Springfield committee advances draft Urban Woodlands ordinance, will seek legal review

Councilor Govan, chair of the Sustainability and Environmental Committee of the Springfield City Council, called the March 13 meeting to order and said the Urban Woodlands Ordinance draft was on the agenda.

Why it matters: Committee members said the ordinance is intended to protect trees in the city by creating an Urban Woodlands Commission to review removals, set replacement requirements and advise staff. The committee moved to refine commission language, clarify who appoints members, and route the draft to the law department for formal ordinance drafting before presenting it to the full City Council.

Committee members and attendees described the draft as a multi-year effort that now needs a legal review and clearer language about how a commission would be formed and housed. Amy Loisel and others emphasized that forestry staff, which has reviewed earlier drafts, must remain engaged; the group agreed to name the body the Urban Woodlands Commission.

Ken Shea, city council…