Transportation and Environment Committee
June 3, 2024
John Ristow
Director, DOT
Rick Scott
Assistant Director, DOT
Sara Davis
City Forester, DOT
John Tu
Division Manager, PBCE
Item d.3 - Community Forest
Management Plan and Urban Forestry
Annual Report
Community Forest
Management
▪ Community Forest Management Plan
(CFMP) adopted in February 2022 ▪ Set new direction for forestry management
▪ Added staff in DOT and PRNS ▪ Established 12-year pruning cycle ▪ Funding allocated to plant 1,000 trees per year
▪ DOT funding an additional 1,000
trees for total of 2,000 annually
▪ Audit conducted and findings
presented to Council January 2023 ▪ Findings in four broad categories ▪ Ten recommendations 1 Accomplishments
2 ▪ 2,034 trees planted exceeding
goal of 2,000
▪ Added 880 new trees to Parks ▪ Awarded an Inflation Reduction Act grant from the USDA Forest
Service. $5.6 million for DOT and
$1 million for PRNS
▪ Two staff members accepted to
the Municipal Forestry Institute
▪ Completed more than 1,000
requested inspections
▪ Built relationships with partner
agencies
▪ Recommendation: Consolidate tree responsibilities to one division ✓ Status: Evaluating
▪ Recommendation: Include trees in the beginning of the design and planning process
Streamlining Governance
✓ Status: Forestry Team now integrated at
beginning of planning process
▪ Recommendation: Provide an
arborist review of all Planning Division
tree responsibilities
✓Status: PBCE reaches out to DOT
Forestry Team for technical assistance
3 Development Projects reviewed by DOT staff since Aug 2023 Ensuring Urban
Forest Sustainably
Recommendation: Tree planting activities will promote
a sustainable urban forest
✓ Status: Trees selected following the strategy of
right tree, right place, right reason in the right
way for a future climate
Recommendation: Increase tree canopy cover across
all census tracts and neighborhoods
✓ Status: Mitigation funds and Federal grant funds
in place to ensure the entire City has access to
new trees
▪ Recommendation: Continually review
the City recommended tree species list to ensure
trees are adapted to climate change and support
local habitat and wildlife
✓ Status: Planting of a wide variety of tree species
encouraged to avoid monocultures and even aged
stands 4
Tree Planting, Development Conditions,
and In-Lieu Fees Audit Report
Source: Audit analysis of FMS and AMANDA fee records.
Finding 3: DOT Has Not Been Spending In-Lieu Fees Timely Recommendation
• Identify planting
locations or uses for
accumulated fees
• Create guidelines for
how fees should be
spent
• $1.27 million
spent/obligated
• Unexpected amount collected
• COVID procurement and vendor impacts
• Staff and partner capacity challenges
•
5 ▪ Recommendation: Maintain current community forest information to ensure management decisions based on best available data ✓ Status: Funding secured for inventory data collection for one third of City's street trees. All City park trees to be inventoried this year ▪ Recommendation : Ensure City Tree management activities and design standards reflect current understanding of community forest sustainability
✓ Status : New Design Standards adopted after CFMP in 2022 ▪ Recommendation : Community members and private property owners will understand their role in growing and maintaining the community forest
✓ Status : Funding secured for a public awareness of tree campaign.
Efficient and Effective Tree Management
6 Support for diversity, equity, inclusion,
and belonging
▪ Recommendation: Ensure the
demographics of the City are
represented by stakeholders
who participate in guiding
the community forest program
✓ Status: Progress being made to reach
all groups of cultural communities in
the City - CFAC
▪ Recommendation: Prioritize increasing
canopy cover in disadvantaged
communities
✓ Status: Funding secured from the USDA
Forest Service specifically for the White
House's Justice40 disadvantaged
census tracts Justice40 and IRA grant census tracts 7
▪ Recommendation: Protect and preserve
mature trees
✓ Status: Accomplished during plan review
process
▪ Recommendation : City planning and
development will contribute increasing
tree canopy cover
✓ Status: Planting ratios continue to be
met. Design Standards mandate 50% of
parking and public space be shaded
Standardization of Planning and
Development Practices
8 Challenges
▪ Found in November 2023
▪ Affects possibly 15% of urban forest
▪ Could cost at least $19.7 collectively for property owners ▪ Approximately $5000 per individual property owner for a large tree
▪ Data analysis is being performed to guide policy decisions in the future
Tree Care Industry Practices:
▪ Subpar practices
▪ Topping
▪ Contribution to canopy loss
New Pest Identified: Invasive
shot hole borer Fusarium dieback
9 Next Steps – thru June 2025
• Finalize 2,000 planted trees every year
• Deliver year 1 plan for the $5.6 million IRA Grant
• Understand and mitigate ISHB threat
• Update portion of tree inventory
• Seek additional partnerships and funding
• Partner with CMO to update metrics
• Complete remaining audit recommendations
• Launch free tree planting program!
10 John Ristow
Director, DOT
Rick Scott
Assistant Director, DOT
Sara Davis
City Forester, DOT
John Tu
Division Manager, PBCE
Item d.3 - Community Forest
Management Plan and Urban Forestry
Annual Report
Transportation and Environment Committee
June 3, 2024