Flagstaff planning commission reviews three-year forest resource pilot; no numeric tree-preservation threshold set

The Flagstaff Planning and Zoning Commission on May 14 reviewed PZ250088, a proposed three‑year Forest Resource Pilot Program that would allow property owners to participate in an alternate methodology for protecting forest resources in the city’s Resource Protection Overlay by using digital inventories and modern data such as lidar rather than the existing diameter‑based point system.

Tiffany Antal, zone and code manager, told commissioners the pilot would be voluntary and require an agreement between the applicant and the city. Antal said the program would require a comprehensive digital tree inventory identifying tree height, tree density and basal‑area (bracketed in the draft as bridal area) calculations, on‑ground verification where needed, and a commitment from applicants to maintain forest resources before, during and after development. “The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing,” Antal said, describing the pilot as a way to align the 2024 Flagstaff Fire Department forest management plan with the city’s resource protection standards.

The pilot, as drafted, would: run for three years following adoption; apply to all properties…