Residents, developer and city staff spar over plans that could remove mature Norwood Road trees

Dozens of residents urged the Tualatin City Council to preserve a mature stand of trees along Southwest Norwood Road during public comment, while the project's developer and city staff said they are negotiating a revised plan intended to protect the trees.

The disagreement centers on design details for a proposed development on Norwood Road and whether the city-required sidewalk, utility easement and roadway modifications as currently configured would damage or remove mature Douglas-fir and other trees along the road.

At issue is a relatively narrow strip of trees on the west end of Norwood that neighbors and an arborist described as a last remaining line of older Douglas-fir in that area. Em Roberts, an ISA-certified consulting arborist representing Todd Prager and Associates, told the council the industry standard for root-protection requires more space than the city’s current protocols allow. “No trees to be removed on grove edges is recommended, and a minimum of 13 feet of tree protection zone where no right-of-way improvements, utilities, grading, or excavation within that 13 foot protection area,” Roberts said, explaining that the…