Fremont City Council Meeting: 04/18/23 07:00 PM
3300 Capitol Avenue Div/Dept: Community Services
Fremont, CA 94538 Category: Plans, Policies and Studies
SCHEDULED
Sponsors:
COUNCIL STAFF REPORT (ID # 4799) DOC ID: 4799
Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 1 CONSIDER ADOPTION OF THE URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN - Adopt a resolution to adopt the Urban Forestry Management Plan and make a finding that the Urban Forestry Management Plan is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15163, 15307, 15308, 15304, and 15378(b), and no further environmental review is required at this time.
Contact Persons:
Name: Tara Bhuthimethee Suzanne Wolf
Title: Senior Landscape Architect Community Services Director Div/Dept: Community Services Community Services
Phone: 510-494-4738 510-494-4329
E-Mail: [email protected] [email protected]
Executive Summary: The Urban Forest Management Plan (Plan) is a comprehensive community-based planning document, designed to address the long-term management, growth and preservation of the City’s urban forest, with an overall goal of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) through tree planting and carbon sequestration. The Plan is the culmination of multiple well-attended public meetings, staff technical committee meetings, review by the Tree Advisory Working Group, and recommendation by the Recreation Commission. The Plan will assist the City with short- and long-term strategic planning goals to highlight the importance of the urban forest as a community asset.
BACKGROUND: In 2019, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) awarded the City of Fremont a grant in the amount of $860,000 to fund various urban forestry programs, including conducting an urban tree inventory, creating an Urban Forestry Management Plan (UFMP), tree planting and promoting education and collaboration between the City and the public regarding the value and benefit of trees and the urban forest. The City provided a 25% funding match for existing staff to work on the grant activities and to hire a 2-year temporary Associate Landscape Architect/Urban Forester with an arborist certification to assist with grant related efforts. The City also selected the consulting firm PlanITGeo to assist with the development of the Plan.
The draft Plan was posted to the City’s website for review and public comment on February 2, 2023 (https://www.fremont.gov/government/departments/urban- forestry/urban-forest plan ).
DISCUSSION/ANALYSIS: The scope of work under the grant included the following objectives and deliverables, all of which have been completed and integrated into the Plan.
City-wide Tree Inventory
The comprehensive city-wide Tree Inventory was completed in 2020 and posted on the City’s website
(https://www.fremont.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/1059/637751511021405176 ).
There are 77,387 public trees in the city, 78% of which are street trees with the balance in parks or vacant parcels. The majority are maintained privately by adjacent property owners Council Staff Report (ID # 4799) Meeting of April 18, 2023 Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 2 while slightly more than 17,000 trees are maintained by the City. The study identified over 23,000 potential planting sites for new trees.
The City also invested in Tree Plotter, a web-based mapping/database software that identifies trees throughout the city and provides the public with detailed information about each tree including location, value, size, etc.
(https://www.fremont.gov/government/departments/urban-forestry/tree-inventory-value).
Tree Planting
Two hundred fifty trees were required to be planted per the grant, however, with the help of community partners, this was exceeded by 173 trees. A total 423 trees were planted, with 85 trees planted in areas of the city identified as a disadvantaged or underserved community (DAC). Moving forward, the City anticipates planting an average of 800 or more trees annually and will gradually increase the tree planting goal over time, as community partners, grant opportunities, and privately maintained street trees increase to grow the urban forest.
Hire an Urban Forester
The City established a Urban Forester position to oversee implementation of the Plan as part of the City’s funding match for the CAL FIRE grant. The employee was hired in August of 2019, but the position is now vacant and recruitment is currently underway.
Community Engagement and Outreach
In addition to the City’s Urban Forestry webpages, a project-specific website was created for the public to learn more about the urban forestry planning process (https://fremonturbanforest.com). A statistically valid survey was launched from September through November of 2021, which received a 12% response rate, resulting in a margin of error of +/- 6%. The survey revealed strong support for a citywide tree canopy goal. In addition, the community is interested in exploring potential funding options for future public tree maintenance.
In August of 2021, a virtual meet and greet was held where over 60 community members attended and asked a total of 140 questions. These questions were either answered directly during the session, via the virtual meeting’s Q&A feature, or followed up by providing responses on the website. The primary topics ranged from tree maintenance, planting, volunteer events, and growing a sustainable urban forest. Shortly after the event, all questions and answers were posted on the project website.
On February 15, 2023, the City assembled the Tree Advisory Working Group to discuss the Plan and receive public comment. Below is a summary of key comments received at the meeting:
• Be more ambitious with canopy goals; there was a desire from the public to plant more trees than the planned quantities
• Hire an Urban Forest manager
• Review the City’s existing tree ordinances
• More closely monitor trees to ensure their longevity
• Continue to build partnerships and collaboration with the community, community partners, and volunteers
• Expand educational resources on trees and continue to promote their value to the community
Council Staff Report (ID # 4799) Meeting of April 18, 2023 Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 3 • Over the next two years, develop a long-term strategy to fund the Urban Forestry program once the grant funding is exhausted in 3 years
Urban Forest Management Plan Framework
Vision
With a healthy, thriving, and sustainable urban forest, Fremont’s trees will be thoughtfully managed in a way to maximize a range of public benefits, including a diverse ecosystem, a vibrant economy and a livable community shared by all.
