TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Philippe Eskandar, City Manager
BY: Amber Shah, Parks & Public Works Director
DATE: July 10, 2024
SUBJECT: SUMMER 2024 PUBLIC TREE REMOVAL LIST
STRATEGIC PLAN CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS
Beautiful, Preserved, Single-Family Neighborhoods
Efficient, Responsive, and Effective City Services
Well-Maintained Infrastructure
BACKGROUND
On October 27, 2023, the City Council adopted revisions to the City’s Street Tree Policy and Procedures amending the removal process. In accordance with the revised Policy, the Parks & Public Works Department is required to submit a list of recommended trees to be removed to the City Council tree liaisons for review and comment prior to forwarding to the full City Council as an informational item. Vice Mayor Shepherd Romey is the primary liaison and Mayor Huang is the alternate.
Pursuant to Section 7.1 of the City’s Street Tree Policy, the Department will review the proposed tree removal list with the City Council’s tree liaison(s) “…so that the liaison(s) can verify the accuracy of the list and confirm that the proposed removals are consistent with the requirements of this policy.” After review with the tree liaison, the list is now being forwarded to the City Council.
DISCUSSION
The Department has prepared a listing of eleven (11) City-owned trees proposed for removal pursuant to Section 7.2 of the City’s Street Tree Policy.
Section 7.2 of this Policy provides the following as justifications for tree removal:
Steven W. Huang, DDS, Mayor
Gretchen Shepherd Romey, Vice Mayor
Tony Chou, Council Member
Calvin Lo, Council Member
Steve Talt, Council Member
The tree is dead.
The tree has reached an over-mature condition and is in declining health that will result in its death within the year.
The tree is infected with a disease that cannot be treated successfully and/or there is a strong potential that the pathogen could spread to other trees in the immediate vicinity.
The tree has been determined to be a public health and safety hazard because of its high potential for failure due to considerable dead or dying foliage, branches, roots, or trunk.
The tree requires extensive root pruning because of excessive hardscape damage resulting in a severe reduction in its capacity to support itself and thereby creating a potential safety hazard.
The tree due to its growth habit and location creates a safety hazard. Removal of the tree has been approved as part of a City Council-approved capital improvement project.
The City’s Urban Forester has identified the trees proposed for removal as meeting one or more of these criteria. The list and associated arborist reports are provided as attachments to this report. The Department will be scheduling replacements based on availability and season.
On June 26, 2024, the Department provided both the primary and alternate liaisons with the list of eleven (11) City-owned trees recommended for removal along with photos and reports compiled by the Urban Forester for each of the trees. The list of trees proposed for removal and arborist reports are included as Attachments 2 and 3, respectively. Residents at impacted locations will receive a 10-day notice prior to any removal activities occurring.
FISCAL IMPACT & PROCUREMENT REVIEW
The cost to remove each tree is approximately $700 per tree. The City’s annual budget for tree maintenance, which includes removals, replacement, block pruning, etc. is $407,360 which was included in the Fiscal Year 24-25 Grounds Division – Other Contract Services Acct. No. 101-52-4150-0000 budget recently approved by the City Council.
Procurement review is not applicable.
LEGAL REVIEW
The City Attorney's office has reviewed and approved as to form.
RECOMMENDATION
This is an informational item. Therefore, no action is required by City Council.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Memorandum to City Council Tree Liaisons dated June 26, 2024
2. List of Summer 2024 Public Tree Removals
3. Proposed tree removals with completed arborist reports, photos, and location clarification