Template revised January 10, 2019.

COMMISSION

AGENDA MEMORANDUM

Item No.

ACTION ITEM

Date of Meeting

April 16, 2024

DATE : March 21, 2024

TO: Stephen P. Metruck, Executive Director

FROM: Sarah Cox, Director Aviation Environment & Sustainability

John Evered, Aviation Senior Environmental Compliance Manager

SUBJECT: Adoption of Resolution No 3821: SEA Land Stewardship Plan and Tree Replacement

Standards

Amount of this request:

Total estimated project cost:

ACTION REQUESTED

Request Commission adoption of Resolution No. 3821: a resolution adopting the SEA Land

Stewardship Plan and approval of proposed SEA tree replacement standards. No funding is

requested for this action at this time.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This Request seeks authorization to adopt the SEA Land Stewardship Plan (LSP) and SEA Tree

Replacement Standards Policy Directive (STRS). Both the LSP and STRS are Strategies in the

Environmental Land Stewardship Principles (Principles) Order (Order 2023-10 ) approved by

Commission on July 11, 2023. The Principles offer a value statement and guidance for decision-

making that balance stewardship to improve the livability, accessibility, and environmental

health of the region with Port operations and development requirements. The Principles

emphasize comprehensiveness; capital process integration; consideration of equity and

community partnerships; and holistic ecology practices.

The LSP is specific to SEA and establishes programmatic Objectives supported by measurable

Goals and Actions that integrate and balance environmental land stewardship with airport

operations, planning, and development. LSP Objectives support comprehensive application of

the Principles using an approach tailored to SEA operations and land use. The Objectives include

maintaining a current natural resource inventory; restoring forest and other habitat; connecting

and expanding contiguous habitat; offsetting development and operational impacts to trees and

other habitat; applying an equity lens; providing benefits in support of community equity; and

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supporting community partnerships that extend benefits into neighborhoods in the vicinity of

SEA.

The LSP also provides a baseline inventory of land use and land cover that is used to inform

stewardship recommendations in partial achievement of the LSP Objectives. The LSP also

assesses site resources and opportunities in site-specific plans that can be used to inform capital

projects by identifying applicable regulatory, permitting and mitigation requirements; identify

potential locations for wetland mitigation and tree replacement; and supporting capital project

planning by informing preliminary scoping, design and cost estimates.

Pursuant to the Principles and the LSP, tree replacement standards are being adopted for SEA

Airport Activity Area (AAA), as defined in the adopted (Resolution 3741) 2018 Port-SeaTac

Interlocal Agreement and administered by the Airport Building Department. Port-owned

property outside the AAA is subject to tree replacement standards established by the local

jurisdictions in which the properties are located. Currently certain Port-owned property within

the SEA AAA airport boundary is not subject to City of SeaTac tree replacement standards. The

tree replacement standards (i) exceed the minimum regulatory requirements of our neighboring

jurisdictions; (ii) ensure continued compliance with city, state, and federal development

standards for all operations and development activities; and (iii) ensure development and other

land use projects replace cleared trees and identify opportunities for additional types of

beneficial habitat such as pollinator meadows and wetlands.

JUSTIFICATION

The Port operates essential transportation infrastructure to ensure the efficient movement of

people and goods in the region and must utilize its land for development and operations, which

can include tree removal. At the same time, the Port recognizes the importance of balancing its

operations and development with responsible use of economic, community, and natural

resources.

The Port understands that trees, forest and other habitat provide valuable benefits to the public

and the environment. The Port continually strives to go beyond minimum regulatory

requirements to address environmental justice, improve environmental health, increase climate

resilience, and improve habitat for fish and wildlife.

The LSP and STRS, in line with the Port Equity Policy, will ensure in part that SEA responsibly

stewards its economic, community, and environmental resources to further improve the

livability, accessibility, and environmental health of the region.

DETAILS

To support implementation of actions to achieve objectives and goals, the LSP provides planning-

level information to inform decision-making for both Land Stewardship Program activities and

capital project development. Specifically, the LSP includes:

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Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

1) Baseline inventory. Provides current landscape-scale and site-specific current information

on operational restrictions, existing/planned development; equity attributes; and natural

resources, including regulated stream, wetlands and buffers as wells as land (tree) cover.

2) Stewardship recommendations. Management Units demarcated based on common

planning and resource attributes are categorized into management recommendations.

Vegetation management in operational areas are highly restricted, and third-party

entities are responsible for maintaining ground lease sites. Stewardship is not

recommended for these areas. Stewardship at development sites focus on public safety,

including cleaning up illegal dumping; pruning vegetation to mitigate hazards to

infrastructure (buildings) and human safety (publicly accessible areas; roadways);

security; and operational safety (flight corridor safety; wildlife hazard management).

Stewardship activities in ecological Management Units focus on improving forest health

through long-term stewardship of existing mitigation; construction of new wetland

mitigation to offset development impacts; and forest stewardship, including voluntary

actions and meeting regulatory requirements for tree replacement.

