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 inside the Resource Protection Overlay (both vacant and developed); be limited to forest resources (not slope or other overlay requirements); require a forest resource agreement in a form acceptable to the city attorney; and allow staff access to sites and data the city or applicant provides. The draft does not set a fixed percentage of trees that must be preserved. Instead, the standard in the draft requires preservation “to the greatest extent feasible” as determined by staff based on the digital inventory and site inspections.

Commissioners and the public raised questions about how the pilot would work in practice. Several commissioners sought clarity on (1) how earlier thinning work on a property would be evaluated, (2) how slope and floodplain protections would interact with forest protections, and (3) who resolves conflicts when staff and an applicant disagree on which trees qualify as “high‑value resources.” Antal said staff and the fire department would work in partnership on site evaluations and that the fire department’s expertise, including staff member Neil Chapman, would inform decisions about forest health and thinning techniques. She repeated that participants may opt out and that the city retains authority to terminate a site’s participation if the purpose and goals of the agreement are not met.

Public comment offered general support for keeping the resource protection overlay’s intent. Resident Nat White told the commission the overlay has helped shape development in Flagstaff and cautioned that any change should preserve the city’s forest character: “The resource protection overlay is in a very important part of making and has made Flagstaff what it is,” White said.

Commissioners also pressed staff on practical consequences. Several asked whether the pilot might permit developers to remove more trees than under the existing point system, and whether the pilot would advantage greenfield sites over infill. Antal acknowledged uncertainty in precise preservation outcomes at this stage, saying the city’s consultant is preparing comparative visualizations showing how existing code and the proposed healthy‑forest approach would alter tree retention on example sites. Antal asked commissioners to allow the pilot to test methods and to return to the commission with results and recommended code language.

No formal action was taken on PZ250088 during the meeting. Commissioners did approve routine minutes from the April 23 meeting (motion by Commissioner Mary Norton; second by Commissioner CJ Lucky; recorded as five ayes). Antal said staff intends to bring the item back for public hearing on May 28 and to provide demonstrations, data and schedules for the pilot and any future code amendments.

The draft pilot contains several provisions aimed at enforcement and long‑term stewardship: maintenance obligations for preserved forest resources, violations and remedies to be defined by the city attorney or director, and a termination clause allowing the city or applicant to end program participation if objectives are not met. Antal and commissioners discussed enforcement history and penalties for unauthorized tree removal; commissioners urged robust enforcement if the pilot moves forward.

Next steps: staff will continue stakeholder work, provide visual examples and data from consultants, and present the draft text amendment at the May 28 public hearing. If adopted, the pilot would take effect for a limited three‑year term pending code changes at the end of the trial.