You are invited to review a draft staff proposal and participate in an online forum, beginning Wednesday, July 15, to offer your views to further improve Portland’s tree preservation requirements.

Following direction from the Portland City Council, a draft staff proposal was released July 13 from the Bureau of Development Services, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. This draft proposal is to:

• Remove the exemptions on tree preservation for General Industrial 1 (IG1), Central Employment (EX) and Central Commercial (CX) zones
• Retain the tree preservation and tree density exemptions in areas zoned as Heavy Industrial (IH)
• Reduce the threshold from 36 inches to 20 inches in diameter at which inch-per-inch fees in lieu of tree preservation begin, for development on privately-owned sites.

Learn about the tree code amendment process and provide comments through this online workshop available from Wednesday, July 15, through Monday, August 3, 2020. Comments received through the workshop will inform a revised staff proposal that will be presented to the Urban Forestry Commission and the Planning and Sustainability Commission in September. The two commissions will provide recommendations that will be considered by the City Council in October.

Further information on the development of a revised tree code proposal can be found on the City’s website here. Written comments on the current draft of the staff proposal can be submitted through the online forum or to Emily Sandy by Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020.