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Commission presses consultants as tree-preservation rules are rewritten to meet new clear-and-objective law
Summary
Cascadia told the commission it will make "policy-neutral" edits to Woodburn's significant tree preservation standards to add measurable criteria required by new state law; commissioners pressed to preserve recent local protections and intent.
Consultants highlighted Section 306 (significant tree preservation) as an area with multiple discretionary terms that must be clarified to meet state clear-and-objective requirements. "Our approach to updating these will be to make, again, policy neutral edits to the existing significant tree standards to make them all clear and objective," Tara said.
Commissioners asked whether changes would weaken recently adopted local protections; staff and consultants repeatedly emphasized the goal is not to change policy outcomes but to make language measurable so staff and applicants can reach consistent conclusions. One commissioner noted the city adopted its tree code about 18 months ago and urged retention of the intent; staff said the intent statements in the current code will help preserve local aims while creating objective criteria.
Consultants offered concrete edits such as replacing discretionary language ("may" or "should") with measurable triggers (tree caliper thresholds, timeframes for preservation, and specific conditions under which removal fees or exemptions apply). They also noted that removal in future street corridors should be tied to construction of public improvements.
