Council updates urban-forest code to modernize definitions and enforcement

Colorado Springs City Council approved ordinances on July 14 that recodify the city's urban-forest regulations, the first major update to the forestry code since 1968. City Forester Matthew Puckett described the package as a modernization to add definitions, clarify property-owner responsibilities for right-of-way trees, and align penalties and enforcement with the prosecution division and code enforcement.

Puckett told council that forestry manages roughly 150,000 public trees and faces rising demand for services while operating with frozen positions and limited staff capacity. The recodification formalizes definitions for "weed trees" and "approved right-of-way" operations, clarifies private-owner and city responsibilities in different scenarios, and adds language for storm-event hazard removals so crews can respond quickly without first determining ownership.

The council voted to approve both ordinances: the repeal of the prior urban-forest article and creation of a new article in chapter 3 on public property and public works. The motions passed with broad support (10B passed 8-0 with one absent; 10C passed 8-0). Forester Puckett said letters of support came from local organizations including the Horticultural Arts Society, RISE Southeast, the Old North End Neighborhood Group and Colorado State Forest Service.

Council members thanked parks and forestry staff and noted the need for additional operating revenue to sustain preservation and maintenance of the city's urban forest.