Issue Paper No. 2 -Tree Preservation - Tree Groves City of Tigard
Department Name: Community Development
Board Name: Tree Board
Issue Paper No. 2
Funding- Urban Forestry Master Plan
Activity—Tree Grove Preservation
ISSUE: Should Urban Forestry Funds be used to purchase tree groves or conservation easements
for tree groves?
BACKGROUND
The third goal of the Urban Forestry Master Plan is to develop a tree grove protection program.
Many tree groves in the City of Tigard are located within sensitive lands (stream corridors, steep
slopes, floodplain, wetlands, and significant habitat area), which gives some level of protection
already through development code regulations. However, these groves are not explicitly protected,
and tree groves outside of sensitive lands currently have no protection.
As part of the Urban Forestry code revisions, the proposal is to offer incentives for protection of
significant tree groves. These incentives include bonus canopy for preserved trees and flexible
standards (reductions to minimum density, setbacks, and canopy requirements and increased
building heights), and density transfer. While these incentives are designed to encourage the
preservation and protection of significant tree groves during development, they do not address the
preservation of trees outside the development process. Are there significant tree groves outside
sensitive lands on undeveloped or underdeveloped parcels that the city may want to protect by
purchasing the property or a conservation easement?
FISCAL INFORMATION
Historical Fiscal Impact
The Tigard significant tree groves were mapped in 2010 as part of the Urban Forestry Master Plan.
There have been no historical measures taken by the city to protect tree groves. Recent purchases of
park lands have had the side effect of also purchasing the significant tree groves present on those
sites, and may be a way to indirectly obtain the tree groves. However, many of these trees are within
already protected sensitive lands and there are no documented plans to protect tree groves from
park development.
Future Fiscal Impact
As this would be a new activity not previously funded, sources for funding must be explored. Some
board members have questioned whether Parks bond funds could be used to purchase significant
tree groves. The allocation of this money is recommended to Council by the Parks and
Recreation Advisory Board, and these funds are for the allocation of parks and open space.
The primary funding source for significant tree grove protection could be the Urban Forestry Fund,
which is collected through development in lieu of preserving existing trees and planting mitigation
trees. Over the last few years the fund has grown due to collection of mitigation fees from
developments built over the last several years. Due to the slowdown in the economy, decline in
development within the Tigard area, increased planting efforts using the Fund and proposed
11
revisions to the development code regulations regarding tree removal, it is not likely that a long term
significant tree grove purchasing program could be solely supported by the Urban Forestry Fund.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
It is important to consider the amount of money available (approximately $1,570,006.00) and other
activities paid for from the Urban Forestry Fund when deciding if preservation of significant tree
groves will be funded and how much can be set aside. Part of the discussion should also include
information about the tree groves that will help decide protection of the most threatened tree groves
if feasible. Finally, the use of the fund for tree preservation would require an amendment to the
resolution passed in May 2011 that outlined the allowed uses of the fund. These uses did not
include preservation, only tree planting and related activities.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the city explore the purchase of parcels or
conservation easements using the Urban Forestry Fund and Parks Bond to protect significant tree
groves that have little or no protection within the Tigard Development Code[til.
TREE BOARD COMMENTS
This area will summarise the Board's discussion and comments on the staff recommendation.
TREE BOARD RECOMMENDATION
This area will identifi,the Tree Boards final recommendation to City Council as one of the three.
• Recommend(carry forward the staff recommendation)
• Recommend as modified(minor changes to the staff recommendation)
• Not recommend(major changes to or disapproval of the staff recommendation)
12