Author: Anne Fege

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Why water trees in this drought?

Trees keep your home and neighborhood cooler, saving air conditioning costs and offering cool places to sit and socialize on hot days. Trees reduce water needs of the landscape growing in their shade. Trees offer many other benefits, and yet the cost of watering a mature tree is less than $20 each year. Watch this short video to see what happens if you cut down all of a city’s trees,  .

Trees take a long time to grow. If we don’t water our trees in the drought, we risk losing their benefits. While the drought may not last long, it can seriously damage or kill trees, and these benefits will take 10, 20, or even 50+ years to get back. Taking care of your trees during the drought ensures that we preserve and protect these life-giving benefits for ourselves, our families, our homes, and our communities.

Dead or dying trees can be safety risks, posing safety risks to property and losing all their great health, home, economic, and environmental benefits. Removing a dead tree requires professional help, which can cost $1000 or more. Other plants also die without water, but grass can grow back in just a few weeks and takes decades for a tree to grow to full size. Best ever questions and answers

Drought stress affects the long-term health and vigor of trees, making them susceptible to diseases and pests.  Your tree may look fine this summer but die next summer if not watered now. In the drought of 2015-2016, some property owners stopped watering their lawns, and some businesses and government agencies turned off irrigation systems, so they got credit for “gallons saved” but killed trees in public places.

Even the strictest drought restrictions allow for watering trees on residential and commercial properties, and landscape vegetation in parks, schools, and other public places. Trees are to be watered using a bucket, hand-held hose with a positive shut-off nozzle, or low-volume non-spray irrigation.

You can help take care of neighborhood trees the same way as you take care of your own! Get a group together and teach others proper watering techniques, then assign a rotation and let everyone take part in keeping all the trees healthy.

Best ever flyer.  Tree water tips and resources from San Diego’s tree professionals, at https://sdrufc.com/treewatering.

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Budget hearings for City of San Diego, FY 2021

Attendees at the San Diego Regional Urban Forest Council’s videoconference on May 6 recommended that a letter be sent to mayors, City councilmembers, and others about municipal tree maintenance funding. Letter was sent on May 26 and focuses on the following key points:

  • Tree maintenance keeps trees healthy and reduces city liabilities.
  • Trees cool cities, as climate changes accelerate.
  • Trees will buffer the next health and environmental

Notes from early May, 2020:

Please take time to advocate for trees and urban forest management, in the City of San Diego’s budget hearings! The severe budget proposals include eliminating $1.8 million for shade tree and palm trimming, and are likely to be sustained, but the importance of tree health to neighborhoods, parks, urban cooling, and public health must be heard.

Climate change is bigger than the pandemic and accelerating, and trees will still cool cities. Healthy street and park trees are valuable city assets, and need annual investments in tree care and planting.

FIVE WAYS TO SUPPORT URBAN TREES:

  1. Write clear messages now–in your own words, personalized from suggested messages. Keep them to three points, with only 1-2 sentences after each point. The email messages have a limit of 200 words, and the phone-in testimony is likely to be one minute.
  2. Submit comments, at process for submitting comments . Comments received by 5:45 p.m. will be distributed to the Committee and posted online with the meeting materials. All webform comments are limited to 200 words. Process requests date of meeting and item number (see 5. below).  Comments submitted for April 30 hearing   368 examples!
  3. Submit your messages by 5:45 on the days before the department budget hearings, tailoring comments to the role of trees in each (parks, climate action, and street trees).
  4. Parks on Tuesday 9 am-Item 3, Sustainability (Climate Action), Tuesday 2 pm-Item 11, and Transportation, Wednesday, 9 am-Item 3, Capital Improvement Projects, Wed. 2 pm-Item 9   Budget committee agendas
  5. Provide phone call testimony during the individual budget hearings, after the Clerk introduces the item and opens the Public Comment line, likely limited to one minute. Then follow the steps outlined at  phone call procedure .
  6. Send additional-duplicate messages to your council member or ALL of the councilmembers directly, as six of them recommended budget increases for tree-related programs (in their January council memos).  Addresses:   barbarabry@sandiego.gov, chriscate@sandiego.gov, christopherward@sandiego.gov, georgettegomez@sandiego.gov, jennifercampbell@sandiego.gov, markkersey@sandiego.gov, monicamontgomery@sandiego.gov, scottsherman@sandiego.gov, vivianmoreno@sandiego.gov

