Was the lorax racist?

Seattle nimbys and their defense of trees

Sometimes I think about The Lorax—Dr. Seuss’s old mascot for the trees. In this city, the Lorax would wear a Patagonia vest and carry a clipboard, popping into city hall to “speak for the trees,” then heading back to their craftsman home, quietly pleased that nothing will ever really change.

You probably recognize the script:

“We’re not against housing! We just care about the urban canopy.”

cute.

But let’s gut the euphemism: this was never about trees.

• It’s about control.

• It’s about freezing time.

• It’s about keeping certain people, and certain housing, politely excluded.

In Seattle, “tree preservation” is nimbyism’s most elegant weapon.

Watch it in action:

• City council hearing, 7:32 pm: “I support housing… just not here.”

• Zoning meeting, slide 12: “Not if it means losing that maple.”

• Nextdoor, 143 replies: “Not if it changes our street’s character.”

translation:

We want the city preserved at the moment our property deeds were signed. Single-family zoning is sacred. two-car garages unchallenged. No visible renters.

This is class war in a REI raincoat. Seattle’s older, whiter homeowners perfected progressive obstruction—dressing exclusion in ecological concern. They’ll cite “canopy coverage” while their own lots sit 80% paved. Selective environmentalism at its finest.

Funny how “save the trees” never means “build apartments near light rail to save the forests.”

and the system rewards it:

• Endless comment periods for those with free weekday mornings

• “Heritage Tree” rules that only apply to surface against apartments

• Permit labyrinths that bleed developers dry

meanwhile, south of I-90:

• No arborists rally when affordable units vanish.

• No canopy studies protect displaced families.

Between 2000 and 2020, the central district went from 80% black to 18%. In that same period, Seattle added over 200 “heritage trees” to its registry.

Who's The Lorax really speaking for?

Let’s name this:

1. A greenwashed border policy.

2. It's not ecology but aesthetic control.

3. Not climate action but wealth preservation.

The punchline?

These same streets will soon cry out:

“Why can’t teachers/firefighters/baristas afford to live here?”

I’m done with the tree charade.

So let’s retire the myth. In Seattle, The Lorax doesn’t speak for the trees, just for the property lines. And until that changes, “urban canopy” will just be a fancy way of saying this city is for the oldest, whitest roots.