TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Director of Public Works
Juan Price, Maintenance Superintendent
SUBJECT:Title
Presentation of Draft Urban Forest Master Plan (Public Works Director Olmos).
RECEIVE REPORT AND PROVIDE DIRECTION
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
1. Review the Draft Urban Forest Master Plan,
2. Provide direction on comprehensive tree maintenance program, and
3. Provide feedback on developing guidelines to formally identify significant and/or high value trees, streamlining current municipal codes, and completing a citywide canopy study every 5 years.
EXECUTIVESUMMARY:
As part of the 2013 Strategic Plan, staff prepared a Citywide street tree inventory and presented the findings to City Council in February 2014. At that meeting, staff was directed to prepare a Street Tree Master Plan, now titled the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP), as it includes trees planted on medians, parks and City facilities as well.
Davey Resource Group was selected to create the UFMP. The draft UFMP was created through analysis of the current tree inventory, tree related Municipal Code review, community input, and stakeholder input. The overarching goal is to establish and refine tree maintenance practice and policy over the next 25 years.
As part of the UFMP, Davey included a comprehensive review of the data gathered though the current tree inventory and quantified its value and benefits. The Resource Analysis estimates the current replacement value of City owned trees at $20.6 million dollars. Quantified reduction of air pollutants such as ozone and sulfur dioxide are identified, including atmospheric CO2 sequestration. Additional identified benefits include reduced use of electricity, natural gas and stormwater interception by City trees.
In order to streamline and modernize the City's urban forest management practices and implement the UFMP, there are several key policy decisions that require City Council consent. Major decision points include upgrading a currently vacant maintenance worker position to that of Urban Forester (in proposed fiscal year 15-16 operating budget), assumption of tree maintenance duties for all City trees, including those currently maintained by residents, identification of high value and heritage trees, and potential revision of current tree related Municipal Codes.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There is no immediate fiscal impact associated with this action. At this time, it has not been determined if the proposed tree maintenance work would be City funded, and if costs would be recovered similarly to the current sidewalk repair program, or through a yet to be determined mechanism. Should the City Council direct staff to assume responsibility for the maintenance of public trees currently maintained by adjacent property owners, staff would need to develop detailed cost estimates and request for an appropriation at a future City Council. A ballpark estimate for this cost is $300,000 per year and would be expected to go down over time as trees will be trimmed according to growth rate and will be under regular professional inspection.
The proposed cost to convert a currently vacant Maintenance Worker II position to that of Urban Forester is included in the proposed FY 15/16 Public Works Operating Budget. This position is recommended in the operating budget irrespective of the approval of the Urban Forest Master Plan.
BACKGROUND:
As part of the 2013 Strategic Plan, Public Works was tasked with conducting an inventory of all City maintained trees. The inventory was to include all street trees within the public right-of-way, including those currently maintained by adjacent property owners. Walkstreets were excluded, as the current Municipal Code does not allow for vegetation exceeding 42" in height in the easement area. The citywide street tree inventory was completed and presented to City Council on February 4, 2014.
At the same February 4, 2014 City Council meeting, staff discussed and recommended that the City should undertake the preparation of a Street Tree Master Plan. Advantages discussed included providing a uniform approach to tree management for all trees in the public right-of-way, defining the comprehensive purpose and goals for a managed urban forest, and defining a comprehensive tree care and maintenance program. On September 2, 2014, City Council authorized staff to solicit proposals to develop a Street Tree Master Plan.
At the January 20, 2015 regular meeting, City Council approved the selection of Davey Resource Group as most qualified to develop the Street Tree Master Plan due to their level of experience, technical ability, in-house resources and City review of previously developed street tree master plans. In addition to technical expertise, Davey Resource Group displayed a keen understanding of the need for community engagement and was the strongest of the presenters.
The draft UFMP has been developed through input received at three community meetings, an online survey, stakeholder interviews, analysis of the current City owned tree inventory, and review of current tree related ordinances.
The draft plan includes a Resource Analysis, Tree Palette, and a list of Goals and Objectives to plot out a tree maintenance program over the next 25 years. Some goals and objectives require City Council approval as they require changes to current policy.
DISCUSSION:
Resource analysis
Davey Resource Group initial step was analysis of the City provided street tree inventory as received from West Coast Arborists and report development. Davey used software developed by the United States Department of Agriculture known as i-Tree. This software uses region specific data to apply metrics and place monetary valuation on the environmental and aesthetic benefits of urban tree inventory. Some highlights contained within Davey's analysis:
· The calculated replacement value of the urban tree asset is $20.6 million dollars and is estimated to provide $3.1 million in annual benefits ($88 per capita). Benefits include air quality improvements, energy savings, stormwater runoff reduction, atmospheric pollutant reduction, and improved aesthetics. For every $1 invested in the community urban forest, Manhattan Beach receives $5.99 in tangible benefits.
