Tree board asks staff to restore monthly permit summaries and prepare GIS data for canopy work

Tree board members asked staff to resume providing regular summaries of tree-permit activity and to make GIS data available for canopy and permit-trend analysis.

Members said prior monthly spreadsheets listing permit address, permit type, proposed removals and tree sizes helped the board gauge on-the-ground impacts of the tree ordinance. Board members requested a similar, year-to-date report that would allow trend comparisons with prior years and better context for outreach conversations.

Elizabeth, the assistant planner, and other staff said the city’s new permitting software may make standard pulls easier, but some compilation work remains a staff service request. Staff cautioned that running a bespoke monthly compilation is distinct from answering single public inquiries; compiling year-to-date permit summaries for recurring reporting would require a modest staff time allocation or an automated query in the new system.

Separately, staff reiterated that KCD and planned canopy-mapping work require shapefiles (parcels, land-use zones, wetlands/watersheds) that currently live in municipal GIS. The city does not have a full-time GIS specialist; staff said they expect to request a small number of hours from the public-works GIS resource to package those shapefiles for KCD and consultants.

Board members asked staff to return with a feasible approach—either a monthly automated extract or a quarterly manual summary—so they can use permit data for outreach and for tracking tree removals at a neighborhood scale.