Yamhill committee favors single-block urban-forest pilot to test costs and logistics

At the March 3 meeting, the Yamhill Economic Development Committee debated how ambitious to be in the first year of a proposed town urban-forest program and coalesced around a pilot that would plant trees on one block in the central business district.

Committee members argued a single-block pilot is faster and more achievable than a townwide rollout: it would reveal the true per-tree costs (including saw-cutting concrete, irrigation and electrical work), allow the group to refine vendor and grant strategies and demonstrate feasibility to residents and business owners.

"By putting only that block and a few trees in that area, we get the process squared away," one member said, noting the first tree may be the most expensive because of site preparation and utility adjustments. Members also flagged clearance constraints where overhead power lines exist and recounted repeated damage to poles from delivery trucks on some streets.

The committee discussed tree-selection responsibilities and agreed to invite public-works staff and local tree experts to a site visit to identify species that fit street clearance, curb width and delivery patterns. The group proposed several potential dates for the site meeting (March 10, March 24 or March 31) and discussed avoiding a quorum problem for an exploratory site walkthrough.

No formal vote was taken. Next steps: staff will reach out to public-works contacts, tree experts and ODOT as needed for right-of-way rules, and schedule the site meeting to finalize a pilot-block plan.