Committee debates tree‑canopy data, permits and a potential LiDAR study

Commissioner Mark Welch told the committee the city lacks timely, comparable canopy data to measure whether the 2024 tree‑ordinance changes are preserving canopy. Welch said staff have issued 867 tree permits between March 2024 and April 2025 (302 construction, 517 exempt, 48 non‑construction) and estimated roughly 1,400 trees were removed in that interval, with two‑thirds of removals tied to exempt permits.

Welch and a council sponsor urged two parallel steps: (1) collect consistent, digital permit information for every permit type (including exempt permits) so staff can report trees removed, trees retained and replacement planting, and (2) commission periodic canopy assessments using LiDAR/GIS to track net canopy change citywide. A vendor or university lab (University of Vermont was cited as an example) could produce a map and comparative report for roughly $25,000–$29,000 per assessment, speakers said.

Council members raised operational concerns: collecting full inventories for exempt permits could impose burdens on homeowners, require more staff time to review many more submissions and possibly require more qualified arborist assessments. Commissioners said exempt permits often attach only simple pictures and are not verified; they estimated that the majority of exempt removals are reported as dead, dying or hazardous but acknowledged they do not verify each claim.

The committee did not adopt an ordinance change at the meeting but expressed interest in a more specific proposal and directed staff to return with clearer options, cost estimates and implementation details.