Adopt the Portland Urban Forest Plan to improve public health, build resilience to climate change, and promote environmental justice
WHEREAS, Portland’s urban forest is essential green infrastructure and a critical feature of the urban environment which contributes to the public health and wellbeing of the city’s residents, provides habitat for wildlife, promotes the stability and health of its natural systems, and delivers significant livability and economic benefits; and
WHEREAS, on June 30, 2020, the City of Portland declared a climate emergency (Resolution 37494) stating “a human-made climate emergency also threatens our city, our region, our state, our nation, humanity and the natural world, and that such an emergency calls for an immediate mobilization effort initiating greater action, resources, collaboration and new approaches to restore a safe climate”; and
WHEREAS, the risks presented by Portland’s changing climate necessitate urgent mitigation and adaptation actions to protect public health and well-being and the stability of trees, plants, wildlife, and natural systems; and
WHEREAS, inequitable access to the public health and climate resilience benefits trees provide is an urgent environmental justice issue which disproportionally impacts historically underserved communities in Portland; and
WHEREAS, Portland’s first Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP) was adopted in 1995 by Ordinance 168979; and
WHEREAS, in 2003 the Council adopted the 2004 Urban Forest Management Plan by Resolution No. 36189, which the City has been implementing over the past two decades; and
WHEREAS, per Portland City Code, the Urban Forest Plan is intended to be updated every ten years; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, City Council directed (Resolution 37473) Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to update the 2004 Urban Forest Management Plan and subsequently use the new plan to inform updates to the Tree Code (Title 11); and
WHEREAS, PP&R created the Portland Urban Forest Plan in partnership with other City bureaus and regional agencies who engage or impact Portland’s urban forest. Partner bureaus will help implement the plan and include the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Water Bureau, Bureau of Environmental Services, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland Permitting & Development, Portland Fire & Rescue, Bureau of Emergency Management; and
WHEREAS, the Portland Urban Forest Plan was advised by a geographically and demographically diverse Community Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from across Portland; and
WHEREAS, the Plan is deeply informed by community guidance received from Portlanders living across the city including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, older adults, people earning lower incomes, local business owners, tree care providers, industrial and commercial organizations, environmental organizations, homeowners and renters, and City of Portland advisory groups; and
WHEREAS, the Portland Urban Forest Plan presents a new vision, goals, and tree canopy targets to guide City programs, services, and investments related to the urban forest; and
WHEREAS, the Portland Urban Forest Plan includes actions to preserve, care for, and expand tree canopy, reduce the cost of tree care and maintenance for residents, and enhance collaboration with Portlanders. These actions will reduce the impacts of urban heat and improve public health, safety, and water quality. They will help achieve plan goals, as well as goals and policies in the City’s climate plans and 2035 Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, on August 21, 2025 the Urban Forestry Commission voted to recommend the Portland Urban Forest Plan to City Council for adoption and is submitting it to City Council by letter of transmittal, attached as Exhibit B.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City of Portland adopts the Portland Urban Forest Plan, as shown in Exhibit A; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council directs staff to engage in activities aimed at implementing the recommendations of the Portland Urban Forest Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, this resolution is non-binding city policy.
Official Record (Efiles)
Impact Statement
Purpose of Proposed Legislation and Background Information
- Portland’s urban forest provides significant public health, environmental, and economic benefits. It is a critical part of the city’s climate change resilience and mitigation efforts.
- The urban forest is living infrastructure requiring proactive management and planning to ensure its long-term health, growth, and public safety.
- Portland’s first Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP) was adopted in 1995 by Ordinance 168979.
- In 2003, the Council adopted the 2004 Urban Forest Management Plan by Resolution No. 36189, which the City has been implementing over the past two decades.
- Per Portland City Code, the Urban Forest Plan is intended to be updated.
- In 2021, City Council directed (Resolution 37473) Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) to update the 2004 Urban Forest Management Plan and use the new plan to inform updates to the Tree Code (Title 11).
- PP&R created the Portland Urban Forest Plan in partnership with other City bureaus and regional agencies impacting Portland’s urban forest. Partner bureaus will help implement the plan and include the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Water Bureau, Bureau of Environmental Services, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland Permitting & Development, Portland Fire & Rescue, and the Bureau of Emergency Management.
- The Plan is heavily informed by community guidance received from Portlanders living across the city and from diverse communities, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, older adults, youth, and people earning lower incomes.
- On August 21, 2025 the Urban Forestry Commission voted to recommend the Portland Urban Forest Plan to City Council for adoption and is transmitting it to City Council by letter of transmittal, attached as Exhibit B.
- Canopy cover is unevenly distributed throughout the City creating an environmental justice issue. Inequitable access to the public health and climate resilience benefits trees provide disproportionally impacts undeserved communities in Portland.
- Portlanders earning lower incomes are disproportionately impacted by the cost of maintaining trees.
- Recent reversal in citywide canopy growth, new pests, and the changing climate, including hotter, drier summers and more frequent and intense winter storms, present new management challenges that must be considered and proactively addressed to maintain the health of the urban forest and protect public health and safety.
- The Portland Urban Forest Plan presents a new unified vision, goals, and tree canopy targets to guide management of the urban forest.
- The Portland Urban Forest Plan includes actions to preserve, care for, and expand tree canopy and enhance collaboration with Portlanders and across City bureaus. These actions will reduce the impacts of urban heat and improve public health, safety, and water quality. They will help achieve plan goals, as well as goals and policies in the City’s climate plans and 2035 Comprehensive Plan.
Financial and Budgetary Impacts
Adoption of this non-binding resolution does not obligate any new funding from or amend existing appropriations.
