Trees are an important part of any urban landscape and in a region known for it’s greenery, it may seem odd to think that Seattle might someday have a dearth of trees. However, the rapid pace of construction in the city has accelerated deforestation and no one knows how many trees have been lost in the process.

Seattle’s suburbs have regulations about cutting and planting trees and procedures to enforce compliance. But progressive Seattle, which has relied on a compliance-based system that levies penalties after the fact, is struggling to track the number of trees in the city.

KUOW’s podcast explains what the city is facing, and what it can do to ensure that developers help with the process of meeting the city’s climate goals, rather than leaving the city awash in bare rooftops and pavement.