· Overall, the community urban forest is reducing electric energy consumption by 292 MWh and natural gas consumption by 2,121 therms annually, for a combined value of $42,933. In addition, these trees are removing 2,767 pounds of pollutants from the air, including ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulates (PM10) for an overall annual air quality benefit of $121,943.
· Canopy from the inventoried population is estimated to cover nearly 55 acres, or 2.1% of the City's overall land area. This canopy reduces annual stormwater runoff by more than 3.3 million gallons and protects local water resources by reducing sediment and pollution loading. To date, community trees have sequestered 3,240 tons of CO2. They continue to sequester an additional 447 tons of CO2 each year for an annual net benefit valued at $13,397.
· The community urban forest in Manhattan Beach is well established and in good condition overall. The resource has a predominance of established young trees, with 58% of trees 6"-12" DBH. With proper planning and management the benefits from this resource are expected to increase over time. Regular inspection and proactive maintenance will ensure the preservation of existing benefits, support individual tree longevity, and help manage risk.
Public Outreach
Community meetings
Three public meetings were held, March 12, March 24 and April 22, 2015. Davey presented an overview of the process that would be used to develop the UFMP and received input via ranking charts, where participants ranked various tree related issues in order of importance by placing colored dots of various colors dependent upon respondent level of support.
The majority of participants supported high species diversity and did not favor tree monocultures. The majority of participants also supported optimal tree care. There was also support for additional tree planting on streets and greenbelts. (Veterans Parkway)
Online survey
Davey developed an online survey which was available online for 30 days, in which participants were asked to provide feedback on 20 different topics, including:
· Which tree benefits were most important
· Perceptions of the current urban forest program
· Whether the city needs more trees
· Whether trees need more, or a different kind, of maintenance
· Participant demographics
Analysis of the survey data reflected a variety of opinions. For example, 50% of respondents felt air quality benefits were most important, while other environmental concerns ranked lower. 67% strongly agreed trees were important to quality of life. 61% of respondents felt the City needed more trees in open spaces and natural areas. 56% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they were satisfied with the current level of tree care. 47% were unaware the City had an urban forest program. 78% responded that education and outreach were the best way to encourage private tree planting and preservation.
The UFMP contains the detailed results of the survey and includes comments posted by respondents.
Stakeholder interviews
Staff directly involved with tree issues in the course of their work with the Public Works Parks and Recreation, and Community Development departments completed questionnaires and/or were interviewed and asked to identify issues and challenges encountered with the City's current tree program. This included comments frequently received from residents during the course of their work. Issues and current practices discussed included tree and hardscape conflict management, tree preservation, line of sight / view issues, abatement, removal guidelines, and departmental overlap to name a few.
Also noted was the redundancy of site visits, especially when private tree removal requests were being assessed. In order to determine if tree removal would be allowed, there was often confusion regarding removal threshold requirements especially where hardscape damage was concerned.
Development of Goals and Objectives
Staff has isolated 5 objectives derived from the 9 major goals identified in the UFMP that constitute policy decisions requiring City Council approval prior to implementation:
· Creation of an Urban Forester position (included in proposed fiscal year 15-16 operating budget)
· City assuming responsibility to manage parkway trees
· Developing guidelines to formally identify significant and/or high value trees
· Streamlining current municipal codes
· A citywide canopy study
Creation of an Urban Forester position
Managing the City's trees is a substantial body of work, involving both tree and vegetation management. These duties are currently carried out by multiple staff members in two departments. A dedicated professional is needed to bring consistency through modern standards to the City's tree management program. Tree-specific knowledge of various species and their characteristics, infrastructure conflict management, immediate customer access, standards development, plan review and inspection are all more efficiently and expertly dealt with by a dedicated tree professional acting as a single point of contact for all tree related issues.
The UFMP calls for a comprehensive tree management program, which will include contract development, quality assurance to ensure trees are trimmed to industry standards, permitting, community outreach, continued program development, vegetation management and compliance issues for traffic line of sight, vehicular and pedestrian clearance issues and tree database management to name a few.
City Council approval to upgrade the current vacancy in Public Works provides a fundamental structural element of the UFMP and creates a dedicated avenue to address the remaining goals and objectives. The upgrade of the current vacant Maintenance Worker II position to Urban Forester is recommended for approval in the proposed fiscal year 15-16 operating budget irrespective of the approval of the UFMP.
City assuming responsibility to manage privately maintained public trees
The UFMP identifies the current maintenance variability of privately maintained public trees. Because of this variability in care, a unified approach and adherence to developed standards cannot be ensured. By assuming "cradle to grave" management of these trees, systematic care over the life of public trees is ensured.