SOME MESSAGES:

  1. Trees in parks and streets are assets that cool cities, contribute to public health, and provide “green” stormwater and other ecosystem services. Trees are investments in climate adaptation and carbon sequestration, as we know that climate change is accelerating and far bigger than the pandemic. This will require sustained budgets to maintain existing trees and plant healthy trees.
  2. The proposed reduction for tree trimming is $1.8 million, and will eliminate maintenance of shade trees and extend palm trimming to 8 years. Both are unacceptable. Tree planting must continue to implement the City’s climate action plan, at least $300,000 per year. There is a backlog of 1,800 tree requests and the yearly budget of $100K will only plant 600 trees.
  3. Covid-19 is showing us how quickly health and economic impacts can result from natural causes. Climate change has been slow and sometimes unnoticed, but there are high risks for extended heat waves, storm-related disasters, drought and wildfires. Disadvantaged communities will be more vulnerable to health and economic impacts, and far less prepared than advantaged communities. Trees, parks, shade, and urban cooling will give respite to all city dwellers in future climate change.
  4. This is not the time to disregard the nature that sustains us. If tree maintenance is cancelled for a year, the effects of drought, pests, and tree failure multiply. The next natural disaster may seem like a surprise, but healthy trees will be there to serve San Diegans.
  5. [there are more than 200 words, so choose and edit!]

RESOURCES:

  1. This year, the City has assembled a great page of budget process details . There are schedules for budget hearings, ways to participate, and links to each department.
  2. Budget hearings can be watched live
  3. Budget page, https://www.sandiego.gov/finance/proposed , Attachment II has the key numbers, but there are no department-level budget documents yet. Transportation = reduce 0 urban forestry positions (4 horticulturalists and 8 tree care workers, currently all filled)), reduce contractual services by $1,217,000 for shade tree trimming and $600,000 for palm trimming. Park and Recreation, reduce 89 positions, reduce $5.9 million contract funds.
  4. Independent Budget Analyst report , 4/29/20. Page 162, Transportation Department: “The largest reduction is for tree trimming at $1.8 million. This reduction will negate the City’s ability to do all routine maintenance of shade trees throughout the City and will effectively increase the cycle of routine palm tree maintenance from 2 years to 8 years. The Department will mostly be able to conduct only reactive and emergency trimming.”
  5. San Diego Union-Tribune 4/16/20 article on FY 2021 budget gap, “Tree trimming, which had already been limited to palms-only during a previous budget cut, would be limited to emergency situations only. The savings would be $1.8 million.”
  6.  Resources for writing comments include tree benefits , tree benefits , trees and climate action
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City of San Diego FY 2020 Proposed Budget–Again Zeros Out Tree Trimming

The proposed FY 2020 Budget for the City of San Diego includes a $1.1 million reduction in tree maintenance. The reasons are the same (as the previous two years, when reductions of $900,000 were proposed but were eventually funded.  Again, public (and professional) comment is essential to restore this funding.  This blog provides some key messages for budget advocacy, and links to key FY 2020 budget documents.

Budget Hearings, May 1-2

The Council held budget hearings, and the Independent Budget Analyst (IBA) and most of the Councilmembers questioned the wisdom of these reductions and called for restoration. Community members spoke, and key messages were:

  • Parks & Recreation:  addition of tree trimmer and pesticide applicator were positive, that the reduction of three park rangers was unwise (and Parks director announced that the Mayor’s “May revise” budget would restore these).
  • Sustainability:  climate change will transport our lives and natural environments, and climate action may be the most impactful investment that the City makes, and that Climate Action Plan is not being implemented when tree canopy declines due to lack of maintenance.
  • Transportation & Stormwater:  past and current Council support for level urban forestry funding, implications of not maintaining trees, urgency of planting  healthy trees in the next five years to ensure tree canopy and healthy neighborhoods in the next 25 years; others identified the backlog of entering and addressing Get it Done reports  (view video at http://sandiego.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=54&clip_id=7696 .
  • Councilmembers asked about reasons for proposed tree care contract reductions (to avoid FTE cuts in other programs), commented “here we go again,” commented on Urban Corps tree planting work, drew attention to liabilities and settlements related to trees, and called for the budget to be restored.

