SW Neighborhoods, Inc. Empowering Citizens since 1978

Trees are good. They provide shade and oxygen and wildlife habitat. They remove carbon dioxide from the air. They buffer us from wind and noise. They improve our watersheds by capturing water on leaves and drawing water into roots. And they are beautiful. Trees are in trouble in Portland. Urban forests are choked with ivy. City regulations, promulgated at different times over many years, are confusing. Responsibility for enforcement resides with several bureaus. Residents don't know who to call when a tree issue arises. Regulations meant to protect or encourage preservation of trees don't always work as well as intended.

SWNI's Land Use Committee began studying the problem and produced a document in October of 2005 calling on the city to reform it policies and regulations that relate to tree protection and preservation. A short time later, Portland's Bureau of Planning (now the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, BPS for short) began a project to comprehensively review the city's tree policies and regulations, and make recommendations for changes. Now, BPS, with help from Parks & Recreation, Transportation, Development Services, and Environmental Services, has produced a first document for public review, a draft of Key Issues and Initial Proposals.

To review the draft of Key Issues and Initial Proposals click on the link to the attached .pdf below

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