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White Salmon establishes interim tree-replacement fee amid bridge project concerns
Summary
The council adopted a temporary fee-in-lieu for tree replacement—estimated at about $400 per replacement tree—so the city can collect mitigation while awaiting the Tree Board’s formal recommendation; council emphasized the fee may be refined later and should not be presumed to apply directly to the Hood River–White Salmon bridge project without further deliberation.
On March 18 the White Salmon City Council adopted Resolution 2026-03-641 to establish a temporary fee-in-lieu of tree replacement, a measure staff described as urgent after notification that nearly 200 trees may be removed for the Hood River–White Salmon Bridge Replacement project.
Planner Rowan Fairfield told the council the interim fee was estimated at approximately $400 per replacement tree based on nursery costs, installation and three years of maintenance and said the amount would be updated once the Tree Board completes its formal recommendation. Council discussion noted a range of approaches used by other cities (from low hundreds to multiple thousands per tree) and focused on whether a fee should be applied in connection with a regional bridge project that provides broader benefits.
Council Member David Lindley and others emphasized that without an interim fee the city could not collect mitigation for regulated tree loss; Council Member Doug Rainbolt said his support should not be read as endorsing the fee’s application to the bridge project specifically. The council voted 4-0 to adopt the interim fee with the understanding the Tree Board will refine the final recommendation.
What to watch for: Staff will update the Land Use Fee Schedule with the interim fee and return with a Tree Board recommendation and any refined fee calculations. Any application of the fee to specific projects, including the bridge, may require further council consideration.