Messsages

  • Trees need to be maintained in healthy conditions to continue providing shade, cool neighborhoods, storm water retention, protect City assets, and follow-through with Climate Action Plan commitments.
  • Reductions in regular tree maintenance increase the likelihood of safety hazards, the City’s related liabilities, exposure to lawsuits, and future settlement costs.
  • The City needs at least one additional arborist/horticulturalist in the Streets Division to oversee tree contracts this year, a Code Enforcement Officer in Development Services, and $300,000 for planting 1,500 additional street trees.

Documents

  • City Council’s budget hearings, Schedule May 2019
  • IBA report , Independent Budget Analyst, 4/25/19, 181 p.  Page 7, Tree Trimming Reduction Tree trimming, a high priority for the community and Council, has been reduced by $1.1 million by eliminating non-palm tree routine trimming contracts. This program has been reduced for the past three years and restored by Council each time. Page 15 and 41, impacts on Climate Action Plan.  Page 172-173, Streets Division.  $1.1 million reduction in funding for the City’s contract to trim street trees. The FY 2019 Proposed Budget included a similar reduction, but the funding was ultimately restored using onetime funding in the Adopted Budget.
  • This IBA report asserts that the budget reduction will reduce the frequency those trees are trimmed from once every 9 years to once every 43 years, effectively eliminating scheduled non-palm tree trimming. The number of non-palm trees expected to be trimmed in FY 2020 will fall from roughly 20,000 to 4,000 as a result of this reduction in funding. TSW indicates that it will still trim and maintain trees that could have immediate public safety impacts regardless of whether the particular tree posing a safety hazard is scheduled for periodic trimming. Nevertheless, reductions in regular tree maintenance can increase the likelihood of safety hazards and may increase the City’s related liabilities.
  • Transportation and Storm Water Department, FY20 proposed budget T&SW .  Page 627, footnote:  The proposed $1.1 million reduction to non-palm tree trimming in FY 2020 will effectively eliminate all scheduled non-palm tree trimming and reduce the total number of trees trimmed to 25,000.  Page 632-633, Personnel expenditures, no proposed changes.  NOTE: The urban forestry contractual services reduction of $1.2 million is almost 30% of the entire T&SW Dept’s net expenditure reduction of $4.2 million.  The overall Streets General Fund expenditure proposal is $55 million, 2% of which is urban forestry contracts ($2.4 million).
  • Overview of April 18 meeting of Council’s Environment Committee, that focused on urban forest management, http://sdrufc.com/2019/04/10/april18/
  • SDUT_article, 4/11/19, Faulconer budget closes deficit without cuts to many popular programs:  Proposed $1.57B spending plan could face intense scrutiny from City Council.
  • FY20 Council Budget Priorities assembled by Independent Budget Analyst, 1/31/19, 99 p.  Page 3, overview, “[A] majority of Councilmembers supported budget items to meet CAP Strategy 5’s goal of increasing urban tree canopy coverage. Urban forestry items …. included additional street trees, increased contract work for tree inspection and scheduled care, an additional code enforcement officer for urban forestry, and a complete tree canopy analysis. Six Councilmembers specifically prioritized adding one Arborist/Horticulturalist position to the Streets Division.”
  • Letter to Mayor and Council, January 14, 2019, with requests and rationale for additional funding and staffing.
  • Reminders about benefits of trees, http://sdrufc.com/treebenefits/
  • Citizens Guide to the Budget Process and FY 2019 Adopted Budget.
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City of SD’s Environment Committee featured urban forestry at April 18, 2019 meeting

The City of San Diego’s Environment Committee meeting on April 18, 2019 focused on urban forestry.  City Forester Brian Widener, Community Forest Advisory Board Chair Anne Fege, and Balboa Park Conservancy Executive Director Tomas Herrera-Mishler gave presentations, followed by public comment by 31 community leaders and professionals and questions by committee members.  Three presentations were items 6, 7, and 8 in April 18 agenda . The PDFs of the agenda, staff reports, and slides are assembled at Agenda_reports slides 24p

Committee Chair Jennifer Campbell (Chair, District 2) and councilmembers Barbara Bry (D1), Scott Sherman (D7), and Vivian Moreno (D8) repeated their appreciation for community and professional support for urban forestry, shared their support for healthy trees and neighborhoods, and asked what they can do (and we gave them suggestions). They inquired about water restrictions during drought, tracking tree conditions and loss, emerging pests, replanting trees after undergrounding utilities, permeable pavements, quality nursery stock, training tree care workers and contractors, and more.

