Portland Urban Forest Plan

What is the Portland Urban Forest Plan?

The Portland Urban Forest Plan is the guiding document for the City’s management of trees. It sets the City’s urban forest vision, goals, and tree canopy targets. It is the City’s roadmap for protecting, preserving, restoring, and expanding the urban forest equitably and sustainably.

Project Overview

Portland needs to update the Portland Urban Forest Plan to align with current community priorities, and help Portland respond to climate change and improve access to tree canopy and nature. Research shows that Portland’s tree canopy is declining, and not all Portlanders have access to the benefits and services trees provide. That’s why it’s important to update this plan now.

The Portland Urban Forest Plan will be developed with input from the public, City staff, and three advisory bodies. The three advisory bodies will be a technical advisory committee, community advisory committee, and the Urban Forestry Commission. There will be multiple ways for Portlanders and people who care about our urban forest to get involved.

This effort will build on past City efforts, including:

• Urban Forest Management Plan (2004)
• Urban Forest Action Plan (2007)
• Growing a More Equitable Urban Forest: Portland’s Citywide Planting Strategy (2018)
• Tree planting and monitoring reports
• Climate Emergency Declaration (2020) and 2022-2025 Climate Emergency Workplan
• Healthy Parks, Healthy Portland (2023)

Project Timeline

The Portland Urban Forest Plan will be created in three phases. The plan should be completed by fall 2025. See below for a brief description of each phase.

Phase 1: Listen and Learn (September 2023 to April 2024)

During Phase 1, we will:

• Listen to community members and stewards of the urban forest to better understand current conditions, community visions, and community priorities
• Analyze data and explore the distribution and condition of the urban forest, resilience to climate change, and where canopy may be growing or declining
• Learn about strengths, challenges, and opportunities for the ways we protect, plant, and care for trees

Phase 2: Change the Future: Recommendations and Actions (April 2024 to October 2024)

During Phase 2, we will:

• Use what we learned in Phase 1 to develop a vision and goals for the future
• Identify tree canopy targets, recommendations, actions, and other next steps to help achieve the vision and goals
• Create a reporting strategy
• Connect with the community to help us refine priorities and other elements of the plan

Phase 3: Develop the Roadmap (November 2024 to August 2025)

We will review public feedback and information collected in Phases 1 and 2 to draft the Portland Urban Forest Plan. This phase will include a public review period so community members can comment on the draft plan before it is finalized. This phase was extended to accommodate a longer public comment period and the new City Council structure and plan adoption process. 

Stay Informed

We want to keep you informed. Join our contact list for project updates. Content will include email updates about the Urban Forest Plan and notifications about events and other opportunities to get involved.

 Stay rooted in the latest updates -- add your contact information to the Urban Forest Plan email list

The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids, and services. To request these services, contact 503-823-2525, or for Relay Service or TTY: 711. 

Upcoming Opportunities to Get Involved

Thank you to everyone who participated in our survey, open houses, focus groups, or other community discussions. We heard your feedback and worked with our three advisory committees to create the Draft Portland Urban Forest Plan. The Draft Plan was open for public comment between February 20 and April 13, 2025. The public comment period is now closed. Staff are revising the Plan and preparing to bring it to City Council for adoption. 

The Plan will be presented to City Council's Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee on July 24, 2025 as part of an informational briefing.

Community Engagement

The urban forest includes all the trees in Portland, so Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) wants everyone to help shape the Portland Urban Forest Plan. PP&R wants to hear from Portlanders from diverse backgrounds, including those who have been historically underserved or marginalized by City processes or have less access to Portland’s urban forest.

People of color and people earning lower incomes have less access to the urban forest compared to their White and higher income counterparts. People living in neighborhoods with low tree canopy are more likely to experience negative health impacts, have increased exposure to hotter temperatures and heat-related illnesses. PP&R recognizes this and will prioritize the voices and needs of communities that have been historically underserved, specifically Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, immigrants and refugees, LGBT2SQIA+ people, people with disabilities, youth, older adults, and people earning low incomes.

There have been engagement opportunities during each of the three project phases, ranging from small focus groups to participation in larger community events and surveys.

The best way to stay informed about the ways you can help shape the Portland Urban Forest Plan is by joining our mailing list. Add your contact information the Portland Urban Forest Plan contact list. 

