sr-040709-8aCity Council Meeting: April 7, 2009
Agenda Item:.
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Joan L. Akins, Director, Community Maintenance
Subject: Recommendation to Establish an Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council establish an urban forest master plan task force to
advise staff on the development of a long-range urban forest master plan, review
specific urban forest issues related to the master plan, and serve in an advisory
capacity to City Council
Executive Summary
Council directed staff to present options for the establishment of a body to create a
public forum .for input into the City's urban forestry issues. This report- explores a
recommendation and two alternatives to address this request. The report explains
staff's conclusion .that a task. force to advise on the City's long-range urban forest
master plan is the most constructive format to promote public involvement in crafting the
plan. The master planning process- is expected to yield more information and
understanding of urban forest issues and may. ultimately lead to a recommendation to
establish a commission once the plan is adopted.
Background
On July 23, 2008, Council received a public request to consider the creation of an urban
forest commission to better engage community members with urban forestry matters.
As a result, Council directed staff to .explore .options for a public process and present
these approaches to Council for its consideration. Staff conducted research on various
approaches used by other cities, both locally and nationwide, to enhance community
involvement with the urban forest and assessed the City's own mechanisms to do so.
Concurrently, staff is also in the process of developing a Long Range Master Plan for
the community forest that will incorporate the policies of the City's adopted Community
Forest Management Plan and revise those policies as necessary. The Long Range
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Master Plan will include an updated tree inventory, maintenance requirements, an
assessment of the environmental benefits of the forest and an estimate on the life
expectancy of individual trees. The ultimate purpose of the plan is to design. a long
range replacement program for trees throughout the City as they reach the end of their
useful life span.
Discussion
Staff began its research into this topic by developing and .distributing a survey
nationwide to member cities of the following professional organizations composed of
municipal arborists, urban foresters, or consulting arborists: the Society of Municipal
Arborists (SMA), Street Tree Seminar, Inc. (STS), and the American Society of
Consulting Arborists (ASCA). Thirty cities, including the California cities of Beverly Hills,
Claremont, Davis, Palo Alto, Palos Verdes Estates, and West Hollywood, responded to
the survey. Thirteen of these cities have existing Urban Forest Master Plans in place.
The results indicated the following methods to involve community members with urban
forest issues:
• A commission solely dedicated to the urban forest (27% of respondents)
• A commission such as a recreation and parks commission (20%)
• The city council or a committee of city council members oversees urban forest
matters (17%)
• No mechanism for public engagement (16%)
• An urban forest subcommittee within a commission (10%)
• Other methods such as an ad hoc committee focused on private tree education
or a specialized. committee that meets once per year (7%)
• A committee to create an urban forest master plan (3%)
To find additional local examples, staff queried the following twelve west Los Angeles
County cities by phone:
EI Segundo
Hawthorne
Hermosa Beach
Inglewood
Lawndale
Lomita
Malibu
Rancho Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Estates
Redondo Beach
Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills Estates
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The results of this brief phone query yielded the following:
• Lomita utilizes a tree commission.
• Rancho Palos Verdes and Redondo Beach use their respective public works
departments to oversee urban forest matters.
• Palos Verdes Estates has an advisory committee that provides recommendations
to the City Council on issues that involve public trees.
• The remaining cities do not have urban forest commissions or subcommittees.
From this survey, it is clear that cities have adopted. a number of approaches to
involving the public in urban forest issues. .Based on Santa Monica's current
commission structure and the City's priority to develop along-range urban forest master
plan as a framework for the care and management of the City's trees for the next 50
years, staff has assessed three options for Council's consideration:
1. Urban forest master plan task force
2. Subcommittee of the Recreation and Parks Commission
3. Urban forest commission
The following attributes are common across all three options:
1. Mission -advise Council on the care and maintenance of public trees to create,
maintain and promote a safe, healthy and environmentally sound urban forest.
2. Public Engagement - provide a forum to review urban forestry issues that can be
reviewed and commented on by the public. Staff suggests the use of a system of
diversified public notification, such as agendized meetings and notification
through WIN, to consistently outreach to the public as much as possible.
3. Staffing and Duties -The Public Landscape Manager and Community Forester
would serve as liaisons along with support from existing administrative staff.
Some duties would include agenda preparation, conducting mailings, drafting
meeting minutes, maintaining web pages, site investigations and research in
conjunction with staff reports, writing staff reports, and responding to requests as
they occur.
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Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force (recommended)
Role
• The Task Force will focus on the development of the urban forest master plan,
making recommendations on the strategic goals, objectives, implementation
measures, and timeline for achievement. The task force will assist staff
throughout the plan's development.
• The development process for the master plan mandates a minimum of four
heavily advertised community meetings to capture residents' concerns and
comment on the long term management of the community forest. The role of the
Task Force will be to evaluate the public's input and apply it to the long range
plan where practical and/or feasible.
• Through the oversight of the task force, the duties of a potential future urban
forest commission would be discussed during the development of the master
plan.
