Pioneer Park will be getting additional parking and revamped restrooms this fall, but several trees may need to be removed and replaced to accommodate the changes.

The Bend Park & Recreation District has selected a bid to build 15 new parking spaces off of NW Harriman Street, resurface several trails with concrete and update the park bathrooms and other amenities, according to Julie Brown, communications and community relations manager for the park district.

She said the project is designed to make the park more compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act without overly affecting the park’s tree canopy.

“As we’ve planned for this project, we’ve looked at options to preserve trees to the extent possible,” Brown wrote in an email.

The park district began planning the upgrades to the popular 5.5-acre riverside park north of downtown Bend nearly two years ago, Brown said.

During the planning process, the district worked with Ciara McCarthy, founder of ArborSurveys Consulting, to inventory the trees on the property and help develop a plan to protect a healthy tree canopy. McCarthy said the plan prioritized protecting the two mature sugarpine trees living in the park.

Sugarpine trees, known for their distinctive pine cones, can grow up to 200 feet tall, taller than any other pine tree. While the trees are common in California and other parts of Oregon, Brown said they’re rare in Bend and would not be threatened by any changes to the park.

“That’s a tree that’s of concern to us,” she said.

Beyond the sugarpines, Pioneer Park has a mix of ponderosa pines, locust trees and smaller conifers, according to Jeff Amaral, natural resource manager for the park district.

“Pioneer’s one of the older parks in town, and there’s quite a variety of trees,” Amaral said.

Brown said several small ornamental trees along with a larger tree — potentially a locust tree, according to Brown — will likely need to be removed. However, she added that all of the removed trees will be replaced.

The upgrades are slated to cost up to $250,000, according to the park district’s capital improvement plan. The district does not have a set timeframe to break ground on the project, but Brown said it will begin after Labor Day.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818, shamway@bendbulletin.com