Seattle's New Waterfront Trees

Graphic courtesy James Corner Field Operations

May Day 2023, marks the completion of the Seattle Waterfront project tree and understory plantings along the east side of Alaskan and Elliot Ways and much of the median.  While there is still much more to look forward to plant-wise along the western corridor, the presence of the trees along the road is beginning to define what one day soon will be a wonderful tree-lined corridor with gardens, parks, developed public spaces, the aquarium, and much more.

The trees along the corridor are in distinct mixed planting zones and each zone goes for several blocks.  Traveling  from King Street north, one passes through a zone of Tulip (Liriodendron tulipifera ‘Emerald City’) and London Plane (Platanus acerifolia var. ‘Exclamation), trees alternating or almost alternating with each other up to Yesler Way. Both of these trees types will tower to 50’ to 60’. 

At Yesler Way the trees transition to a corridor of Zelkova (Zelkova serrata ‘Green Vase’) and Elm (Ulmus americana ‘Princeton’) trees.  This zone continues for three blocks until Madison Street where a mixture of three trees line the corridor.  These three species include, Linden (Tilia cordata ‘Greenspire’), Ash (Fraxinus americana ‘Junginger’), and Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’). 

After University Street traveling north, Alaska Way is lined by Oak trees (Quercus bicolor) on both sides of the street past Union and up Elliot way under the new Overlook.  Once past the Overlook, a series of three distinct alternating Oaks line the roadway until Bell Street.  These Oaks are a unique grouping of Bur Oak, Green Pillar Pin Oak (very narrow), and Regal Prince (respectively Quercus macrocarpa ‘Urban Pinnacle’, Quercus palustris ‘Pringreen’, and Quercus x warei ‘Long’. 

Now is the time to take a walk and see the trees unfolding and getting ready to green the corridor.