Agenda Item - 2024-02-20 - Number 11.1 - Urban and Community Forest Plan Update503-635-0215 380 A AVENUE PO BOX 369 LAKE OSWEGO, OR 97034 WWW.LAKEOSWEGO.CITY
Subject: Urban and Community Forest Plan Update (PP 21-0008)
Meeting Date: February 20, 2024
Report Date: February 9, 2024
Staff Member: Jessica Numanoglu, Director
Department: Community Development
Action Required Advisory Board/Commission Recommendation ☐Motion ☐Approval☐Public Hearing ☐Denial☐Ordinance ☐None Forwarded
☐Resolution ☒Not Applicable
☐Information Only Comments:
☒Council Direction☐Consent Agenda
Staff Recommendation: Provide feedback on an early draft of the updated Urban and
Community Forest Plan (UCFP).
Recommended Language for Motion: N/A
Project / Issue Relates To: Climate action and urban forestry
Issue before Council: Staff is seeking feedback on the Draft UCFP with regard to vision
alignment, key findings, guiding principles, strategic plan actions, and potential future
revisions to the Tree Code.
☒City Council Goal: “Combat climate change and strengthen the community’s resilience to
climate impact.” Initiative: “Update the Urban and Community Forest Plan using the findings
of the 2022 State of the Urban Forest Report.”
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Draft UCFP, presented in Attachment 1, addresses Urban Forest Sustainability and Urban
Forest Management, and includes a review of existing codes, plans and policies, and a Strategic
Plan outlining specific actions based on guiding principles that emphasize a well-funded urban
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forest, environmental and social benefits, improved quality of life, resilience to climate change,
and a balance between trees, housing needs, and infrastructure.
On December 28, 2023, the Draft UCFP was posted online and in late January 2024 was
reviewed in two joint work sessions by boards and commissions as well as with stakeholder
focus group members. A summary of the comments and feedback received is attached to this
report for the Council’s consideration in its review of the Draft UCFP. Further refinements will be
made to the next draft of the UCFP based on feedback from the public, boards and commissions,
stakeholders and Council. The next draft of the UCFP will be reviewed by the Council in May
before the final draft is presented for adoption by the Council in June.
BACKGROUND
2007 Urban and Community Forestry Plan
The City’s original Urban and Community Forest Plan (UCFP) was completed in 2007
(Attachment 2). The overall goal of the plan was to create a comprehensive, sustainable, and
integrated approach to tree management on both public and private property. It contains goals
and actions for: Stewardship and Education, Forest Health, Forest Size/Canopy, Tree
Maintenance, Invasive Species, Program Integration, and Funding.
The Plan also included an action measure recommending that the city produce an annual State
of the Urban Forest Report (SURF) to provide quantitative information about the size and
condition of Lake Oswego’s urban forest and the functions it serves. The first SURF was
completed in 2009, but was not updated until 2022. The 2022 SURF (Attachment 3) provides
important baseline data that helped inform the current update to the UCFP.
Need for an Update to the Urban and Community Forestry Plan
Since the 2007 UCFP was adopted 17 years ago, plans, policies and codes relating to urban
forest management have been updated or adopted by the City, including the 2016 adoption of
the Healthy Ecosystems Chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, 2020 Sustainability and Climate
Action Plan, 2022 Natural Areas Habitat Management Plan, and 2022 SURF. While the 2007
UCFP contains action measures that are currently implemented and remain relevant today,
there are issues, such as climate change, and emerging threats, such as invasive pests (Emerald
Ash Borer and Mediterranean Oak Borer) and wildfire risks that are not addressed in the 2007
Plan.
The UCFP update was initiated in response to the 2022/2023 City Council goal to “combat
climate change and strengthen the community’s resilience to climate impacts” after the update
to the SURF was completed in December 2022.
Tree Code
The purpose of the City’s Tree Code (LOC Chapter 55) is to maintain the wooded character of
the City and protect trees as a natural resource by regulating the removal of trees and
prescribing protection measures to prevent damage to trees during site development. LOC
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Chapter 55 also contains the Heritage Tree provisions for nominating and recognizing Heritage
Trees in the City.
During public outreach conducted over the summer for the update to the UCFP, many of the
comments that were received focused on the Tree Code (see Attachment 1, Appendix A:
Community Engagement memo). While the Tree Code is an important regulatory tool to help
the City achieve certain urban forest management policy objectives, it is not a mechanism to
manage the whole health and integrity of the urban forest ecosystem; rather, that is the
purpose of the UCFP.
The Draft UCFP addresses the Tree Code starting on page 37 of Attachment 1 and in Appendix
C: Municipal Code Redline. Please note that amendments to the Tree Code are not part of the
scope of work for the UCFP update. The Council is set to adopt a Goal for 2024 that includes an
initiative to start the process for targeted amendments to the Tree Code after adoption of the
updated UCFP later this spring. Tree Code amendments will be a separate process that will
include broad community engagement and consultation with the Council and City boards and
commissions.