Community Advisory Committee

From an applicant pool of 60 candidates, we selected a final Community Advisory Committee (CAC) roster of 18 individuals. PP&R is grateful to CAC members for their participation in this process. The CAC met seven times to help create the Portland Urban Forest Plan. 

CAC tasks and activities include:  

• Help create the vision and goals for the Portland Urban Forest Plan.
• Elevate and confirm community challenges with preserving, planting, and caring for trees, and other tree-related priorities.
• Serve as a community liaison between PP&R and the greater Portland community.
• Provide feedback and input on the tree canopy targets, recommendations, and actions included in the Portland Urban Forest Plan.
• Provide feedback on the Public Draft.  

CAC Meeting 1: Thursday, January 11, 2024

CAC Meeting 2: Wednesday, March 6, 2024 

CAC Meeting 3: Tuesday, April 30, 2024 

CAC Meeting 4: Tuesday, June 11, 2024

CAC Meeting 5: Thursday, October 17, 2024

CAC Meeting 6: Monday, December 16, 2024

CAC Meeting 7: Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Portland Urban Forest Plan Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Portland Urban Forest Plan?

The Portland Urban Forest Plan is the City’s guide for managing trees. It includes a vision, goals, and actions to shape decisions and care for Portland’s urban forest. It is Portland’s roadmap for protecting, preserving, restoring, and expanding the urban forest in an equitable and sustainable way. 

The Plan outlines what we want the urban forest to be like in the future, and how we will manage it. It provides recommended management activities to improve tree health and access to trees and nature across the city. The Plan also includes an assessment of Portland’s current urban forest and strategies to help us achieve and monitor plan goals.

What is the urban forest, and which trees are managed by the Urban Forest Plan?

The urban forest includes every tree in Portland. Trees lining our streets, trees in parks, and trees growing in yards are all part of the urban forest.

The Portland Urban Forest Plan sets management goals for all trees in Portland, including those on private property and City-owned land, like parks and planting strips.

How long will it take to create the Urban Forest Plan?

The Portland Urban Forest Plan will take about 20 months to complete. The project started in fall 2023 and is expected to be finished in spring 2025.

How has community provided feedback on the Urban Forest Plan?

Over the past 18 months, Portlanders have had several opportunities to help shape the new Portland Urban Forest Plan. PP&R hosted an online survey, a large open house, 10 focus groups, and over 30 discussions. PP&R heard from people from diverse backgrounds, people of different ages, and people who live and work in different parts of the city. A second open house is scheduled for February 26, as well as a 50-day public comment period on the draft plan. 

Three advisory committees are also providing guidance throughout the project. These committees include, the Urban Forestry Commission, a community advisory committee, and a technical advisory committee, made up of staff from different City bureaus and external agencies. 

Is this the City’s first Urban Forest Plan?

No. The first Urban Forest Management Plan was completed in 1995. The current plan is from 2004. This new plan replaces the current plan and the Urban Forest Action Plan (2007). In 2015, Title 11, the City’s Tree Code was adopted. The Urban Forest Plan should be reviewed and updated every ten years. 

How does the Portland Urban Forest Plan relate to other City plans and policies and the way other bureaus work with trees?

While the Portland Urban Forest Plan is led by PP&R, it is a citywide document. Staff across many bureaus contributed to the Plan. The Plan is a guide for the whole City to implement. The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Portland Permitting & Development, Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Water Bureau, Portland Fire & Rescue, and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management were all involved in creating the Plan. Many of these bureaus have action items in the Plan. 

The Portland Urban Forest Plan supports City goals and policies, like those related to climate change, sustainability, livability, and equity. Title 11, the Tree Code and Title 33, the Planning and Zoning Code are two tools for implementing the Portland Urban Forest Plan. Like the Plan, an update to Title 11 is scheduled to follow the completion of the Urban Forest Plan. The Plan’s vision, goals, and community feedback from this process will inform future updates to Title 11, ensuring the code supports City goals. 

The Portland Urban Forest Plan builds on, but does not replace the City’s Tree Planting Strategy (2018). It aligns with other City plans and practices, such as the Climate Investment Plan (2024) and Portland’s Citywide Pedestrian Plan (2019). The Plan also expands on practices to create more space for trees described in the City’s Pedestrian Design Guide (2022).  

How will the Portland Urban Forest Plan be adopted?

The Plan will be recommended for adoption by City Council in spring or summer 2025 as a non-binding resolution. 

How will implementation of the Portland Urban Forest Plan be funded?

