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1 RiversideCA.gov
1 RiversideCA.gov
City Council
April 12, 2022
URBAN FOREST, WATER, AND
CLIMATE PROJECT STATUS UPDATE
City Manager’s Office / Office of Sustainability
Public Utilities Department
RiversideCA.gov
2 “…evaluate current climate conditions
impacting or being impacted by the City's
water supply such as temperature,
pollution and carbon sequestration benefits
resulting from tree canopies, greenspaces,
and tributaries to the Santa Ana River.”
Climate
Change
Nature
Based Assets
Water
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
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3 Inform the City’s sustainability and water management policies to help adapt to climate changes
Set recommendations on steps needed to maintain or increase the City’s climate (nature-based) assets
Establish how increases or decreases in irrigation affect the City’s climate assets
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
RiversideCA.gov
4 Literature Research
Evaluated City’s
existing data sets
Data gap analysis
iTree Resource
Analysis
Analysis of
relevant existing
City policies
ACTIONS TO DATE
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5 Key Climate Change Factors
• Temperature
• Precipitation
What is happening
• Ongoing drought &
below average rainfall
• Intensity of rain events
when they occur
• Decreasing snowpack
Impacts
• Decreased local recharge
for groundwater basins
• Longer, drier summers
causing increased water
demand
CLIMATE IMPACTS TO WATER
RiversideCA.gov
6 1. Urban forests are important in climate
change mitigation and adaptation
strategies
2. Trees provide social, economic, and
health benefits to communities
3. Trees can mitigate climate change
effects, but are threatened by it as
well (i.e., drought, increasing
temperature, and number of extreme
heat days)
BENEFITS OF TREES AND CLIMATE CHANGE THREATS
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7 1. Almost 20% of the City is covered by
tree canopy
a. Most trees, however, are in private land
and privately maintained
b. Challenging to implement City-wide
policies protecting/enhancing urban
forest
2. Study Challenges
a. Lack of detailed tree canopy data for
detailed analysis
b. Limited analysis on benefits and costs
temperature, pollution, and carbon
sequestration
RIVERSIDE’S URBAN FOREST
RiversideCA.gov
8 1. Virtual public workshop
a. Held on January 26, 2022
b. 30 public attendees
c. About 230 respondents to public survey
2. Common concerns and values
a. Drought
b. Water use restrictions
c. Development impacting trees
d. Lack of care
e. Investment in the City's urban forest
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AND SURVEY
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9 1. Broad project scope with City-wide policy
implications
a. Multi-departmental consideration and coordination
is required
b. Most future steps will impact other departments
2. Finalizing a comprehensive report
a. Research findings
b. Stakeholder input
c. Policy recommendations though multi-
departmental coordination
NEXT STEPS
RiversideCA.gov
10 Envision Riverside 2025 Strategic Plan Priorities
#2 Community Well-Being
#4 Environmental Stewardship
#6 Infrastructure, Mobility, and Connectivity
CROSS CUTTING THREADS
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
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11 That the City Council receive a status update on the Urban Forest, Water, and Climate Project.
RECOMMENDATION
11