Enhancing the City’s
Tree Canopy
Discussion on Strategies
City Council Meeting
December 9, 2025
Background
• Strategic Plan Item
• Tree Protection Ordinance - 2023
• Tree Canopy Benefits
2 LA County’s Room to Grow CFMP www.bluezones.com
Redondo Beach Urban Forest
• Over 11,300 City Owned Trees
• Broad Species Diversity
• Age Distribution Balance
3 0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
Up to 6 7 to 12 13 to 18 19 to 24 25 to 30 31 +
RB City Trees - 2025 Trunk Diameter Distribution
% in Class Ideal
17%
16%
6%
5%
3% 2% 2% 2% 2% 3%
216 "OTHER"
SPECIES
42%
Redondo Beach Urban Forest
• Planted nearly 1000
trees in last 6 years
• Removed just under 200
trees in last 6 year
• Average annual net
increase of ~125 trees
• ~ 11,350 City Trees
4 -100
0 100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25
Additions to Tree Count - 6 Years ending FY2025
Trees Planted Trees Removed Cumulative Increase
City Owned Trees
• Tree Protection Ordinance
• Approved Species List
• Standard of Care - Policy Manual
• Planting Programs
5 RBMC §5-11
RB Canopy Coverage
• USDA/USFS data available
• Need Refinement as a first step
before setting goals and timelines
6 Privately Owned Trees
• Development Opportunities / Conditions
• Preservation Requirements
• Necessary Partnership
7 Property Type Area - Acres
City ROW 894
City Owned Parcels 185
Sum City Area 1079
Privately Owned Parcels 2932
TOTAL AREA IN CITY 4010
Percentage City Controlled 27%
Land Use Parcel Count
Single Family Residential 8,268
2-3 Unit Residential 3,512
4 or More Unit Residential 1,520
Mixed Use Residential/Commercial 41
Sum Residential 13,341
Commercial 616
Industrial 78
Institutional 85
Parks and Open Space 67
Utility and Open Space 23
Sum Open Space 90
Utility 44
Vacant 83
Total Parcels 14,337
Potential Tools to Enhance Canopy
• Continue to assess, quantify & monitor City trees
• Increase public engagement and education
• Publish best practices / design guidelines
• Improve user friendliness of City materials and
resources
• Continue to plant new trees in appropriate vacant
locations
• Work with community partners to promote awareness
and enhance volunteer efforts
• Create a donation program
• Establish development incentives for tree planting and preservation
8 RECOMMENDATION
Receive and File information on the City’s Tree
Canopy practices and policies, and provide
direction to staff on additional tools to enhance the
City’s tree inventory
9