SR-09-17-1985-6VRP:DTA:DCS:bmc
Council Meeting: September 17, 1985
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SEP f 7:1985
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Santa Monica, California
SUBJECT: Award of Contract for Preparation of Computerized Tree
Inventory
Introduction
This report recommends the award of a contract in the amount of
$32,300 to Golden Coast Environmental Services for the prepara-
tion of a computerized tree inventory.
Background
The City currently maintains about 26,400 trees located on City
streets, in parks, and on other City property. The 1985-86 Bud-
get for Tree Maintenance is $390,358 plus $125,000 in the CIP
Budget for contract tree trimming and root pruning. The dollar
value of our trees is well over 10 million dollars.
To efficiently manage this valuable community asset staff needs
basic information such as how many trees, what species, location,
and size. This information was gathered manually at least 3
times, the last being in 1980. Manual inventories are limited in
their usefulness because they are difficult to keep up to date,
and they require a great deal of time to sort out specific types
of information. For the last several years, computers have been
used in various capacities to assist with tree inventories. Only
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SEF 17 :1985
in the last 2-3 years has the computer been used in the field to
conduct tree inventories, thus reducing the time required for
data entry. Recently software has become available that will
allow the computerized inventory to be accessed quickly for as-
sistance with citizen inquiry.
As a 1984-85 Budget Objective, staff investigated various tree
inventories and developed inventory requirements for Santa Moni-
ca. As a 1985-86 Budget objective, staff is to implement the
computerized tree inventory program.
The proposed program recommended by staff in this report will
provide the following information:
I. Computerized Tree Inventory
A. Tree Location by Address
B. Type of Tree or Vacancy
C. Size of Tree
D. Work Required at time of Inventory
E. High or Low Priority of Work
F. Parkway Width
G. Date of Last Trim
II. Inventory Analysis
A. Summary of Results
B. Tree Requirements & Recommendations
III. Computer Software with Inventory Discs
The computer software has the ability to print out a variety of
summary reports that will assist staff in determining tree trim-
ming schedules, planting requirements, and citizen inquiries.
Our present system of citizen call records will be entered into
this inventory so that all tree-related information will be
unified.
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Staff contacted professional arborists and other cities to find
companies that could provide a computerized tree inventory. only
one was found - Golden Coast Environmental Services. There are
other companies that can prepare inventories, but not perform the
computer function. And there are computer companies that prepare
tree inventory printouts, but not field inventories. Golden
Coast Environmental Services performs the field inventory using
hand-held micro computers. The data is then fed directly onto
larger discs, thus avoiding the costly manual entry of data.
Golden Coast also produces and provides the computer program used
to retrieve the information. Santa Monica's Data Processing De-
partment has been involved from the beginning in the formulation
and evaluation of the recommended computer program.
Golden Coast Environmental Services has performed computerized
tree inventories for the City of Irvine, City of La Canada, and
the City of La Puente in Southern California as well as Burlin-
game and Sausalito in Northern California.
Budgetary/Financial Impact
Funds in the amount of $17,000 are budgeted for this tree inven-
tory in account 01-400-512-000-506. To finance the remainder of
the recommended professional services contract award, $15,300 can
be transferred from account number 01-770-511-000-938 which has
$100,000 budgeted for contract tree trimming. Staff recommends
this transfer because the tree inventory will benefit our the
tree trimming effort in the long term through better planning and
scheduling.
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Recommendation
Staff recommends the award of a contract to Golden Coast Environ-
mental Services in the amount of $32,300 for preparation of a
computerized tree inventory. It is further recommended that
$15,300 be transferred from account 01-770-511-000-938 to account
O1-400-512-000-506.
Prepared by: Donald T. Arnett, Director
Recreation and Parks
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