Five Major Goals
1. Manage the urban forest asset using industry standards, best practices, and adequate resources.
2. Grow the urban forest by planting trees over the life of the plan to increase the tree canopy from its current 14% coverage to 24% coverage throughout the city.
Address tree equity by planting trees in underserved areas and ensure the urban forest is sustainable and resilient to pests, disease, and the effects of climate change.
3. Strengthen the urban forestry program by improving program efficiencies, procedures, training, planning, coordination, and seek additional grant and funding opportunities.
4. Preserve the existing and future urban forest with sound policies, the resources to monitor and enforce regulations, management of tree pests and diseases and integration with other City programs.
5. Strengthen and enhance community partnerships by engaging and supporting resident volunteers, organizations and tree working groups that advocate for the urban forest. Continue to outreach to and educate the community about the benefits of the urban forest.
Actions, Implementation and Monitoring
The framework of the goals, strategies, and actions in the Plan provides the City of Fremont with the means to measure progress and adapt to an everchanging environment and availability of resources. Because the Plan is a 40-year plan (2023-2062), the implementation plan is divided into short-term (0-3 years), mid-term (4-5 years), long-term (over 5 years) and ongoing actions
(https://www.fremont.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/12495/638116393750770000 ).
Hiring the new Urban Forest Manager is a priority, and the City is currently recruiting for this position, although existing Community Services staff will continue to implement and monitor the Plan, and many of the short-term strategies and actions are already underway.
Within the next three years, the Urban Forest Program will focus on the following activities:
• Track tree plantings and maintenance of public trees utilizing tree inventory software
• Align work plans and prepare an annual activity calendar Council Staff Report (ID # 4799) Meeting of April 18, 2023 Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 4
• Adhere to industry standards and best practices for all City-led tree- related operations
• Provide notices, resources, and information regarding proper maintenance of public trees for adjacent property owners
• Update protocols and procedures for evaluating risk and condition of public trees
• Share internally and externally through messaging and materials the City's urban tree canopy goal of 24% tree canopy cover by 2062
• Plant an average of 800 trees per year in areas that address tree equity and sustainability, gradually increasing the number of tree plantings over time to meet the tree canopy goal listed above
• Review and finalize the recommended tree list and update the City's webpage for "Approved Street Trees"
• Establish a Tree Advisory Working Group (the Tree Advisory Working Group met on February 15, 2023) to meet as needed as part of the Recreation Commission’s objectives.
• Evaluate tree-related ordinances, policies, and regulations to identify changes or new code language that would support the goals of the UFMP
• Develop a communications plan for public outreach, education, and engagement with strategies for clear and consistent design and messaging about the urban forest, and
• Target urban forestry outreach and education to under-represented communities, renters, and non-English speaking residents that aligns with the audiences' values, priorities, and other considerations.
Council Staff Report (ID # 4799) Meeting of April 18, 2023 Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 5 Recreation Commission Recommendation
On March 1st, 2023, at their regularly scheduled meeting, the Recreation Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council adopt the Urban Forest Management Plan by resolution and make a finding that the Urban Forest Management Plan is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as described below.
The Recreation Commission unanimously approved the following actions:
1. Recommend that the City Council make a finding that the Urban Forest Management Plan is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, each on a separate and independent basis, (1) CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15163, (2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15307, (3) CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, (4) CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 and (5) CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b).
2. Recommend that the City Council adopt a Resolution to Adopt the Urban Forest Management Plan.
FISCAL IMPACT: The Plan is a comprehensive long-term planning document and there is no fiscal impact. Any operating costs or capital projects will be requested through the City CIP or Operating budget process. The City has received a second State grant of $850,000 from CAL FIRE that will assist with tree planting goals, maintenance of some trees, and public outreach and education through March 2026. Staff has already started working on these initiatives.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: The Urban Forest Management Plan is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, each on a separate and independent basis, (1) the proposed amendments are part of the project analyzed in the General Plan EIR (SCH#2010082060) and none of the circumstances necessitating preparation of a subsequent EIR pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21166 and CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15163 are present; (2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15307, Class 7, as an action taken by a regulatory agency for the maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of a natural resource, specifically, for the protection of the climate and to prevent further pollution of the air and water; (3) CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, Class 8, as an action taken by a regulatory agency for the protection of the environment, specifically, for the protection of the climate and to prevent further pollution of the air and water; (4) CEQA Guidelines Section 15304, Class 4, as a minor alteration to land by adding new landscaping; and (5) CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b) as it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that some of the activities under listed in the Urban Forest Management Plan may have a significant effect on the environment and parts of the plan are too speculative at this time for reasoned analysis and details will be more fully developed later with the appropriate environmental review. There are no previously identified significant effects that are substantially more severe than analyzed in the prior EIR or cannot be substantially mitigated by the imposition of uniformly applied development policies or standards applied on a citywide basis.
ATTACHMENTS:
• Draft Resolution- Urban Forestry Plan
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Council Staff Report (ID # 4799) Meeting of April 18, 2023 Updated: 4/13/2023 7:46 AM by Alberto Quintanilla Page 6
1. Find that the Urban Forest Management Plan is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per, without limitation, each on a separate and independent basis, (1) CEQA Guidelines Sections 15162 and 15163, (2) CEQA Guidelines Section 15307, (3) CEQA Guidelines Section 15308, (4) CEQA Guidelines Section 15304 and (5) CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b).
2. Adopt a resolution adopting the Urban Forest Management Plan.