CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
March 18, 2025 {{section.number}}e
REVIEW OF STREET TREE COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive report and provide direction to staff.
BACKGROUND:
At its November 19, 2024 meeting, the City Council approved consolidating the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Street Tree Committee (STC) into a single body that would meet quarterly. During the December 3, 2024, meeting, the City Council further discussed whether the STC functions could be conducted administratively by City staff and requested a report on the feasibility of this transition. The STC has been administratively inactive since October 2024, pending further Council direction.
ANALYSIS:
The STC was established in September 1993 by Resolution 7266. Its original responsibilities included periodically reviewing the City’s approved tree list and making recommendations to the City Council regarding additions or deletions based on aesthetic and maintenance factors. Over time, its role evolved to include reviewing applications for street tree removals and determining heritage tree designations. Along with these technical responsibilities, the STC has also served as a community advisory body, ensuring public input is considered in the City’s urban forestry policies.
Every four to five years, the City Council reviews and adopts the Street Tree Master Plan, a detailed management plan for the City’s urban forest. The most recent update, adopted by the City Council in 2022, outlines goals to increase the total number of street trees, enhance tree species diversity, promote public awareness of proper tree care and the benefits of urban trees, and ensure the continued protection and maintenance of the City’s urban forest. The next update of the Street Tree Master Plan is expected to be brought to the City Council in 2026 or 2027.
Since 1984, the City of Coronado has maintained its designation as a “Tree City USA.” To maintain this designation, the City must meet four criteria: maintaining a tree board or department, enforcing a public tree care ordinance (CMC Code Chapter 52), funding a community forestry program with an annual budget of at least $2 per capita, and hosting an annual Arbor Day observance and proclamation.
The City receives 30 to 40 tree removal requests annually. Staff conducts initial evaluations and consults an arborist to assess tree health, if needed. If a tree is deemed a high risk, removal proceeds without STC involvement. For trees in fair condition or better, staff considers additional factors such as property damage, maintenance concerns, and environmental impact are considered. Approximately 60 percent of tree removal requests are processed administratively, while more complex cases, such as heritage tree determinations or those involving significant property damage or non-approved species, are reviewed by the STC. Requests based on foliage litter, excess shade, or view obstructions are generally not considered sufficient reasons for removal, per the Street Tree Master Plan.
In the past three years, the STC reviewed 19 tree removal requests, approving four and denying
15. The City maintains a one-for-one tree replacement policy, ensuring that each removed tree is replaced with a species from the approved tree list to sustain the urban canopy. While a replacement tree may not always be planted in the exact location of the removed tree, the STC has historically provided input on species selection and location.
Impacts of Administrative Management of Street Tree Responsibilities If management of the Street Tree program is accomplished without the STC but with its current program structure, staff would continue to process routine tree removal requests, while more complex cases that are not approved by staff would be forwarded to the City Council for review.
The City Council would serve as the determining body for tree removal cases and heritage tree designations, in accordance with the Street Tree Master Plan. Should the Council wish to consider the policy on tree removal requests, the Street Tree Master Plan could be agendized for discussion.
If the Council decides to dissolve the STC, staff will prepare a resolution to formally dissolve the committee and draft an ordinance to remove references to the STC from the municipal code.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There are no direct fiscal impacts associated with this report.
ALTERNATIVE:
The Council may provide further direction to staff regarding the future of the STC and the administrative process for tree-related decisions.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT:
Not Applicable.
PUBLIC NOTICE:
No public notice is required for this report. Former members of the STC have been notified of this agenda item.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Resolution 7266
2. 2022 Street Tree Master Plan
Submitted By: City Clerk's Office / Kelsea Holian