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City staff: urban forest update and climate actions to follow; commission invited to help shape revisions
Summary
City sustainability staff told the commission they will pursue updates to the urban forest management plan and continue implementing the Climate Action Plan; staff said consultants will be used for technical reviews and that staff are tracking recommended actions for future plan revisions.
Sammamish sustainability staff updated the commission on how the Climate Action Plan and the Urban Forest Management Plan will be tracked and revised. Staff said the current urban forest management plan dates to 2019 and needs an update; the 2023 Climate Action Plan is a newer framework and staff are maintaining a running actions matrix that captures what is complete, what needs funding, and what may require consultant work.
Staff told commissioners they are about six months from starting the urban forest plan update and that one critical input is wildland‑urban interface mapping from King County; those maps will affect wildfire risk treatment recommendations and the balance between tree preservation and vegetation management. Staff said consultants will produce a technical draft that can be reviewed by the commission and that the consultant scope will include time for commission briefings and public engagement.
Commissioners offered to help with drafting, redlining and public outreach; staff encouraged commissioners to collect ideas and provide specific recommendations that can be included in the revision scope. Staff also flagged constraints: tree management and private property raise liability and maintenance questions, and many policy changes require legal or code review and explicit council direction.
Staff said they will provide a status update to the commission in June and added that the Climate Action Plan remains a “living document” — staff track proposed new actions and will consider those in future plan revisions.
