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Lewisville staff propose tree-code changes, pilot 'Branch Out' program to grow canopy
Summary
City staff and university researchers recommended multiple updates to Lewisville's tree-related development rules and outlined two residential programs, including a paid rebate pathway and a free tree pilot in a high-need neighborhood funded from the city's tree mitigation fund.
Lewisville city staff and university researchers on May 2025 presented a package of proposed updates to the city's tree-protection ordinances and described two residential programs intended to expand the city's tree canopy.
The presentation, led by Stacy Anaya of the city's Parks and Recreation team and Dr. Lauren Fisher (University at Buffalo, formerly at UNT), recommended code changes to clarify what counts as replacement landscaping, lower the DBH threshold used for tree surveys, adopt a "heritage tree" designation, revise tree-preservation credit formulas, and raise mitigation fees that are currently $150 per caliper inch for protected trees.
The proposal matters because staff and researchers said current rules can unintentionally encourage developers to remove larger protected trees. Dr. Fisher told the council her team found that Lewisville's tree survey threshold excludes many existing trees: "When we reference the tree canopy study in Lewisville, though, we know that 60% of the canopy is under that 6 DBH," she said, recommending the city consider lowering the DBH cutoff so surveys capture a greater share of on-site trees.
City staff described two programs to reach homeowners. An enhanced Property Enhancement (PET) rebate program will be promoted citywide to encourage planting native trees and offer marketing and application help. A targeted pilot, called Branch Out, will provide free trees and on-site consultations in a north Edmonds neighborhood of roughly 400 homes identified with a tree equity score of 62 and an existing canopy of about 13 percent. Parks staff said program funding would come from Lewisville's tree mitigation funds; with an expected 5% response rate based on San Antonio's experience, the pilot is targeting about 20 trees in its first year.
Researchers and staff also discussed ordinance mechanics. Among the specific recommendations: codify the city's existing native shrub/understory/shade tree list as the replacement standard (rather than requiring adherence to decades-old landscape plans), consider a heritage-tree nomination process (as a council or board resolution), and revise preservation credits so that protecting a large specimen does not generate credits that permit removal of multiple smaller trees. Staff noted the city's existing mitigation fee places Lewisville on the low end of peer cities and that replacement planting costs are nearer $200 per caliper inch.
Council members and staff flagged implementation and equity concerns. Council members asked how to avoid using heritage designations to block otherwise-allowed development and how fee increases might affect redevelopment feasibility; staff said waiver processes remain available in exceptional cases. Parks staff said the municipal webpage will include an educational portal, planting videos, and an events calendar, and that a draft website was expected for review by the end of the month with a public launch soon after.
No ordinance was adopted at the meeting; staff said they would prepare draft code language and a fuller report with sample ordinance text and peer-city examples for council consideration.
For now staff listed short-term next steps: draft UDC and fee-schedule language for council review, refine tree-credit options (including negative-credit models used by Allen and Murphy, Texas), and proceed with the Branch Out pilot this summer, placing an October order for tree installation and evaluating the pilot in December.
