Natural Resources Committee urges citywide tree inventory, stronger tree protections and a city forester

Samantha Wolf, chair of Oregon City's Natural Resources Committee, told the commission the city lacks a comprehensive tree inventory and an adopted urban forestry plan, and urged immediate action to slow an accelerating loss of canopy.

Wolf recommended a two‑part approach: first, conduct a canopy analysis or a tree‑by‑tree inventory to fill the data gap; second, adopt an urban forest management plan and update the city code to preserve mature trees, including stronger retention standards for large trees (committee examples cited trees larger than 20 inches in trunk diameter). The committee also recommended modifying fee structures to incentivize retention and appointing a city forester to coordinate policy and enforcement.

Why it matters: Committee members said mature trees provide long‑term environmental and social benefits that mitigation alone cannot replace and that a clear plan would help prioritize plantings, increase shade in underserved neighborhoods and improve grant competitiveness.

The presentation discussed funding options: federal or state grants to cover inventories and planning, and volunteer engagement to limit city costs. Committee members advised using best practices from other cities and emphasized that some immediate volunteer work — including neighborhood inventories — has already begun.

The commission took the recommendation under advisement. One commissioner noted that local volunteers had already started a neighborhood inventory and encouraged coordination with the committee; no formal ordinance or budget allocation was adopted at the meeting.