Should the City assume maintenance responsibilities of public trees, there is also the potential to enhance the City hardscape management program. Many instances of displaced sidewalks are directly attributable to root intrusion from both public and private trees in close proximity to concrete infrastructure.
A fully developed tree care plan would identify problematic trees, weigh preservation vs. removal, and potentially phase out problematic trees over several years. A formula could be developed that might include current and anticipated repair cost thresholds, structural issues, and the overall value of a particular tree.
Assumption of tree care would allow proper action at specified intervals to maximize benefits and reduce overall costs. For example, the UFMP points out that properly managed care of young trees is a cost effective way to reduce future costs for corrective treatment. Should the City properly manage tree care from initial planting through obsolescence by means of regular inspections, appropriate trim cycles can be developed in which clearance trimming intermixed with periodic maintenance trimming , enhance tree health and minimize vehicle and pedestrian conflicts. A fully developed program as described would also act to contain costs and only trim trees as often as needed.
Developing guidelines to formally identify significant and/or high value trees
The identification of high value or significant trees would allow staff to quickly trigger practices and policies that would bias tree preservation over development or maintenance. These specific trees would in part remove a level of subjectivity currently required when assessing tree removal requests and or development rules.
The guidelines would be developed by analyzing data available through the resource analysis and develop criteria taking environmental benefits, monetary value, and aesthetics into consideration when formally recognizing these trees.
Unique approaches to sidewalk construction could be investigated and developed, including flexible sidewalks, pavers or other means as they become available.
Streamlining current Municipal Codes
Davey's review of the current Municipal Codes indicates that they require little revision. Davey has highlighted suggested language changes, which include potential clarifications, commenting on referring to International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) best management practices (BMP), especially regarding tree protection during construction.
There may be changes required to landscaping and irrigation standards contained within 7.32.080 Section E Landscaping and Irrigation to ensure our planting standards remain consistent with mandated water conservation rules. There are also suggestions to keep nomenclature consistent and enhance definitions for clarity, such as defining "parkway".
A Citywide canopy study
The City owned tree canopy compromises an estimated 2.1% of the total area of Manhattan Beach, a small portion of the overall tree canopy of the City. A canopy study utilizes aerial imagery or i-Tree Canopy software to determine the coverage of the existing tree canopy, and if completed on a regular periodic cycle, can determine if there is an overall increase or decrease of the tree canopy. The data can then be used to manage land development rules that preserve or enhance the overall percentage of tree cover in the City or reach a specific coverage goal, citywide or by specified geographic area. The UFMP calls for this study to be performed once every five years.
POLICY ALTERNATIVES:
ALTERNATIVE #1:
Deferring the assumption of maintenance for privately maintained public trees
PROS:
Tree maintenance duties remain the responsibility of adjacent property owners, vegetation management and compliance issues remain status quo and are reactive in nature.
CONS:
Should the City decline to manage public trees currently maintained by private property owners, the City cannot proactively preserve or enhance the benefits of the City's tree asset. Programs designed to address problematic trees, standardized trim cycles, enhanced tree health and liability exposure mitigation become difficult to implement. Reduced opportunity to holistically manage maintenance of the public right of way (trees, sidewalks, development standards) and continued friction between staff and residents.
ALTERNATIVE #2:
Decline guideline development to formally identify significant and/or high value trees
PROS:
Allows the City greater flexibility in making case by case decisions regarding tree preservation and maintenance standards.
CONS:
By identifying significant or high value trees in advance, there are assumed expectations from all parties involved as to direction and outcomes associated with specific trees, namely all decisions will be biased towards tree preservation. Significant and high value tree identification guidelines assumes that alternative pavement treatments will be developed and well defined preservation standards will be in place.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Staff has detailed the Public Outreach completed in the Discussion section of this report. In summary, during the course of this project, staff held three community meetings, set up a project specific email address, utilized print media to advertise meeting dates and promoted online survey participation, set up a project web page and made use of social media to advertise meeting dates and the online survey.
CONCLUSION:
At an estimated value of $20.6 million dollars, the City tree resource is a significant asset with quantifiable benefits. The UFMP represents a departure from current tree care practice and policy, implementing modern urban tree management. Full adoption will require policy changes to be enacted by the City Council, including the maintenance of public trees currently maintained by private property owners. As drafted, the UFMP establishes tree maintenance policy and practice for the next 25 years, seeking to improve the quality of the urban tree resource. A periodic review is part of the UFMP to ensure goals and objectives are reviewed and incorporated into the work plan. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the UFMP and to direct staff to include any modifications and implementation timelines for inclusion in the final document, which will be submitted to the City Council at a future date.
Attachments
1. Draft Urban Forest Master Plan
2. Resource Analysis
3. Draft Plant Palette
4. Municipal Code Markup