The Bend City Council on June 20 approved parts of City codes that regulate the preservation of trees and when they can be removed.

The updated code strikes a balance of incentivizing the preservation of trees while also continuing to build the homes our community needs within the urban growth boundary. The Council will continue to explore additional ways to promote and protect our urban canopy.

The Council also approved adding an arborist position to City staff, as recommended through the Tree Regulation Update Advisory Committee process.

The updated codes will require developers to plant new trees on-site or make a payment in-lieu of preservation if a certain percentage of trees is not preserved on a site as part of a development project.

Approved changes generally require a developer to:

  • Preserve 20% of trees that are 20 inches in diameter or larger, or
  • preserve 25% of what is called the total “diameter at breast height” (the measurement of a tree’s diameter measured at 4 ½ feet off the ground) on a site. This means diameters of all trees that have a 6-inch diameter or larger on a development site would be added together, and 25% of that total would need to be preserved, or
  • preserve at least 5% of the total “diameter at breast height” of all trees 6 inches in diameter or greater on a site, and then either plant new trees on site or pay the fee in-lieu of preservation.
  • Development projects on sites that are one acre or less are exempt from regulations when they include residential development.

The tree regulations go into effect August 16.

For a more in-depth look at what the Council adopted, visit the Tree Code project webpage.

The Bend City Council also adopted changes to right-of-way landscapes.

Right-of-way landscapes

  • Updated language in Bend Development Code will prohibit new construction of turf lawn and inefficient overhead spray irrigation in City Right of Way (ROW) planter strips to conserve water, supporting City Council Goals and the City’s adopted Water Management and Conservation Plan.
  • Updates to Chapter 12 of the Engineering Standards and Specifications will support the Development Code changes and apply to all ROW landscaping, providing consistency across all types of development.
  • Updated and expanded acceptable street trees list, plant list, and example templates for ROW landscape planting and irrigation will be added to an appendix of the Engineering Standards and Specifications.

Changes to construction site erosion control will be voted on by the Council at the July 17 City Council meeting.