3) Site-specific stewardship potential. Site-specific plans are created summarizing site

condition and evaluating the extent and health of trees, forest, and other habitat within

each Management Unit. That information is used to evaluate potential for stewardship

and recommend specific actions for tree planting, tree protection, and restoration of

invasive areas. Evaluations also provide planning level information for capital projects to

identify applicable regulatory, permitting and mitigation requirements; identify potential

locations for wetland mitigation and tree replacement; and inform preliminary scoping,

design and cost estimates.

4) Site Prioritization. Prioritize ecological sites for stewardship based on relative potential

for ecological lift and increased benefits to community equity. Prioritization is based on

indexing for equity and ecological attributes. Equity criteria include the Port equity index;

urban heat island effects; and improving aesthetic of areas that are physically and/or

visually accessible to the public. Ecological factors include potential for expanding

contiguous habitat, connecting existing isolated habitat, and restoring fish passage.

Because most of SEA’s tree canopy is managed in large tracts of open space that is predominantly

forested, the SEA Tree Replacement Standards apply a holistic ecological approach to tree

replacement that emphasizes improving forest health by increasing canopy, protecting existing

trees from invasive threats, and restoring invasive areas to native vegetation. The standards

acknowledge the intensive land use the airport and requires retention of existing trees on

developing site to the extent practicable.

Each tree removed will be replaced with four “stewardship credits”. This credit-based approach

include the following actions that can generate “replacement credits” by enhancing forest health:

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Meeting Date: April 16, 2024

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

1) Plant new trees to increase canopy. (1 tree planted = 1 credit)

2) Protect one existing tree from invasive threats to its life and vigor. (1 tree protected = 1

credit)

3) Clear invasive species and restore native understory. (200 square feet restored = 1 credit)

These actions combined will increase overall canopy; ensure canopy is not lost due to invasive

threats; and improve structural and species diversity of restored areas.

ALTERNATIVES AND IMPLICATIONS CONSIDERED

The recommended alternative is required by Commission Order to adopt Environmental Land

Stewardship Principles so is required to be implemented. A range of ancillary factors are

considered for the alternatives analysis.

Alternative 1 – Do not adopt SEA Land Stewardship Plan and SEA Tree Replacement Standards

Pros:

(1) Does not increase operational and capital effort and costs.

Cons:

(1) Does not achieve conditions of the Commission Order to adopt Environmental Land

Stewardship Principles.

(2) Does not support Port Mission and Values to responsibly steward resources and

improve regional quality of life.

(3) Does not balances SEA operations and development with environmental stewardship

to further improve the livability, accessibility, and environmental health of the region.

(4) Does not enable a programmatic and comprehensive approach to SEA Land

Stewardship.

(5) Does not establish a repeatable standard for avoiding and offsetting tree clearing

impacts, instead relying on ad hoc outcomes that vary across projects and activities,

which increases uncertainty and risk for projects and initiatives.

This is not the recommended alternative.

Alternative 2 – Adopt the SEA Land Stewardship Plan and adopt SEA Tree Replacement Standards

Pros:

(1) Achieves conditions of the Commission Order to adopt Environmental Land

Stewardship Principles.

(2) Supports Port Mission and Values to responsibly steward resources and improve

regional quality of life.

(3) Does not balance SEA operations and development with environmental stewardship to

further improve the livability, accessibility, and environmental health of the region.

(4) Enables for a programmatic and comprehensive approach to SEA Land Stewardship.

COMMISSION AGENDA – Action Item No. 8j Page 5 of 5

Meeting Date: April 16, 2024

Template revised June 27, 2019 (Diversity in Contracting).

(5) Establishes a repeatable standard for avoiding and offsetting tree clearing impacts,

which increases certainty and reduces risk for projects and initiatives.

Cons:

(1) May increase operational and capital costs.

This is the recommended alternative.

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST

(1) Resolution No. 3821

o Exhibit A: SEA Tree Replacement Standards

o Exhibit B: SEA Land Stewardship Plan (available online)

(2) Presentation slides

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS

February 20, 2024 – Briefed the Sustainability, Environment, and Climate Committee (SEAC)

Committee on SEA Tree Replacement Standards and SEA Land Stewardship Plan.

February 16, 2024 – Briefed Commissioner Hasegawa on SEA Tree Replacement Standards

and SEA Land Stewardship Plan.

November 6, 2023 – The Commission Sustainability, Environment, and Climate Committee

(SEAC) Committee received a briefing on SEA Tree Replacement Standards and SEA Land

Stewardship Plan.

July 27, 2023 – The Commission authorized an Order to implement the Port-wide

Environmental Land Stewardship Principles and Strategies.

February 21, 2023 – The Commission Sustainability, Environment, and Climate Committee

(SEAC) received a briefing on the Port-wide Environmental Land Stewardship Principles

and Strategies.