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Board considers credits, a tree mitigation fund and construction techniques to save mature canopy
Summary
Planning staff and board members discussed increasing preservation credits for larger trees, using a tree-mitigation fund when replanting on-site is not feasible, and construction techniques like stem walls or piers to reduce root impacts.
As part of a broader conversation about tree protection, staff presented several practical and policy options the board could weigh, ranging from credit changes to construction methods that preserve roots.
Staff noted the city's existing credit program caps credits at 20 inches DBH and suggested increasing credits for larger trees or for preserving a larger tree-protection zone. "Our credit ends at 20 inches in DBH, so then when we see these large very large trees come in, and there's not really anything to weigh those more heavily," staff said, and proposed giving more credits for larger specimens.
Board members recommended technical approaches such as stem walls or building on piers where feasible to avoid major root disturbance. Members also described a tree mitigation or "tree bank" option—allowing homeowners who cannot replant on-site to pay into a fund used to plant trees elsewhere in the city—and discussed what a fair fee scale might look like. Staff said the city currently has a tree mitigation fund and described a $300 payment instance for one-to-one replacement credits, while acknowledging larger policy adjustments would require more work and community input.
The board asked staff to bring refined options tied to the comprehensive-plan update and to consult with the Street Tree Advisory Council and City Commission on tradeoffs and implementation details.
