Troutdale committee reviews urban forest management plan; council review set for July 14

The Troutdale Parks Advisory Committee heard final notes Tuesday on a draft Urban Forest Management Plan that city staff will forward to Troutdale City Council for adoption.

Erikica Palmer, community development director filling in for staff, said the city’s street-tree inventory counts “almost about 4,000 trees, street trees here in Troutdale” and that roughly “93% of the inventory trees are in fair or in good condition.” She added: “The city's tree canopy covers approximately 24.7% of the city.”

The plan, funded in part by a grant from the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, compiles the inventory, an existing-conditions assessment, a street-tree planting guide and a street-tree manual. Palmer said staff conducted outreach at First Friday and movies-in-the-park events, solicited stakeholder interviews and received about 130–160 survey responses.

Why it matters: the plan sets a near-term baseline for priorities—Palmer said medium-density residential areas showed the lowest canopy cover and could be targeted for additional planting—and lays out principles for maintaining and expanding a resilient, diverse urban forest that supports environmental quality and public safety.

Key recommendations and details: the draft urges increasing species diversity (citing emerald ash borer risk in the region), planting the “right tree in the right place,” monitoring canopy and inventory data over time, cross-training staff on tree care, and integrating tree planning into capital and infrastructure projects. Palmer said the management plan and supporting documents will be taken to council on July 14 for adoption by resolution; the municipal code update (Title 13) will be advanced later as an ordinance requiring two public hearings.

On regulatory and fee questions, Palmer said the current draft of Title 13 preserves a free street-tree removal permit but proposes an in-lieu fee tied to the city’s new tree-installation rate used for subdivisions. “The fee in the draft code is set at the same rate as a person who’s installing a new tree in a subdivision, which is $200,” she said, adding staff discussed keeping the fee modest to avoid surprising the public and will review fees annually.

Committee members asked about species suitability, sidewalk damage mitigation (root barriers), replacement requirements when the city or a property owner removes a street tree, and how feasibility is determined if replanting on-site is not possible. Palmer said staff will follow up on specific inventory breakdowns committee members requested and reiterated that when site replanting is infeasible staff and property owners work together to identify alternatives.

Next steps: staff will circulate a cleaned-up version of the code draft and request committee comments by early July. The management plan and related materials are slated for the July 14 council meeting for adoption by resolution; the Title 13 municipal code changes will proceed to council later (two readings required) as an ordinance.