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Fairview to pursue Tree City USA designation after staff finds three of four standards met
Summary
After a presentation from the Oregon Department of Forestry, staff told council Fairview meets three Tree City USA standards (board/department, ordinance and $2 per-capita spending) but lacks an Arbor Day proclamation; council directed staff to pursue the designation and develop a community-forestry program.
Fairview city staff and an Oregon Department of Forestry representative told the city council on Dec. 18 that the city already meets three of the four Tree City USA standards and should pursue the designation next year.
Jennifer Killian, a community assistance forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry, outlined the program’s four core standards: a tree board or department, a public tree-care ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on community forestry, and an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation. Killian said the program provides technical assistance, national visibility and optional growth-award recognition for communities that go beyond the core standards.
Staff told the council that Fairview’s municipal code (chapter 12) gives public-works authority over public trees and that the city’s public-works spending surpasses the $2-per-capita threshold based on the city’s population estimate of 10,671 (which corresponds to a $21,342 per-capita minimum). The only missing piece, staff said, is an Arbor Day proclamation, which the council could adopt in 2025 and then submit the application by the December deadline.
Councilors raised practical concerns in stump-to-street detail: the city does not have an on-staff certified arborist and relies on a contracted certified arborist (Rich’s Tree Service) for evaluations; trimming practices in some neighborhoods were described as excessive; and several councilors urged updating street-tree standards (including required root barriers), improving public education and coordinating replanting efforts in older development phases.
After discussion, council directed staff to pursue the Tree City USA application while also developing a community-forestry work plan for 2025 that would include code updates, outreach and priority planting projects.
“Please don’t give us the plaque for nothing,” one councilor said, urging the city to pair designation with meaningful action. Staff said templates and technical assistance are available and that the Arbor Day proclamation is straightforward to adopt.
