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City forester: storm damage affected a small share of Portland’s trees; new program to help private‑property tree care funded by PCEF
Summary
In a Jan. 16 council briefing Portland’s city forester said last winter’s storm damaged a very small share of the city’s 4.2 million trees and outlined fee changes, permit waivers for the storm emergency and a new private‑property tree care support program funded by the Portland Clean Energy Fund.
Portland’s city forester told City Council on Jan. 16 that last winter’s storm produced “remarkable” impacts but affected roughly 0.02% of the city’s estimated 4.2 million trees. Jen Cairo said the bureau inspects trees and permits removals when a tree is dead, dying or dangerous.
Cairo said permit fees for retroactive storm permits were waived under the city’s storm emergency declaration and that bureau staff are reviewing permit fees annually. She told council that fee cost has been a barrier for some property owners and that Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) allocations now allow the bureau to waive some non‑development fees and to develop a private‑property tree care support program to help residents pay for professional tree maintenance.
Councillors raised reports that homeowners had been denied permits to remove trees that later fell on homes. Cairo said she was not aware of specific, confirmed cases in which a tree denied removal later fell on a house, but she acknowledged the concern, noted the bureau handles about 11,000 permit cases per year and offered to follow up. She explained that a permit decision reflects a tree’s condition at the time of inspection and that conditions can change between inspection and a later storm event.
Cairo emphasized the bureau’s prevention focus: proactive care and maintenance reduce risk and the new private‑property tree care support program should make professional, preventative work more affordable for homeowners. Claudio Camposano said the service area also received five‑year PCEF allocations that will be drawn down over multiple years rather than spent entirely in a single fiscal year.
Councilors asked for follow‑up briefings on specific media reports and case details. Cairo said staff will return with more information on permit fee policy, the private‑property support program, and any confirmed cases connecting permit denials and subsequent damage.
Staff also flagged the broader equity aim of tree programs: west-of‑Willamette canopy coverage is higher (about 56%) than many east‑side neighborhoods (about 21%), and several programs focus tree planting and maintenance in East Portland.
