Sisters PC wants new tree standard

On a 6-0 vote, the Sisters planning commission recommended to the city council that the current definition of "significant trees" be expanded to include all species of trees, including junipers. The commission was responding to the city staff request for a text amendment to the city development code that would limit the definition of a "significant tree" to cover only ponderosa pines.

The commission further recommended that a moratorium be placed on the cutting of "significant trees" on city property until the newly chartered Urban Forestry Board (UFB) is in place, and has had time to thoughtfully consider the definitions and policies.

The UFB is expected to be operational in August.

The wording of this moratorium will be worked out by Community Development Director Pauline Hardie in conjunction with the city attorney Steve Bryant and Director of Public Works Paul Bertagna to ensure that the restriction is only applied to new projects on city property.

As pointed out in Hardie's staff presentation to the commission, the current city code defines "significant trees" differently in two separate places. One definition is not tree-species specific; the second reference restriction restricts designation to ponderosa pines. In both cases, a "significant tree" is defined as a tree that is eight inches or more in diameter at breast height (BH - 4.5 feet).

For the past several years the city has used the section of the code that designates that only ponderosa pines are to be considered as "significant trees."

Several citizens spoke out opposing the text amendment and in favor of an expanded definition, including Ed Protas, Jack Nagel, Sue Stafford, Sharlene Weed and Ray Kenny.

Protas said, "This move (ponderosa pine only) provides absolutely no benefit to the community. In over one dozen of the 56 Oregon Tree City USA communities, including Bend and Redmond, not a single one of them protects (trees) on the basis of species. The benefits are only associated with age and size"

Stafford said, "We have declared a Tree City, not a ponderosa pine City. There are a lot of beautiful trees in this town that are not ponderosas that I think are significant. I want you to know that I am a Master Gardener and a trained horticultural therapist, so I do have some knowledge as far as vegetation is concerned.

"Other trees do all the same things as ponderosas do," continued Stafford, "They provide habitat, they provide shelter, they provide foraging for our animals, and they are the (carbon dioxide) removers of our world. I cannot fathom why you would choose to protect only one species of tree."

Also on a 6-0 vote, the commission approved removing the Urban Forestry Board responsibility from the planning commission's charter, and convening the UFB as a separate group, staffed by forestry professionals and interested citizens.

In other commission news: The formula foods issue will be the subject of a planning commission workshop in July or August.

The wording of the development code for transient merchant license, temporary use permits and special events permits will be the subject of a joint city council/planning commission workshop sometime in July.

Any recommendations that come out of that meeting will only apply to new projects. Any changes to the code cannot affect current applications, including Celia Hung's temporary use permit and transient merchant license for the vacant lot on Cascade Avenue and Oak Street.

The issue of garages on Adams Avenue is scheduled for a July 31 discussion.