Consultants present draft urban-forest plan, timeline and data requests to Pendleton committee

Consultants for an urban-forest strategic plan outlined the project scope, timeline and data requests at a July meeting of Pendleton’s Urban Forestry Committee, and discussed whether the town should include community fruit trees or orchards in its plan.

Erin Flint, a senior associate consultant who identified herself as part of the consulting team, opened the presentation and said the consultants aim to help Pendleton “maintain where they are or get them to that next level of where they want to be.” Sandra Albero, who said she is a senior associate consultant on the national planning team, said she will work with the local team “to understand where your forestry program is at currently and where it should go next.”

The consultants described the plan’s sections as an inventory update and maintenance approach, financing and management strategies, staffing and partnerships, a budget framework and alignment with local development codes. Kelly Slorefield, an environmental scientist on the team, summarized the timeline: “We’ll have our official kickoff, early August with city staff,” she said, and asked that data and documents be submitted into a spreadsheet “by October 16.” She added the firm expects to deliver a first draft for review in February.

Committee members and the consultants spent significant time on species selection and climate resilience. The consultants said they rely on climate-projection resources such as the U.S. Climate/Tree Atlas to identify species likely to thrive under future scenarios. “That’s something that a lot of communities are interested in,” Slorefield said about moving toward more southern-adapted species; she cautioned that the plan would need research on feasible species and on pest and harvest management.

A committee member raised the idea of planting edible trees to increase local food production. Consultants said community orchards and edible-tree programs can be explored in the plan but would require logistics for harvesting, distribution and long-term maintenance; they noted partnerships with local food banks or volunteer organizations as possible solutions. The consultants also gave examples of small orchard projects on city property and stressed that community engagement would be part of planning for any edible-tree initiative.

The committee and consultants agreed to schedule a kickoff meeting in August; members were invited to attend that session in person or virtually. The meeting concluded after brief additional comments and thanks.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved the minutes from its May meeting after a motion and a verbal aye vote at the start of the session; no recorded opposition was noted.