Sept 22, 2024
Dear Members of the Climate Change Sub-Committee:
Three years ago, I purchased a home in the Luther Burbank Garden District and was shocked to find that the “City of Trees” has a serious tree canopy problem including:
• The lack of a health equitable tree canopy!
• The lack of a city tree program,
• The absence of city-community organization partnership, • Many old, sick trees,
• Trees being cut down, right and left, with no consequences, • Many empty tree wells – even right outside City Hall, • New/replacement trees were hard to find,
• No one at the city to call about its trees!
I was even more dismayed to discover that the City of Santa Rosa, unlike many cities in California, did not apply, and thus was not awarded, Inflation Reduction Act tree funds. I was beside myself to discover that the City of Santa Rosa, not only did not apply for these funds but did not even know about these funds, despite the news of the availability of these funds being widely disseminated.
I am cautiously happy to hear that the Climate Change Sub-Committee will be discussing trees at the October 2
nd, 2024 meeting. I would hope that the Committee is aware of the scientific evidence on the ecological and public health benefits of trees. Surely you must know that the clock is ticking and thus we must be working to mitigate the effects of climate change now, most specifically addressing increasing heat and the uneven rains.
Trees are one of the few things that we can do relatively easy and inexpensively to address the effects of a changing climate plus mitigate the impact of urban pollution and noise, and to create more healthy communities.
I am writing to tell the Committee that it has no choice but to make tree canopy a priority across all city departments which means:
1. Task staff to seek out funding for tree canopy;
2. Implement and enforce policies regarding the cutting of all trees;
3. Implement public notification requirements of trees being removal so the public can weigh in, endure that the removals are necessary, and to create a value toward trees and to help the public understand the importance of eliminating trees, especially mature trees;
4. Require trees to be planted at a minimum of every 25 feet along sidewalks and bike lanes;
5. Require any tree being removed to be replaced within 60 days;
6. Require every home to contribute to sidewalk tree canopy; Permits for other home renovations cannot be signed off on unless there is the presence of a street tree.
7. Require all public works projects to include the addition of trees;
8. Make sidewalk cutting for trees same day/over the counter permitting or eliminate permitting all together;
9. Provide residents a fee for service by DPW to cut tree wells when requested by residents,
10. Implement significant fines to tree service companies that violate policies;
11. Plant in open areas, along major transit corridors, in school yards, etc large native trees; these trees are likely to be able to sustain the future’s climate changes;
12. Create a program to help homeowners repair sidewalks possibility damaged by trees and to cut tree wells bigger. Relatedly, remove the extra cement, bricks, asphalt installed to covered open curbs which would result in increasing the city’s permeable surfaces,
13. Hire an arborist to do a city-wide tree canopy assessment to examine the health of the city’s tree canopy and to identify canopy inequities.
14. Task the city with implementing a Free Tree Giveaway. I personally will provide funding for such a program.
The list above is not complete nor are these ideas new. These approaches are currently being employed by many cities in California. The City of Santa Rosa can look to Petaluma, a city a fraction of the size, who is many years ahead of Santa Rosa in understanding the importance of its tree canopy in mitigating climate change.
I have included a Climate Forward Tree list that was completed for Santa Rosa in 2022 by the Master Gardeners, although no one seems to know about this list. I have provided this list to Tim Finnegan, Parks Dept, for review. Please forward to others who may be working with trees in their city work.
In summary, The City of Santa Rosa needs to prioritize tree canopy, task staff with identifying and applying for funding, and work to get a functional and progressive Tree Program ASAP. I completely support the Climate Change Subcommittee FINALLY putting tree canopy on its agenda and hope it moves forward with an extensive tree program.
Beth Brown
Founder of Santa Rosa Releaf
[email protected]
415-517-9359