studies to create more sustainable urban areas and more livable cities

Human Dimensions of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening

A very useful site developed by Kathleen Wolf, Ph.D. from the College of the Environment, University of Washington. Dr. Wolf and her colleagues have brought together a wealth of information on the relationship between access to urban green spaces and human health and wellbeing. Amazing data!

A link to Kathleen Wolf’s curriculum vitae and contact information: http://staff.washington.edu/kwolf/KW_CV/

A Kathleen Wolf paper on the “public value of nature: economics of urban trees, parks and open spaces is at: http://www.edra.org/sites/default/files/publications/EDRA35-Wolf_1.pdf

A link to many other fact sheets, professional publications, and scholarly publications related to Kathleen Wolf’s work on the human dimensions of urban forestry and urban greening is at:  http://www.naturewithin.info/products.html

Other Useful Links

Parks Web Page Planning for Natural Areas and Greenspaces 2015

Note: this site now has posted:

1988 and 1993 City Council Resolutions

Promises to post maps of: classified greenbelts and natural areas, maps of areas managed as natural areas and more.

Here are the links from this main page:

* Parks Classification Policy
* Citywide Planning Documents
* Cheasty Mountain Bike/Pedestrian Trail Pilot Project * Use Management Guidelines for Parks and Recreation Facilities * Seattle Urban Forestry Commission
* Green Seattle Partnership Reference Map
* Classified Natural Areas and Greenbelts Map

Forterra and Nature Consortium are two of our City Partners in the Green Seattle Partnership

* http://www.forterra.org
* http://www.naturec.org
* http://greenseattle.org

City Council Resolutions

* 1993 (Resolution #28653) Greenspaces Policy and Designated Greenspaces as part of the City’s Open Space Policies
* 1991 (Resolution #28350) Urban Trails Policy Adopting the Urban Trails Policy as part of the Open Space Policies
* 1988 (Resolution #27852) Adopting Comprehensive Plan policies relating to open space throughout the City

Parks Department  – Tree Health and Management 

2017 Parks and Open Space Plan 

Questions from Parks re: greenspaces—public outreach campaign known as mindmixer:

Note: this link requires sign up to enter ‘mind mixer’ which is parks source for public input.

From Michael Oxman…Forest Stewards may be interested in the video link to the segment on saving non-invasive exotic species. http://youtu.be/WTYkdiMEeNs


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