The Urban Forestry Master Plan is Getting Ready for Approval!
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, the Urban Forestry Master Plan is ready
for approval.
The main goals of the Plan include:
- Revise Tigard's tree code (Chapter 18.790, includes development
regulations and mitigation).
- Revise Tigard's landscaping code (includes street trees, parking lot
trees, and other required landscape trees).
- Develop a tree grove protection program.
- Develop a hazard tree identification and abatement program.
- Improve the management of the City's urban forestry program.
- Develop an urban forest stewardship program.
The Plan contains approximately 50 recommended changes to the City's
current programs and regulations that are intended to implement the
above goals. The Plan is available in high resolution and
low resolution below.
DOWNLOAD:
Urban Forestry Master Plan (Low Res) 697 KB
Urban Forestry Master Plan Appendices (Low Res) 2.24 MB
Urban Forestry Master Plan (High Res) 5.97 MB
Urban Forestry Master Plan Appendices (High Res) 13 MB
City Council is scheduled to accept the Plan on November 10, 2009.
For more information on the Urban Forestry Master Plan please contact Todd
Prager, Associate Planner/Arborist, at 503-718-2700 or
todd@tigard-or.gov.
|
What is Tigard's Urban Forestry Master Plan?
Tigard's urban forest is a complex system of trees, plants, wildlife, soil, water,
air and people in and around our city. On June 3, 2008, Tigard City Council voted
to approve Comprehensive Plan Amendment 2008-00002 adding an
Urban Forest section
to the Land Use chapter of the Comprehensive Plan. Goal 2.2 Policy 11 of the
Comprehensive Plan states, "The City shall develop and implement a citywide
Urban Forestry Management Master Plan." Urban Forestry Master Plans are
common components of Tree City USAs (of which, Tigard is a member), and
are intended to address a number of important programmatic and operational
urban forestry issues. The main components of the Tigard Urban Forestry
Master Plan will be:
- a purpose/vision statement;
- a summary of historical and existing conditions;
- an independent survey of community values;
- coordination of policies and procedures among City departments;
- direction for future ordinance revisions; and
- budgeting analysis.
Tigard's Urban Forestry Master Plan will be a planning and policy tool that will seek
to maximize urban forest benefits. The Urban Forestry Master Plan will not replace
the Tree Ordinance, the City's primary regulatory tool.
Instead, the Plan will include
practical steps to improve the urban forest's health and management, allow for
better coordination of urban forest programming between City departments and
other impacted stakeholders, and provide a framework for evaluating the urban
forest in the future. The Urban Forestry Master Plan will be guided by and
supportive of the goals and policies contained in the
Urban Forest subsection
of the Comprehensive Plan.
Urban Forestry Master Plan Meetings
Urban Forestry Master Plan Timeline
On October 28, 2008, Tigard City Council approved
Resolution 08-64
appointing members to the Urban Forestry Master Plan Citizen Advisory
Committee (CAC). The CAC is comprised of the
Tree Board
plus four additional stakeholders with expertise in urban forestry,
public administration, community development, and other
relevant fields. The CAC represents a broad range of
interests and is currently overseeing the Plan's development.
On November 19, 2008, the Committee
for Citizen Involvement approved the Communication
Plan for the Urban Forestry Master Plan. The Communication Plan breaks down
each phase of the process and speaks to the ways in which citizens and stakeholders
may participate, communicate, and receive information about the
Urban Forestry Management Plan.
Phase 1 Results (Project Launch):
The CAC adopted the following vision for the Tigard's Urban Forest:
Tigard's urban forest is valued and protected by City residents as a thriving interconnected ecosystem managed to improve quality of life,
increase community identity, and maximize aesthetic, economic, and ecological benefits.
The CAC also established the following purpose statement for the Urban Forestry Master Plan:
The purpose of the Urban Forestry Master Plan is to implement the goals and policies in the Urban
Forestry section of the Tigard Comprehensive Plan, and to guide the future of Tigard's urban
forest by:
- Documenting past and present conditions of the urban forest;
- Providing recommendations and measurable goals that will improve urban forest management;
- Coordinating City departments with each other, with other jurisdictions, and with the community's vision for trees in Tigard; and
- Providing a legislative resource for future plans, policies, and ordinances.