Implementing many of the policies, programs, and projects recommended in the Portland Urban Forest Plan will likely require new future resources. The plan does not include exact costs, instead it provides planning level, relative cost estimates for each implementation action. More than half of the actions are expected to be achievable if existing funding levels continue. These actions reflect the continuation or expansion of existing programs and services. Several actions call for improved coordination, policy, or process updates and require limited additional funding or staff resources.
A few actions require the creation of new programs. Several of the most expensive action items come from the Climate Investment Plan and initial funding is provided by the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund.
Most action items in the plan will be led by PP&R; limiting the majority of fiscal impacts to one bureau. However, several actions are the responsibility of other bureaus, notably Portland Permitting & Development, the Portland Bureau of Transportation, and the Bureau of Environmental Services.
Suggested implementation timelines are included to indicate that not all funding is needed at once. The Plan and associated funding needs are intended to be implemented in a phased approach over the next eight to ten years.
Economic and Real Estate Development Impacts
The Portland Urban Forest Plan itself does not have any economic or real estate development impacts, however, the implementation of recommendations in the plan is expected to have positive economic impacts.
Two specific programs recommended in the plan will significantly reduce tree-related financial impacts for Portlanders, especially low-income Portlanders. One program will provide financial assistance for tree care and removal on private property to income-qualifying households. The second program will shift the responsibility for street tree maintenance from adjacent property owners to the City. Once fully funded and implemented, the street tree maintenance program will significantly reduce the financial impacts of street tree activities for all Portland property and business owners.
Several actions in the plan will expand tree planting, education, and outreach programs through contracts and funding for local tree care businesses and community organizations.
Portland’s urban forest is valued at over 9.5 billion dollars. Achieving the goals and recommendations in the plan will ensure the continuation and expansion of the urban forest, thus increasing the public health and economic benefits and services provided the by the urban forest. Further, the urban forest, and implementation of the plan contributes to the City’s reputation as a green city and attractive place to live, work, and visit.
Business owners, industrial stakeholders, and members of the development community were engaged throughout the planning process. Members of these communities were invited to participate in the project’s broader community involvement activities. Specific activities for these stakeholders included meetings with 82nd Avenue Business Coalition, Central Eastside Industrial Council, Working Waterfront Coalition, Columbia Corridor Association, Northwest Industrial Business Association, Columbia Pacific Building Trades, Building Owners and Managers Association, Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP), the City of Portland Development Review Advisory Committee, and the City of Portland Freight Committee.
All members of the public had over 50 days to submit comments on the draft plan, in addition to the discussions staff hosted or attended with specific groups.
Community Impacts and Community Involvement
- Portland’s urban forest provides significant environmental, economic, social, and health benefits to Portlanders. The Plan discusses the uneven distribution of canopy and financial and physical impacts trees can place on Portlanders.
- In Portland, communities living on the east of the Willamette River, people of color, immigrant and refugee communities, and people earning lower incomes have less access to canopy and its associated benefits where they live, compared to other Portlanders. In addition, people living on fixed or low incomes, older adults, people with disabilities, and people who don’t speak English are often disproportionately burdened by tree care activities and costs.
- The Portland Urban Forest Plan was driven by community input, especially historically underserved communities and community members living in neighborhoods with less canopy than others. This included discussions with Portlanders living in different parts of the city and from specific communities, including Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities, older adults, youth, and people earning lower incomes.
- Staff engaged community members for nearly two years to create the plan, including through in-person and virtual events, surveys, discussions, and open houses. Community members shared impacts of current urban forest distribution, programming, and policies and challenges for tree care and planting. Staff also sought input from Portlanders about the values and priorities to emphasize in the plan.
- A geographically and demographically diverse Community Advisory Committee (CAC) provided ongoing guidance and helped develop the plan. The CAC included community members who own property, pay rent, speak languages other than English, and have diverse opinions on trees and the urban forest.
- To hear additional perspectives, staff discussed the plan with groups representing environmental, public health, business, industrial, labor, and economic interests. Staff also reviewed the plan with the Multnomah Youth Commission, Portland Freight Committee, Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, Historic Landmarks Commission, Development Review Advisory Committee, Working Waterfront Coalition, Columbia Corridor Association, Building Owners & Managers Association of Oregon, Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP), and the Central Eastside Industrial Council, among others.
- The bureau sought input from Portlanders to develop the vision, goals, canopy targets, recommendations, and actions in the plan.
- The draft plan was available for public comment from February to April 2025.
- Per Title 11, the Urban Forestry Commission is a project advisory body and is responsible for submitting a recommended plan to City Council. They provided input throughout the duration of the project, culminating with a final formal approval of the Plan in August 2025.
- The Portland Urban Forest Plan’s implementation strategy recommends dozens of policies, programs, and projects that will be implemented in partnership with community. Each program or project will be implemented with an equity lens to understand impacts and reduce barriers to participation.
100% Renewable Goal
This legislation has no direct impact on the City’s total energy use or renewable energy programs. Implementing the recommendations in the plan and expanding tree canopy to achieve City canopy goals can reduce individual building energy use due to the localized weather protection and cooling services provided by tree canopy.
Financial and Budget Analysis
Analysis provided by City Budget Office
Economic and Real Estate Development Analysis
Analysis provided by Prosper Portland
Prosper Portland staff has reviewed the Economic and Real Estate Development Impact Analysis submitted for this action and finds that it satisfies the requirements set forth in City Council Resolution 37664. The analysis is sufficiently detailed and complete to be considered a final statement for purposes of this action.
Document History
Document number: 2025-351
President's referral: Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee