ICYMI, we wrote all about our city’s tree canopy last week, including where it’s healthiest, how it’s changing, and who’s missing out.

But as a few astute readers pointed out, there’s more to the story:

Portland has stronger protections for large trees today than it did five years ago, but the rules still allow developers or homeowners to take them down.

What’s new is that property owners must now pay a fee for removing trees larger than a certain size. That fee makes tree removal more cumbersome, but it doesn’t make it impossible.

We should also say something else about big, historic trees — or “charismatic megaflora,” as Dr. Vivek Shandas calls them. Yes, they add character to a neighborhood, and that matters to a lot of people. But that’s not all they do.

Unlike, say, historic houses, old trees also provide ecological benefits to our city, including making sure floods like this don’t happen when we get heavy rain (which obviously never happens in Portland, but still).

That’s why activists are pushing the city to do more planting in areas without extensive tree canopy — and to protect existing trees as Portland grows.

P.S. Check out the Branch Out PDX website to learn more about tree canopy in our city, or hit reply if you want to see Dr. Shandas speak at the Elevating Impact Summit this Friday. We have two tickets to give away, and they’ll go to the first person to respond. 👍

The debate over whether to expand I-5 is getting heated — but unless you studied urban planning in college and know all about “induced demand” and “buildable caps,” you might be wondering what it all means.

Setting jargon aside, ODOT basically wants to widen I-5 through the Rose Quarter, which officials say would reduce crashes and ease congestion.

They might be right about the first part, but they’re almost certainly wrong about the second part. Study after study has shown that widening freeways just causes more cars to use them, and despite ODOT’s efforts to spin the numbers, Portlanders know that.

So is the project dead on arrival? Not exactly. One way ODOT hopes to gain support is by including “sweeteners” to make highway expansion more palatable to progressives.

Under the current proposal, the project would include a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over I-5, new bike lanes in the Rose Quarter, and highway “caps” that would connect the surrounding neighborhood to the waterfront — all things that progressive activists support.

But so far that strategy isn’t working. BikePortland and its allies seem almost universally opposed to the project, and leaders of the Albina Vision say the current capping design is a flop.

Want to dive deeper? There’s a panel event happening at the Portland Armory next Monday, and ODOT is taking public feedback on the proposal for another 19 days.

Update: Reader Julie S. pointed out that calling this a “debate” might give the wrong impression. ODOT holds almost all the cards here, and “barring some big political upheaval,” the project is happening, she wrote. Here’s her full response, plus other reactions from readers.

In other news…

Oregon’s snowpack is finally at normal levels, and that’s good news for ski resorts, water supply, and salmon — but it means nothing for our risk of fire this summer. (Willamette Week)

Damian Lillard is about to become the second-leading scorer in Blazers history, and we’re very excited about the traitor player he’s surpassing. (KGW)

A new down-to-earth cocktail bar opens today in the Foster-Powell district, and Eater has a sneak peek. (Eater)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

We’ll see you tomorrow.

–  Bridgeliner