The City of Portland’s General Fund, 2020 Parks Local Option Levy, Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF), and the Tree Planting and Preservation Fund are the primary sources of funding for many ongoing actions. 

The Tree Planting and Preservation Fund was created in 2015 as part of the Tree Code and is the City’s only dedicated source of funding for tree planting. Money in this fund can be used to plant trees on public and private property and establish them for up to five years.

Funding to support the initial implementation of a selection of actions has already been allocated as part of the PCEF Climate Investment Plan (2024). Additional funding is needed to sustain these actions long term and fully implement the Plan. This additional funding could come from increases in the City's General Fund or Parks Local Option Levy allocations for urban forest preservation, expansion, and care; coordinated investments between City bureaus and other local agencies; state or federal grants; new bonds or tax levies; public-private partnerships; or other sources.

Future funding will be decided by the City Council through the annual budget process or other methods. Changes in funding will affect the City’s ability to carry out the Plan’s action items.

What the Portland Urban Forest Plan Is, and Is Not

The Portland Urban Forest Plan identifies different ways we can care for the urban forest and increase access to trees and nature so people and wildlife can benefit for generations to come. 

The Plan documents a community vision and goals for the future. It includes an implementation strategy to guide City efforts over the next decade. However, it does not commit staff or City Council to specific projects, policies, or budgets. It is a statement of values to guide our work and achieve City goals. 

The Plan is not a binding document for any bureau or work group. It does not commit the City to any projects or policies. It recommends updates to policies and standards and the expansion of existing practices and programs to better serve Portlanders and improve the health of our trees and community. 

How did you create the vision, goals, and recommendations? 

The vision and goals were created in partnership with community. Staff asked Portlanders about their priorities for trees and tree care, and the future they want for the urban forest through discussions, focus groups, a survey, an open house, and advisory committee meetings. As part of this work, members of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) reviewed urban forest management visions and goals from other cities and identified what they liked and didn’t like about them. Then, the project team and CAC worked together over several meetings to decide which words to use and how to format the vision and goals. The Urban Forestry Commission and Technical Advisory Committee were also asked to provide feedback on multiple iterations of the vision and goals. 

The recommendations were created by the project team, after conducting a peer city review and reviewing feedback received from community members, staff, and advisory committees throughout the planning process. Like the vision and goals, all three advisory committees had multiple opportunities to review and provide feedback and guidance on the recommendations and actions. During this process, the project team and CAC members created a list of top community priorities. Staff used this list during internal updates to the recommendations and actions to make sure CAC priorities were reflected in these important pieces of the Plan, to the extent possible. 

The public comment period for the Plan provides an opportunity for all Portlanders to provide feedback on the vision, goals, and recommendations before they are adopted. 

What are tree canopy goals, and how were they created?

Tree canopy goals show how much of Portland’s land area should be covered by tree canopy. Tree canopy refers to above-ground parts of trees, including leaves, branches, and trunks. Tree canopy goals are used by cities across the country to track the growth and distribution of the urban forest and the many benefits it provides. The Portland Urban Forest Plan’s tree canopy goals reflect community input calling on the City to respond to the climate emergency and expand the urban forest equitably. 

Specifically, the Portland Urban Forest Plan includes a citywide tree canopy goal to improve community and environmental health, a goal to increase shade over our streets to reduce urban heat, and a neighborhood tree canopy minimum to ensure everyone can experience the benefits of trees near where they live. 

The City used an information-driven approach to set the tree canopy goals: 

First, we measured the existing tree canopy and estimated how much more could be added while balancing needs for housing, jobs, and transportation. We also reviewed recent changes in canopy to understand where canopy is already expanding or declining. 

Second, we looked at other cities and studies to understand current industry standards and practices for setting tree canopy goals. For example, industry guidance suggests a city like Portland should set a citywide canopy goal between 40% and 60%. Additional guidance suggests setting a goal that falls between 75% and 100% of our estimated canopy potential. 

Third, we reviewed community input about where it is important to have trees, and which factors we should consider when setting the goals. We worked with the three project advisory committees to determine which boundaries to consider and set ambitious yet achievable goals. 

Before selecting the boundaries for our current goals, we considered many different options, including neighborhoods, watersheds, land use and zoning (e.g., parks, commercial areas, and residential areas), streets (and different types of streets), Census tracts, Council Districts, pattern areas identified in the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, and the planning areas identified in the Portland Plan.