More details about Phase 1 can be found by reviewing the November 5, 2008
meeting packet
and minutes.
Phase 2 results (Define Current Conditions):
An independent, scientific telephone survey of 400 randomly selected citizens about
their attitudes towards existing and potential urban forestry policies and
programs was completed. The survey was funded in part by a grant from the
Oregon Department of Forestry and USDA Forest Service. The survey results
will be incorporated into the Urban Forestry Master Plan and allow for a
more detailed understanding of how to manage Tigard's urban forest in a
way that better meets the needs of the community.
City staff teamed with Metro to complete a comparative analysis of tree canopy
cover change in the community spanning the past ten years. This was accomplished
by using Metro's software that can detect the presence of tree canopy cover in
1996 and 2007 Tigard air photos. This partnership will continue, and allow Tigard
to continually track canopy change in the future as Metro runs the software on
Tigard air photos every two years. Tigard
Tree Canopy Analysis Results
More details about Phase 2 can be found by reviewing the January 7, 2009
meeting packet and
minutes.
Phase 3 Results (Data Analysis):
Key City staff members with roles in coordinating and implementing Tigard's urban
forestry programs, policies, and ordinances met to discuss urban forestry
coordination needs and identify solutions. The purpose of the meetings was
to provide for more effective administration of the urban forestry program
and inform recommendations made in the Urban Forestry Master Plan.
Internal Coordination Meeting Results
City staff completed interviews with major community stakeholder groups and jurisdictions
that regularly contribute to and/or are affected by the management of Tigard's urban
forest. Input from community stakeholder groups will further inform recommendations
made in the Urban Forestry Master Plan.
Stakeholder Interview Results
City Staff met with both Planning Commission and City Council in April to provide
them with "Mid-Plan" updates.
More details about Phase 3 can be found by reviewing the March 4, 2009
meeting packet and
minutes.
Phase 4 Results (Draft Plan):
The Citizen Advisory Committee utilized all of the data collected to begin drafting
the Urban Forestry Master Plan at their May 6 and July 1, 2009 meetings. At those
meetings, they developed the general format of the Plan, the major goals of the
Plan, and a series of recommended urban forestry policy and program changes that
will implement the Plan. The "so-called"
implementation matrix lists the goals
of the Plan, action measures for achieving the goals, staff and financial
resources required, an implementation timeline, and the City division responsible
for each action item.
The draft Urban Forestry Master Plan was then made available for public comment
from May 26 through August 21, 2009. The City publicized the draft Plan online,
through the Cityscape newsletter, via the urban forestry listserve, press releases,
and three open houses held at City Hall. The
comments received during that period
will be considered by the Citizen Advisory Committee as they develop the final
draft of the Urban Forestry Master Plan at their final meeting on September 2,
2009.
More details about about Phase 4 can be found by reviewing the May 6,
2009 meeting packet and minutes
and the July 1, 2009 meeting packet
and minutes.
Where Can I Find Examples of Other Urban Forestry Master Plans?
Locally, several other communities have developed Urban Forestry Master Plans including:
The City of Portland,
City of Eugene,
City of Lake Oswego,
City of Vancouver, WA,
City of Seattle, WA,
City of Lacey, WA,
City of Davis, CA
Resources/Links
- Land Use chapter of the Tigard Comprehensive Plan
- Urban Forest Subsection of the Tigard Comprehensive Plan
- Communication Plan for the Urban Forestry Master Plan
- Urban Forestry Planning Overview by Robert Miller
- Arbor Day Foundation, Developing and Using Urban Forest Plans
- Tigard Tree Board
- City of Sacramento, CA Urban Forestry Program
- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), Developing a Community Forest Management Strategy
Contact Us
If you have questions or would like more information on the Urban Forestry Master
Plan, contact Todd Prager, Tigard City Arborist, at 503-718-2700 or
todd@tigard-or.gov.
|  |
 |
|
|
|
|
