City of Portland Considers Extension to Large Tree Amendment of City’s Tree Code, Title 11

News Article

The amendment is up for a possible extension. It has played a vital role in preserving the city's largest trees and enhancing urban canopy cover. It is currently set to expire at the end of 2024.

(Portland, OR) -

The City of Portland will hold a joint public hearing of the Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry Commissionand Planning Commission to discuss the extension or removal of the Large Tree Amendment to Portland's Tree Code (Title 11). This crucial amendment, introduced in 2015 and modified in 2020, has played a vital role in preserving the city's largest trees and enhancing urban canopy cover. It is currently set to expire at the end of 2024.

Large trees provide shade at Northeast Portland's Khunamokwst Park on a sunny day. Trees help keep Portland green and healthy. They offer shade; lower temperatures in homes and neighborhoods; provide wildlife habitat, beauty, and cleaner air; and help mitigate the effects of climate change.

The Large Tree Amendment requires developers to pay higher mitigation fees for removing trees 20 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) or greater. This initiative has led to increased preservation of significant trees during private development, with little impact to housing production. The Amendment has made possible the planting of more than 42,000 trees in priority neighborhoods citywide since 2015 via mitigation payments into the City's Tree Planting & Preservation Fund.

"Large trees are essential to Portland's efforts to combat climate change and improve public health," said Portland Parks & Recreation Director Adena Long. "This amendment has been instrumental in protecting these valuable natural resources."

The public hearing will take place on July 23, at 5pm at 1900 SW 4th Ave., Suite 2500, and online via Zoom. Community members are encouraged to participate and voice their opinions. Written testimony can be sent to [email protected]or [email protected]with "Title 11 Amendments" in the subject line.

To testify, register at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fTIQzIPuT9uLWPtzShplKg. Registration closes at 5pm on Monday, July 22.

For more information, please visit the Planning Commission Meeting page.

Trees are part of the very fabric of our city

Trees help keep Portland green and healthy. They offer shade; lower temperatures in homes and neighborhoods; provide wildlife habitat, beauty, and cleaner air; and help mitigate the effects of climate change. PP&R regularly plants new trees in areas of town where the canopy is not yet as robust as others. Still, the most recent PP&R studyshowed Portland's tree coverage has declined in recent years.

About PP&R's Urban Forestry division

The mission of PP&R's Urban Forestrydivision is to manage and care for Portland's urban forest infrastructure. Our urban forest consists of more than 220,000 street trees, 1.2 million park trees, and about 2.9 million private property trees. Some of the many services Urban Forestry provides include creating and implementing the city's Urban Forest Management Plan; fostering community awareness and stewardship of trees; developing tree policies and programs; monitoring and assessing the urban forest; issuing permits for planting, pruning, and removal of public and some private trees; and responding to tree emergencies.

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