sr-081010-1nCity Council Meeting: August 10, 2010
Agenda Item: ~-'
To: Mayor and City Councii
From: Barbara Stinchfield, Director of Community and Cultural Services
Subject: Acceptance of South Coast AQMD Tree Partnership Grant
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council:
1. Authorize the City Manager to execute all necessary documents to accept a
grant awarded from the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD)
for a greenhouse gas urban tree project involving the planting of 1,000 trees.
2. Authorize budget changes as outlined in the Financial Impact and Budget Actions
section of this report.
Executive Summary
The South Coast Air Quality Management District's Local Government Match Program -
Tree Partnership (Tree Partnership) offers matching funding for qualifying tree planting
projects initiated by cities and counties. The goals of this program are to increase the
benefits trees provide in reducing criteria pollutants such as ozone, toxic air pollutants,
and greenhouse gases. The program also helps to provide temporary employment
opportunities for students, community educational outreach, and aesthetic benefits that
trees provide. Staff developed a proposal for a tree planting project and applied for a
grant of $198,250 with the City providing matching funding in the form of in-kind support
from staff. The City's application was selected for funding.
Discussion
The proposed tree planting project adds 1,000 trees to the City of Santa Monica's urban
forest and will be undertaken in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service's Center for
Urban Forest Research (CUFR). The specific goal is to record tree growth for the
purpose of measuring the removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere by
publicly owned and managed trees. The grant funds from the Tree Partnership will
enable the City of Santa Monica to complete the planting of 1,000 trees within the terms
of the grant agreement and begin recording data immediately for the CUFR to use. The
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City of Santa Monica's project will involve planting 475 15-gallon trees and 525 24" box
trees throughout the City which will be monitored and recorded by staff. The selected
tree species have low biogenic volatile organic compound emissions, are native to
California, and most are drought tolerant. The locations of these trees will be
determined by the Urban Forest Master Plan Task Force. Once locations are
determined, local students will be used to help plant the trees: The CUFR protocol
provides detailed guidance to ensure that this tree planting project meets the eligibility
requirements for greenhouse gas reductions. This project will ultimately be used to
measure an urban forest's contribution towards the reduction of greenhouse gases.
This project is the first of its kind in the U.S. and demonstrates the second guiding
principal of Santa Monica's Sustainable City Plan by helping to restore the natural
environment. The work done on this project will be used as a template for public
agencies across the U.S. to follow. This project will also help the U.S. Forest Service's
Center for Urban Forest Research to produce reliable information on how greenhouse
gas emissions are offset by public trees.
In-Kind Suoport and Public Outreach
The City's proposed match of in-kind support includes City staff time to measure and
record the growth of trees, provide administrative support, and conduct public outreach.
Public outreach is required by the Tree Partnership to promote the tree planting project
and inform residents about the value and benefits of the project. This outreach will
include information in publications such as Seascape and Wavelengths, utilization of
CityTV, and presentations at meetings for neighborhood associations and the Urban
Forest Master Plan Task Force. Other resources proposed to match the awarded grant
funds include tree maintenance and tree replacement as necessary.
Amount of Award and Term of Award
The total amount of award is up to $198,250. The term of the contract is two years from
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the date of execution by both parties. The City will provide invoices, students'
timesheets, quarterly reports, and budget and status reports as required by SCAOMD.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The funding award of $198,250 will cover the costs of the 1,000 trees and student
employment.. The following FY2010-11 budget change will be necessary to accept the
grant funds:
1. Establish a revenue account of $198,250
The City's proposed match of in-kind support includes a mix of the following:
1. Administrative and maintenance staff time that will be performed by a variety of
Public Landscape Division staff. These duties include tree measurement and
recording of tree growth required by the Center for Urban Forest Research for
three years. Total three-year cost: $102,286. Funds are available in
01572.511000 (Park Operations) and 01576.511000 (Community Forest).
2. Projections for tree replacement. Staff provided estimates of tree failure during
the first two years, when newly planted trees are most vulnerable. Total two year
cost: $10,150. Funds are available in 01576.555010.
3. Projections for tree maintenance. Staff provided liberal cost estimates to water
trees and maintain tree wells in-house in the amount of $90,488. Staff proposes
a reduction of approximately 15% of in-house tree trimming (from 1,100-1,300
trees to approximately 1,000 trees annually for two years) to compensate for the
maintenance of the new trees. This decrease in in-house trimming will be offset
by contracted trimming.
Prepared by: Randy Little, Public Landscape Manager
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
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Barbara Stinchfield Rod Gould
Director, Community and Cultural City Manager
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