Land Commissioner Hilary Franz: Where there is heat - there is death

Summer is almost upon us! While June 27th marks the official start, we are already starting to feel the burn. Seattle experienced the second warmest May on record, with high temperatures almost reaching 90 degrees on multiple days. 

It was likely even warmer in neighborhoods that lack adequate tree cover. 

A study of the heat dome in 2021 found a 13-degree difference between tree-lined neighborhoods like Magnolia in Seattle, and more industrial neighborhoods like Georgetown.

I was fortunate to live in a neighborhood where the streets were lined with the towering horse-chestnut tree when I was growing up. This tree is every child’s dream, with its large trunks to scale and big branches to sit on. We would play for hours at the horse chestnut wars – launching these fist sized seeds at each other. This is something every child deserves – a tree to play on. 

Every child deserves a tree that can provide shade from the sun and a place to cool off from the heat. Every child deserves the benefits of a healthy neighborhood that trees can provide. This is something we must achieve – and something we can achieve.

Because where there is heat, there is death. At the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), we talk a lot about wildfire and drought, but we know for a fact that heat kills more people in the United States than any other kind of extreme weather.

Throughout our state, lower-income communities and communities of color predominantly live in neighborhoods with a higher share of concrete surfaces, which increase the heat. These include roads, buildings, and parking lots with very limited numbers of trees and parks.

That’s why we have set an ambitious goal to ensure tree equity on every street and in every neighborhood across the state – the first state to set such a bold goal. To achieve this, we’re going to partner with communities, non-profits, and local governments.

All told, nearly 4 million people in Washington live in neighborhoods lacking adequate tree cover, according to an analysis by our partners at American Forests. I am proud to lead a team that is pro-actively solving this issue — among many others — that directly impact and improve our abilities to live happy, healthy lives in the great state of Washington

--Hilary S. Franz