Oakland City Council
December 16, 2024

APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY________________________ CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICEOAKLAND CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE 2024 OAKLAND URBAN FOREST PLAN INCLUDING THE RECOMMENDED “NO NET LOSS” TREE CANOPY GOAL TO MAINTAIN AN ESTIMATED 20.6% CANOPY COVER THAT REQUIRES TREE PLANTING IN PRIORITIZED DISADVANTAGED CENSUS TRACTS WITH INEQUITABLE CANOPY COVER, AND THAT THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OR DESIGNEE ESTABLISH, WITHIN ONE YEAR, AN IMPLEMENTATION TEAM FOR THE PURPOSE OF IMPLEMENTING THE URBAN FOREST PLAN, INCLUDING IDENTIFICATION AND SECURING OF FUNDING, THAT THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR OR DESIGNEE DEVELOP A SCHEDULE TO UPDATE TREE-RELATED ORDINANCES IN THE OAKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE CONSISTENT WITH THE GOALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADOPTED URBAN FOREST PLAN, AND ADOPTING APPROPRIATE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT FINDINGSWHEREAS,trees provide numerous environmental benefits that have a positive impact on people who live near them and on the wildlife that use them for food and habitat including improving air quality by producing oxygen and reducing air pollution by collecting dust and particulate matter on leaf surfaces, capturing stormwater runoff which reduces water pollution and flooding, improving soil structure and reducing erosion with their root systems, capturing and storing carbon, reducing noise and urban heat island effect, and reducing energy usage; and WHEREAS,the City Council adopted Oakland’s first tree ordinance in 1932, which was last updated in the early 1990s, to protect and preserve trees by regulating their removal, preventing unnecessary tree loss and minimizing environmental damage from improper tree removal, encouraging appropriate tree replacement planting, effectively enforcing tree preservation regulations, and promoting the appreciation and understanding of trees; and WHEREAS,the City of Oakland has been a recognized Tree City USA® community by the Arbor Day Foundation for 37 years; and WHEREAS,maintaining and preserving Oakland’s urban forest meets the City Council’s priority for vibrant, sustainable infrastructure; and WHEREAS, an urban forest plan has been a long-term goal of the City of Oakland to provide a road map to manage the urban forest and describe the activities and services required to 2 ensure that a city's urban landscape is healthy, vibrant, and sustainable for the community to enjoy well into the future; and WHEREAS,an urban forest plan fulfills the two recommendations from the Open Space, Conservation, and Recreation (OSCAR) element in Phase II of the Oakland General Plan Update by 1) enhancing Oakland’s streets, parks, and public facilities, and 2) retaining, protecting, and propagating the urban forest on private property for consistency and seamless integration with Oakland’s overall urban forest strategy; andWHEREAS,adopting the 2024 Oakland Urban Forest Plan (UFP) fulfills the 2030 Equitable Climate Action Plan’s (ECAP) Carbon Removal Action CR-2: “Expand and Protect Tree Canopy Coverage”; and WHEREAS,in 2018, the City Council approved Resolution No. 87388 C.M.S., accepted a grant award in the amount of $970,130 from the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection to inventory public trees, plant 700 trees in frontline communities, and develop Oakland’s first Urban Forest Plan; and WHEREAS,in 2019, the City Administrator awarded a contract to Davey Resource Group, Inc., to complete a public tree inventory and develop the Urban Forest Plan; and WHEREAS,between 2019 and 2023, Oakland Public Works Tree Services Division and volunteers planted 700 trees in public parks located in Oakland’s frontline communities; and WHEREAS,in 2020, the public tree inventory was completed, having identified and recorded approximately 56,000 street trees and 12,000 park trees; and WHEREAS,in 2022, an equitable community engagement campaign was executed in collaboration with four non-profit partners to gain community insight and thoughts about trees and what should be included in the Urban Forest Plan; and WHEREAS,between 2022 and 2024, the draft Urban Forest Plan was developed and revised based on feedback from City of Oakland departments and the community; and WHEREAS,this action neither appropriates funding nor identifies a specific funding method; andWHEREAS,implementation of the action plan provided in the Urban Forest Plan will require identification of funding prior to implementation and staff will return to Council in the future to identify funding and resources for implementation; now, therefore, be it 3 RESOLVED:That the City Council hereby approves and adopts the 2024 Urban Forest Plan and its equity-focused goals, strategies, and action items; and be itFURTHER RESOLVED:Thatthe City Council adopts the recommended “No Net Loss” tree canopy goal to maintain Oakland’s estimated 20.6% tree canopy cover, which requires planting new trees every year, prioritizing disadvantaged census tracts that currently have inequitable canopy coverage; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator or designee to define the structure and responsibilities of an Implementation Team of city staff for the purpose of implementing the UFP within one year, including the identification and securing of necessary funding; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator or designee to develop a work program and schedule to update tree-related ordinances in the Oakland Municipal Code consistent with the goals and recommendations of the adopted UFP; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator or designee to report annually on the implementation progress, including updates on funding opportunities identified and secured to implement the UFP; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: This resolution neither appropriates any funding for the Urban Forest Plan, nor identifies a specific funding method; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: Implementation of the strategies and action items outlined in the Urban Forest Plan is contingent upon the identification of funding and further City Council action to appropriate the identified funding; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council adds the Urban Forest Plan as an element of the Oakland General Plan; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator or designee shall administratively update the Urban Forest Plan as needed without returning to the City Council; and be it 4 FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Urban Forest Plan is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) based on the following CEQA Guidelines Sections: Section 15060(c)(2) (No Direct or Reasonably Foreseeable Indirect Physical Change in the Environment); Section 15061(b)(3) (No Significant Effect on the Environment); Section 15301 (Existing Facilities); Section 15304 (Minor Alterations to Land); Section 15307 (Protection of Natural Resources); Section 15308 (Protection of the Environment); and Section 15309 (Inspections), each of which provides a separate and independent basis for CEQA clearance and when viewed collectively provide an overall basis for CEQA clearance. Since the project involves minor public or private alterations to the condition of land, water, and/or vegetation that do not involve removal of healthy, mature, scenic trees; and, in fact, since the project adds to the City’s green-scape and number of trees, the project has a positive impact on the environment that serves to protect the City’s environment and natural resources; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator shall file a Notice of Determination/Exemption with the appropriate agencies.IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BASNOES – ABSENT – ABSTENTION – ATTEST:ASHA REED City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the City of Oakland, California File number v1 / SW 5