S t r e e t R o o t s • J u ly 3 1 - A u g . 6 , 2 0 1 5
STUMPTOWN, from page 12
Portland. The sheer volume of development
permits involving tree removal has taxed
the limited staffing with the expertise in
tree preservation, protection and planting.
It has also meant the city has had to skimp
on the funding education and outreach
necessary to help Portlanders understand
tree policies and help steward the urban
forest
A fifth shortcoming of the 2010 tree
reforms relates to how street upgrades and
improvements fail to accommodate large
healthy trees. Development along
unimproved streets usually triggers required
upgrades to install curbs, sidewalks and,
sometimes, bioswales. Developers must
meet the Bureau of Transportation’s design
standards. These standards rarely allow or
require flexible designs to avoid tree
removal or alternative surfacing to protect
tree roots. Where new tree planting is
required, street improvement standards
often don’t provide enough soil volume to
allow the growth of large healthy trees. The
conflict between curbs, sidewalks and trees
is particularly acute in East Portland
Commentary
P ag e 13
Five simple policy Improvements would protect large healthy trees in Portland.
public hearing Tuesday, Aug, 4, 6-8pm at
1900 SW 4th Room 2500A. The goal is to
give Portlanders an opportunity to express
their desire to remedy the shortcomings of
the citywide tree code. People who can’t
make the Aug. 4 hearing may send written
testimony to Mieke Keenan at mieke.
keenan@portlandoregon.gov by Sept 9, and
cc: Commissioner Dan Saltzman at dan@
portlandoregon.gov and Commissioner
Amanda Fritz at amanda@portlandoregon.
gov.
Policy makers or lobbyists who would
block or obstruct tree policy reforms in
Portland should take note. The concerns
created by policies that allow the loss of
large, healthy trees in Portland’s
neighborhoods will not likely go away.
Nor will Portlanders’ visceral love of the
trees so define our city’s unique sense of
place. If Portlanders’ voices are heard,
“urban living” in Portland will continue to
mean having large healthy trees in our
urban midst
1 Establish specific tree preservation standards for large, healthy native trees, at
least 35 inches in diameter.
2. increase
requirements for tree replacement and fee in lieu of planting or
preservation. Tree replacement should be graduated based on the size and species
o f trees removed in order to better compensate for the loss of the environmental
functions they provide.
3. Develop new street improvements standards that allow the retention of large,
healthy frees, Establish a free soil volume standard to ensure street frees in newly .
improved streets have room to grow.
4. Actually apply new tree reforms citywide by requiring industrial development to
meet tree density, preservation and planting requirements,
5. Fully fund implementation of code enforcement and tree-related outreach and
education programs.
neighborhoods where there are many
unimproved streets often flanked with large
healthy trees.
So what is to be done? Fortunately, lots.
The many efforts of neighbors to rally and
organize to protect trees are already having
an impact.
As result of the clear threat to large
healthy trees from recent development,.
Commissioner Fritz has asked a special tree
policy oversight committee to look at new
measures to better protect and preserve
large healthy trees. Their recommendations
will likely eventually find their way to the
City Council.
Portlanders wanting to lend their voice
will soon have an opportunity. The Urban
Forestry Commission is hosting a special
C a re O re g o rr
goM obile team
Jim Labbe is the urban conservationist with
the Audubond Society o f Portland.
A
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