Working to protect and advocate for trees in urban Washington County
Washington County Tree Code
Ideas and Background Information
Establishing a "tree code", or set of tree protection ordinances, is one tool for keeping our urban forest healthy and well-managed.
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Washington County is one of the last places in the Portland Metro area that does not have regulations to protect trees in its urban unincorporated areas, despite a clear need and years community requests for protections.
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Here are some resources we can use as we work to establish a "tree board" or committee. The tree board's first purpose would be to advise the county on the best way to write tree protections into our ordinances.
Please contact us if you are interested in participating in Tree Code research.
Joint CPO Research Paper 2007
This extensive research paper is still very applicable today - though it was developed so long ago! Washington County Commissioners have not acted upon the annual requests of the Oregon-recognized Community representative group (CPO/CCI) for all these years. These early efforts were not necessarily focused on Urban Unincorporated Washington County - and this is why TreekeepersWC has narrowed the focus to help move this issue along.
LUT SNR Assessment (2020) Appendices
This assessment performed by LUT Staff led to initial modifications to Policy 869, "...the Community Development Code (CDC) related to significant natural resources in the development review process to establish clear and objective standards, clarify requirements, and allow protected habitat areas to meet open space requirements in planned developments..."
SAMPLES OF TREE CODES & TREE PROTECTION PROGRAMS
City of Milwaukie, Oregon Tree Protection Program
The City of Milwaukie, OR has established a formal Tree Protection Program. They have posted ideas on Resources to Help Plant, Protect, and Promote Trees in Milwaukie.
There are many great tools and resources to learn about and protect your urban canopy.
City of Tigard Urban Forestry Master Plan
"Tigard's Urban Forestry Master Plan (published in 2014) contains a list of recommended improvements to the city's current urban forestry programs and regulations. The plan was developed after a year of studying Tigard's urban forest conditions, conducting community surveys, reviewing the city's existing natural resource policies and programs, and interviewing stakeholders such as arborists, landscape architects, and developers."
Lake Oswego Urban & Community Forestry Information & Ideas
Lake Oswego’s Community Forestry Program is a collaborative approach to managing the urban forest. It brings together City government, residents, and other local stakeholders to shape the policies and practices that affect our forest resources. Community forestry promotes education, dialogue, and voluntary stewardship to protect the health and integrity of the urban forest.
City of Tigard Urban Forestry Master Plan
"Tigard's Urban Forestry Master Plan (published in 2014) contains a list of recommended improvements to the city's current urban forestry programs and regulations. The plan was developed after a year of studying Tigard's urban forest conditions, conducting community surveys, reviewing the city's existing natural resource policies and programs, and interviewing stakeholders such as arborists, landscape architects, and developers."
Lake Oswego Urban & Community Forestry Information & Ideas
Lake Oswego’s Community Forestry Program is a collaborative approach to managing the urban forest. It brings together City government, residents, and other local stakeholders to shape the policies and practices that affect our forest resources. Community forestry promotes education, dialogue, and voluntary stewardship to protect the health and integrity of the urban forest.
City of Tigard Urban Forestry Master Plan
"Tigard's Urban Forestry Master Plan (published in 2014) contains a list of recommended improvements to the city's current urban forestry programs and regulations. The plan was developed after a year of studying Tigard's urban forest conditions, conducting community surveys, reviewing the city's existing natural resource policies and programs, and interviewing stakeholders such as arborists, landscape architects, and developers."
Lake Oswego Urban & Community Forestry Information & Ideas
Lake Oswego’s Community Forestry Program is a collaborative approach to managing the urban forest. It brings together City government, residents, and other local stakeholders to shape the policies and practices that affect our forest resources. Community forestry promotes education, dialogue, and voluntary stewardship to protect the health and integrity of the urban forest.
Wilsonville Online Interactive Tree Inventory
and Urban Tree Management Plan
"The City of Wilsonville has a deep and storied commitment to maintaining and promoting consistent investment in the community's urban forestry resources. Wilsonville has been awarded the Tree City USA recognition for 19 consecutive years, an affirmation of the work the City invests into its urban canopy.
A large part of the work of maintaining and caring for Wilsonville's tree population includes keeping an ongoing inventory of its street trees. 2021 was an especially important year for the city to update its street tree inventory because of the winter storm that shattered hundreds of tree limbs and cracked many tree trunks."