• Once the master plan has been completed and adopted by the Council, the task
force would be dissolved.
Membership
It is proposed that the Task Force consist of seven members representing the
Recreation and Parks Commission, Environmental Task Force, Sustainable City Task
Force, Planning Commission and Landmarks Commission as well as two additional
volunteer residents. All members would be appointed by the Mayor in consultation with
Council. The volunteer residents should have a demonstrated knowledge and preferably
a professional background related to the environment, as well as an interest in issues
involving the care and management of the City's trees.
Level of Public Engagement
A task force provides a forum for the public to collaborate on a long-range master plan
that will serve the community and provide direction for the urban forest for the next 50
years. The task force would hold regular public meetings during the course of the plan's
development to educate the public on critical issues that involve the urban forest's long-
term health. Given the comprehensive nature of a long-range master plan, oversight by.
a task force. gives direction to the plan and establishes a consistent forum for public
education and input on issues. that involve the management of the City's urban forest.
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Alternatives
Recreation and Parks Commission Subcommittee
Role
• Review urban forest processes and provide advisory oversight to staff.
Receive urban forest status updates from staff on a quarterly basis.
• Review and comment on the status of the master plan development.
• (It is noted that this commission .currently has an advisory capacity over
approximately 15% of the urban forest. The forest inventory in the Public Right of
Way (street trees) is currently not under their purview.)
Membership
The Recreation and Parks Commission would select three of its members to serve on
the subcommittee. A standing subcommittee adheres to the same laws related to the
public process that govern the work of the commission. In this case, the commission
would define the rules of operations for the subcommittee, and must ensure that
procedures are in place to move the urban forest agenda forward. Although the
Recreation and Parks Commission had a subcommittee that addressed urban forest
issues until 2002, the Commission has not shown interest in taking over this role at this
time.
Level of Public Engagement
The Public Landscape Manager and City Forester would. meet quarterly with the
subcommittee, which would then present items to the entire Commission for
consideration. The Commission would then forward policy recommendations to Council.
The public would have an opportunity to comment on urban forest .issues at the monthly
Commission meetings.
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Urban Forest Commission
Role
• Envisioned to be created through the master .plan process if that process
concludes that a commission would perform a valuable role in managing the
urban forest in a public setting.
• Participate in implementing the master plan's action plan, which may include a
decision making role such as appeals of staff decisions regarding tree removal.
• Advise Council on the. management of the City's long-range urban forestry
program.
• The Commission's scope of responsibility will depend on the role defined in the
approved master plan.
Membership
Membership would consist of seven City residents appointed by Council. Members
would. have demonstrated knowledge of and/or professional experience in urban
forestry issues, and the first commission may include members of the previous Task
Force.
Level of Public Engagement
Once the role is defined through the master plan process, a commission would provide
an effective venue for public input or requests regarding specific urban forest issues,
review of major streetscape development projects, and private development projects
that impact public property.
Commission Action
On January 15, 2009, staff presented to the Recreation and Parks Commission meeting
the aforementioned recommendations and alternatives. The following recommendation
was made:
"The Recreation and Parks Commission unanimously recommends that the City
Council establish an independent Tree Commission that is charged with the
development and oversight of an urban forest master plan. The Recreation and
Parks Commission also recommends that liaisons to the Tree Commission be
selected from related Commissions and Task Forces including the Recreation and
Parks Commission, the Sustainable City Task Force and The Environmental Task
Force and suggests that consideration be given by the Council to broaden the role
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of a Tree Commission to consider other components that make a street complete
and sustainable."
While not recommending the establishment of an Urban Forest Commission at this time,
staff has incorporated the Recreation and Parks Commission's suggestions with
respect to the role of the recommended Task Force and the proposed membership from
interested commissions and/or tasks.
Staff Recommendation: Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force
A Task Force would gather direct community input and formulate recommendations
based on that input for the long-range urban forest master plan. The public input phase
would be a crucial part of the development of the master plan through a series of public
workshops. Because of the extent of community outreach and engagement offered by
the task force; this input would have long-lasting impacts on the character of individual
neighborhoods and the sustainability of the City's green infrastructure. The Task Force
would also gain valuable insight from staff and other experts on the intricacies of the
management of the urban forest and gain a better understanding of how it impacts the
public which will help guide the master plan development.
The process- of developing and appointing a Task Force could be accomplished quickly
upon its formation because. there are no requirements to develop and adopt
Resolutions and By Laws as required for commissions. A Task Force would not delay
the start of the development of the master plan, which is slated to begin in spring of
2009.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The financial/budget impact of the three options is not significantly different. All would
involve staff time, both professional and staff assistants, and would need to be
accommodated within existing resources.
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Funds are available in the City Manager's budget account number 01202PY.555060 for
the development of the long-range urban forest master plan. Staff time will be
associated with the development of the plan and related costs will be covered under the
department's existing staffing levels and budget.
Prepared by:
Randy Little, Public Landscape Manager
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Joart~. Akins ~ P. amon Ewell
Director, Community Maintenance ity Mana
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