Connecting Canopies: Portland-Vancouver Regional Urban Tree Policy and Program Summary

Trees are crucial green infrastructure in a changing climate, but urban trees face an array of threats as cities grow and redevelop. Without plans, policies and programs for their conservation, tree loss undermines the long-term health and viability of urban communities. We developed a framework to summarize and compare urban tree policies and programs for the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan region, using interviews and a cross-comparison of codes, investment and staff levels, and other features. Across the region, urban tree policies and programs differ among 42 distinct jurisdictions. Most communities have tree codes, but they vary in their strength and comprehensiveness. Staffing and management levels for trees also vary and are frequently split across departments within a jurisdiction. Few jurisdictions have tree or canopy cover inventories, and fewer use these inventories to direct tree management and investments. Investment levels in trees are difficult to ascertain and variable from one jurisdiction to another. Community partnerships and workforce development programs for trees are also inconsistent and frequently absent. Most community partnerships rely on volunteers, and few invest in jobs to plant and care for trees in low tree canopy settings. Despite their ecological significance, urban tree policy and program information for the Portland-Vancouver region is difficult to access, and governance is fragmented with no minimum standards of protection or care. We compared our findings with two prior regional urban tree policy and program assessments from 2000 and 2010, to suggest that limited progress has been made over the past 20 years.