Item 9-B

Council Meeting: November 9, 1999 Santa Monica, California

TO: Mayor and City Council

FROM: City Staff

SUBJECT: Recommendation to Approve the Proposed Community Forest Management Plan and Authorize City Staff to Begin Preparation of Necessary Ordinance Changes

This report provides background on the Draft Community Forest Management Plan (Draft Plan) and recommends approval of the document and authorization to proceed with its implementation including the preparation of necessary ordinance changes. The report includes a description of the format of the document, an overview of key issues which are covered in the objectives and policies of the Draft Plan and a summary of the public review and participation process used in developing the plan.

The Draft Plan is organized into 4 sections and three appendices:

A Summary of Objectives and Policies

An Introduction providing the rationale for preparing the Draft Plan

Highlights from the Tree Inventory prepared in 1997

Identification of Objectives and Policies

Appendix A: Maintenance Standards for City Trees

Appendix B: The Street Tree List

Appendix C: Glossary of Terms Used

Objective 1: As a major strategy to address the City=s commitment to the environment, built and social, enhance the Community Forest over time.

Objective 2: Promote the conservation of the community=s tree resources.

Objective 3: Maintain the City=s trees in a safe and healthy condition.

Objective 4: Develop an inter-departmental process that insures optimum tree planting.

Objective 5: Develop and implement a public education program on the Community Forest to promote the awareness of public trees and the care of private trees.

Objective 6: Establish and update the Community Forest Management Plan to guide long term City tree planting and maintenance activities.

Within these objectives there are key policies which are intended to guide city tree planting and care over time. These key policies include:

forth a set of standards to follow for community involvement depending upon the

particular conditions.

Minimize removal of existing public trees through the establishment of clear criteria. In recognition of the importance of protecting existing trees, the Draft Plan identifies specific criteria to ensure that tree removal occur only under limited specific situations. While it is not the goal of the City to encourage the removal of healthy trees, the Draft Plan acknowledges that in the case of major streetscape projects there may be important urban design objectives which need to be achieved and therefore the plan gives the City Council the discretion to call for unifying a street or area and therefore approve the removal of existing healthy trees. In these rare cases, the Draft Plan recommends that the trees be transplanted if at all possible and that efforts be made to remove and replace the trees over time.

Ensure that the Community Forest is comprised of a diversity of trees species with varying ages. Planting a diversity of tree types and varying the ages of trees that comprise the Community Forest will help sustain the character of the Forest for future generations.

Continue to involve the Community Forest staff in the review of all public works projects and private development proposals that effect City trees. While it is current practice to involve the Community Forester in all public works projects and in the review of private development proposals, the Draft Plan formalizes this practice into a policy ensuring continuity over time.

Environmental Task Force, Recreation and Parks Commission and Community Member Recommendations:

The following section summarizes the recommendations from the Environmental Task Force, the Recreation and Parks Commission and public input and is followed by a staff recommendation.

The Draft Plan should discuss in greater detail how canopy coverage can be increased.

Staff recommendation: Policies 1.2 and 1.3 have been amended to expand upon the ways in which greater canopy coverage can be achieved. Planting individual trees with large size canopies in areas with wide enough parkways will increase canopy coverage. In areas that cannot support large canopy trees due to existing narrow parkways, strategies will include planting a greater number of trees in the parkways where feasible; continuing to identify opportunities to incorporate landscaped medians; and increasing the width of existing parkways to allow for large canopy trees to be planted in adequate growspaces.

Private trees and trees on non-city government property should be considered as part of the Community Forest and policies should be incorporated into the Draft Plan to address these trees.

The Draft Plan should include more detailed information regarding the history of trees in Santa Monica and should recognize key individuals or groups who have contributed to the legacy of the Community Forest.

Staff recommendation: This requested information has been incorporated into the Introduction.

The Draft Plan should include a change of policy related to property owner assessment for sidewalk damage caused by tree root displacement.

Staff recommendation: Policy 2.2 of the Draft Plan identifies the need to find new revenue sources to address sidewalk repair as a result of tree root displacement. At the request of City Council, City staff is currently exploring different possibilities for addressing the costs associated with this ongoing work and will be presenting this information to City Council for their consideration at a future Council meeting. Details associated with the cost of repair do not belong in a policy document but rather as part of an implementation package.

The Draft Plan should include policies on Greenwaste Recycling.

Staff recommendation: The Draft Plan has been amended to include Policy 3.5 - Implement a greenwaste recycling program utilizing byproducts from the Community Forest.

The Draft Plan should strongly encourage the incorporation of existing trees into new public works projects.

Staff recommendation: As previously summarized on page 3, one goal of the Draft Plan is to minimize the removal of existing healthy trees through the establishment of specific criteria for removal under limited situations. The Draft Plan reflects current city practice which gives the City Council the discretion to allow for the removal of trees in unique instances where there are significant urban design goals or other factors that need to be balanced with the goal of minimizing tree removal.

Staff recommendation: Policy 6.1 of the Draft Plan calls for amending City ordinances as necessary to incorporate the provisions of the Community Forest Management Plan. Staff recommends that inclusion of fines or penalties be considered as part of amending the City Tree Ordinance.

An arborist should be added as one of the members of the tree selection committee described in Policy 1.4.

Staff recommendation: This recommendation has been incorporated into Policy 1.4.

The community should have an opportunity to participate in the selection of recommended replacement species and alternate species for all street segments in the City.

Staff recommendation: Policy 1.4 has been clarified to reflect this recommendation.

In defining species diversity the Draft Plan should clarify that a pro-active approach should be taken to increase species variety in the Community Forest.

Staff recommendation: Policy 1.5 has been clarified to address this issue.

In selecting trees for the Community Forest, evergreen species should predominate over deciduous species.

Staff recommendation: A diversity of both deciduous and evergreen trees is desirable in the Community Forest as both types of trees are beneficial to the community. While evergreen trees provide greenery during the winter, deciduous trees signify the changing of seasons and allow sunlight to penetrate through the branches during cooler winter months. The proposed community input process on tree species will provide for broad input on tree selection for each given street segment; therefore determining a preponderance of tree type in a policy document would limit this process. It is for these reasons that staff does not support including a policy that mandates evergreen trees as the predominant tree in the community.

Utilize the tree selection committee identified in Policy 1.4 to approve tree selection for public improvement projects such as streetscape projects.

Staff recommendation: Tree selection is often one of many components of capital improvement projects. Typically a significant public participation process is used to to formulate the particular project design including review by Boards and Commissions prior to Council consideration. These community design processes allow opportunities for members of the tree selection committee identified in Policy 1.4 and all community members to provide input into the design process for these capital improvement projects.

The Draft Plan should explicitly state that it is not necessary for each street or block in the community to be planted with one species of street tree.

Staff recommendation: Policy 1.4 sets forth criteria for street tree selection and allows for community input in the decision making process which could result in planting of multiple species of street trees on one street or even on one block. In order to address this possibility consistently throughout the City, the Policy has been clarified to trigger review and approval by the street tree committee in cases where multiple species are recommended for a street segment of less than three blocks.

There are no budget or financial impacts associated with this report.

Prepared by:

Barbara Stinchfield, Director
Karen Ginsberg, Assistant Director
Walter Warriner, Community Forester

Attachment A

Department of Community & Cultural Services