DISCUSSION
Draft Urban and Community Forest Plan
The Draft UCFP is included in Attachment 1 and consists of the following documents:
• Urban and Community Forestry Plan Update Draft
• Appendix A: Community Engagement Memo
• Appendix B: Pest Risk Assessment
• Appendix C: Municipal Code Redline
The purpose of the UCFP is to bring together policies, practices, and plans related to Lake
Oswego’s urban forest and serve as a planning and policy tool to guide management of the
urban forest as a valuable community asset. The Draft updated Plan addresses Urban Forest
Sustainability, Urban Forest Management, includes a review of current City Urban Forest Codes,
Plans and Policies along with recommendations, and a Strategic Plan outlining specific actions
based on the following guiding principles:
• An urban forest that is cared for through sufficient financial investment;
• Maintain the urban forest as a living asset to ensure it can reach its potential to provide
the full range of environmental and social benefits and services;
• An enhanced quality of life for community members;
• A resilient urban forest that is well prepared for climate change; and
• An urban forest that balances trees, housing needs and infrastructure.
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Work on the UCFP update began in Spring 2023 starting with a review and analysis of all current
City plans, policies and codes related to the urban forest as well as interviews with key City staff
in all departments involved in the regulation, maintenance or planting of trees, and a kickoff
meeting with the Council. Community engagement activities were conducted over Summer
2023 and included focus group meetings with stakeholders, outreach at two City events, an
online survey that received 582 responses, and outreach through social media and City
newsletters. Throughout the project a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) consisting of City
staff with subject matter expertise, a member of the Oswego Lake Watershed Council, and a
state representative from the Oregon Department of Forestry has provided input on the
process and feedback on work products. The project is scheduled to be completed in June 2024.
Public Comments and Board/Commission Feedback on Draft UCFP
In January 2024, staff and the project consultant attended two joint work sessions, one with the
Planning and Development Review Commissions (January 22) and one with the Parks,
Recreation and Natural Resources and Sustainability Advisory Boards (January 24), and held an
online meeting with stakeholders (January 25) in order to receive feedback on the Draft UCFP.
The Draft UCFP was posted on the project web page on December 28, 2023, to allow sufficient
time for review by the public and board and commission members prior to these meetings. A
summary of the feedback from the joint study sessions and the stakeholder meeting is included
in Attachment 5.
Ten written public comments on the Draft UCFP were also received. The comments are
summarized in Attachment 4, with the full written comments included in Attachments 4-A
through 4-J.
Request for Council Feedback
The version of the UCFP in Attachment 1 is an early draft that will be further refined from
feedback received from the Planning and Development Review Commissions, the Parks and
Natural Resources and Sustainability Advisory Boards, Stakeholder Focus Groups, and the
Council.
To help guide the discussion at the study session, please consider the following questions in
your review of the Draft UCFP:
• Does the vision statement (see page v of Atachment 1) of the UCFP reflect the ideal vision
for the future state of Lake Oswego’s urban forest?
• Are there addi�onal key findings in the UCFP that should be highlighted (see pages 7-8 of
Atachment 1)?
• Do the guiding principles of the strategic plan reflect the Lake Oswego community’s values
and priori�es for the urban forest (see pages 47-48 of Atachment 1)? Are there specific
values and priori�es that could be beter represented?
• Will the ac�ons in the strategic plan help the City progress towards achieving its vision for
the urban forest (see pages 48-52 of Atachment 1)?
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• Are the recommended amendments to the Tree Code on pages 39-40 of Atachment 1 in
alignment with community values and priori�es for the urban forest?
ATTACHMENTS (LINKS)
1. Urban and Community Forestry Plan Draft 3: Boards/Commissions/Focus Group/City Council
Appendix A: Community Engagement Memo
Appendix B: Pest Risk Assessment
Appendix C: Municipal Code Redline
2. 2007 Urban and Community Forestry Plan
3. 2022 State of the Urban Forest Report
4. Summary of Table Written Public Comments on Draft 3 UCFP
4-A Todd Prager Comments on UCFP, 12-30-23
4-B Todd Prager Comments on Appendix C of UCFP, 01-05-24
4-C Tom Bland Comments on UCFP, 01-11-24
4-D Mike Buck Comments on UCFP, 01-11-24
4-E Betsy Wosko Comments on UCFP, 01-15-24
4-F Deanne Knipple Comments on UCFP, 01-15-24
4-G Kathleen Wiens Comments on UCFP, 01-15-24
4-H Kelly McCall, Renaissance Homes, Comments on UCFP, 01-15-24
4-I Mark Puhlman Comments on UCFP, 01-15-24
4-J Stephanie Wagner, OLWC, Comments on UCFP 01-15-24
5. Summary of Board/Commission and Stakeholder Comments
To view these documents and other documents in the public records folder, visit the Planning
Project webpage:
https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/WebLink/Browse.aspx?id=2717285&dbid=0&repo=CityOfLakeOswego