Urban Forestry

Caring for the urban forest is an important part of growing a sustainable, healthy and vibrant city. Wilsonville’s urban forest is comprised of all trees, both native and planted, that contribute to the seasonal beauty and livability of our community. Whether it is a majestic 200-year old Oregon white oak or a young flowering cherry, trees greatly contribute to our sense of place and quality of life; they clean the air, conserve the soil and water, reduce heating and cooling costs and bring nature close to home.

The City's Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) development began in May 2020 with completion scheduled by the end of June 2021. To develop the Plan, a systematic planning approach is being implemented to complete the following scope of work, which was identified in the City’s Request for Proposal issued on February 12, 2020:

Long-Term Strategy Framework: Establish a framework for a long‐term strategy (25 years) to protect, conserve, and enhance Wilsonville’s urban forest with comprehensive goals and objectives. Develop specific recommendations to implement the goals and objectives.

Urban Forest Status: Describe the status of Wilsonville’s urban forest, the history and land use changes, environmental conditions, vegetation (canopy cover, tree inventory), and community values and issues.

Current & Future Issues: Identify current and future issues that will affect the City’s urban forest, such as climate change, pests, and tree diversity.

Urban Forestry Operations: Describe and assess the City’s overall urban forestry activities and practices, including various departments’ roles and responsibilities in permitting, management, and maintenance operations via interview or survey, and review of City documents, such as codes/ordinances. Provide recommendations on improvements to existing programs.

Focus Area Goals: Develop specific goals, objectives, and recommendations for the special focus areas in Charbonneau and Town Center.

Community Engagement: With City staff, identify interested parties for community engagement and develop a strategy to obtain public input. Target specific groups early in the Project via email, focus group discussion, online surveys, or applicable strategies (e.g., Let’s Talk, Wilsonville!).

Charbonneau Community Engagement: Conduct outreach with the Charbonneau community regarding the health and condition of their urban forest.
Plan Outreach & Education Strategy: Develop an education and outreach strategy for Plan implementation. This strategy will include website material, handouts, and presentation material for community groups.

Monitoring Plan: Develop a monitoring plan that will allow the City to measure progress in achieving the Plan’s goals, objectives, and recommendations.

Funding & Partnership: Provide recommendations on potential program funding sources or partnership opportunities for implementing the Plan.
Presentations: Prepare presentations of the draft and final Plans and attend meetings before the Planning Commission and City Council. Four meetings (two each) are anticipated.

The steps for completing the project scope of work include:

• An Information and Discovery Phase where existing plans and policies will be reviewed to gauge the City’s readiness for improved urban forest management. 
• Workshops with City staff to map out existing workflows and operations as it relates to urban forest management which will identify strengths, opportunities, resource needs, efficiencies, and gaps.
• An analysis of existing conditions by inventorying street trees in the Town Center and Charbonneau focus areas. This includes an analysis of the more than 24,000 street trees and other environmental datasets.
• Benchmarking research will be conducted to cross-examine Wilsonville’s urban forest management status with industry standards and comparable cities. This will inform the development of attainable goals and actions in the UFMP.
• Community engagement will be implemented throughout the planning process with a series of virtual public meetings and online surveys to gather feedback by listening to the viewpoints of the community.
• An urban forest audit will be conducted by using the outcomes of the previously described planning elements. This audit process adapted the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban Forest Sustainability and Management Audit System to be specific to Wilsonville. The audit will identify the City’s strengths and opportunities as it relates to 11 categories of urban forest management and sustainability. This information and ranking system will inform the development of the UFMP’s goals and actions.

Engagement Opportunities

Public Survey

In September 2020 the first online survey was posted on the "Let’s Talk, Wilsonville!" website to gather viewpoints and concerns relating to urban forest benefits, tree-related issues, tree maintenance and planting needs and risks to the urban forest. The survey will also give our planners an opportunity to learn about the community, to identify improvements needed in outreach and participation approaches, and to provide information about the City’s trees to encourage community support. The survey was open September 1-18, 2020.

A second online survey, scheduled for Nov. 2020, gathered additional feedback from community residents unable to participate in the Community Meetings. Feedback will be gathered on the outcomes of the initial Plan elements , the draft goals and recommendations derived from the Urban Forest Audit and previous community engagement activities. 

Community Meetings

Two upcoming virtual meetings are scheduled to raise awareness and encourage community participation. These interactive meetings are recorded and archived.

• The first virtual community meeting held in September 2020 to raise awareness, provide background on the project and encourage community participation in the planning process.
• The second virtual community meeting, in November 2020, gathered feedback on the outcomes of the initial Plan elements, the draft goals and recommendations derived from the Urban Forest Audit and previous community engagement activities. 

In April 2021, a third community meeting  will be scheduled to encourage further support and incite action regarding implementation of the UFMP. This interactive meeting will be hosted online; it is anticipated that future community meetings will be scheduled beyond the scope of this project.

Photo Contest

Starting September 2020 we invited citizens to submit their favorite photo of Wilsonville’s urban forest. This may be an individual tree, a park, a trail, a particular view from a hillside, office window, or morning walk, or something as specific as a leaf, tree flower, or tree issue (such as an unknown pest or disease).  Photos are shared at "Let's Talk, Wilsonville!" or by using the hashtag #Wilsonvilletrees on Instagram. 

Project Stakeholders

City of Wilsonville Departments: Natural Resources, Community Development, Engineering, GIS & Mapping, Information Systems, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Urban Renewal

Consultants: PlanIT Geo, LLC 

Project Timeline

• Information Discovery & Research:  June – August 2020
• Tree Inventory:  July 2020
• City Operations & Workflows Workshop:  September 2020
• Existing Conditions Analysis:  September 2020
• Benchmarking Research:  September 2020
• Community Meeting #1:   September 22, 2020 (video)
• Community Meeting #2:  November 17, 2020
• Community Meeting #3:  April 2021
• Public Survey #1:  September 2020
• Public Survey #2:  November 16 – December 2020
• UFMP Draft:  March 2021
• Presentations to Planning Commission/City Council:   April 2021/May 2021
• Final UFMP:  June 2021