ITEM 7.  City Forester Brian Widener talked about FY 2018 accomplishments and upcoming challenges and opportunities, for street trees, parks and the overall urban forestry program.   Public comments:  Janay Kruger (Trees 1000 Foundation) talked about funding trees on private land. Andrew Meyer (Audubon), about habitat benefits for birds and other wildlife, and Frank Landis (California Native Plant Society) about multiple-benefits of native trees.  Kathy Copley and her ASLA-American Society of Landscape Architects colleagues (Brett Allen, Phil Armstrong, Chris Drayer and Michelle Landis) expressed concern about inadequate soil volumes for tree health and advocated for updated standards and code enforcement.

ITEM 8.  Community Forest Advisory Board (CFAB) chair Anne Fege emphasized the complexity of managing trees as City assets, and recommended four actions: (1) Engage communities in setting tree canopy priorities; (2) Initiate a long-term tree planting program; (3) Focus on codes and best management practices; and (4) Explore special districts and other financing options. One-page summaries at April 18 Four Actions .

Public comments:  Muriel King and her neighbors (Nancy and Wes Janssen, Ray Buendia, Rodney West, and Britta Kuhlow) talked about their neighborhood beautification, 200 trees that were planted along major roads and in HOA area, and benefits of active leisure and community cohesion. Virginia Wilson thanked the city for planting 140 trees in Ocean Beach, and is now noticing more tree requests, that is, the trees are advertising themselves.  Cody Petterson noted that there are large tree losses in canyons due to pests, that budgets continue to be inadequate.  Rob Hutsel, SD River Park Foundation, described efforts to remove non-native trees and plant native trees-shrubs.  Adrienne Heinzelman, SanDiego350.org, focused on the benefits of trees, increasing heat waves, pests and long-term tree health.  Troy Murphree focused on needs for code compliance officer, which could pay for itself by collecting fines.  Rachele Melious focused on tree watering and updating “point system” in land development code to reflect ecosystem benefits.

ITEM 9. Tomas Herrera-Mishler, Executive Director of Balboa Park Conservancy, gave an overview of the recent tree inventory, compared it to the inventories and goals set in 2001, and highlighted species diversity, tree conditions, and succession planning.  Trustee Michael Yee (with time ceded by John Venekamp) focused on importance of this data, native trees, climate action, and pride for Balboa Park. Anne Fege suggested a “summit” to bring resources together.

VIDEO.  The meeting video is archived at http://sandiego.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=51&clip_id=7686.  Widener’s presentation starts at 0:47:30, Fege’s at 1:1:21:57; and Herrera-Mishler’s at 2:00:52. Each is followed by public speakers and dialogue with councilmembers.  (On March 14, the committee focused on the Climate Action Plan and the meeting video is archived at http://sandiego.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=51&clip_id=7660, with 1-minute clip on resident with new street tree at 1:19:00, and urban forestry-related public comments at 1:21:20, starting with Fege.)

NEXT STEPS?

  • Start thinking about a “Tree Summit” with public, business, nonprofit, community and professional sectors.
  • Testify at FY 2020 budget hearings in early May to oppose the proposed reduction of $1.2 million for tree trimming.
  • Set up or participate in meetings, or provide information for specific questions or interests (include SDG&E tree planting and Urban Corps training)
  • Keep the “tree code revision group” moving w/ local professionals and City staff, then ask Council members to push the City to process them and then vote to approve changes.
  • Continue to provide support for the City in projects they have limited staff for, such as further analysis of tree canopy analysis spreadsheets, potential technology applications, and collective actions for quality nursery stock.
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Congratulations, 2018 Awardees!

The annual awards and holiday celebration was held on Thursday December 13th, at the new West Coast Arborist office in La Mesa.  The Council recognized local professionals and community members for their local contributions to urban forestry.  Please join us in thanking the following for their outstanding work!    View award photos

Best Innovative Urban Forestry Project – Trejuvenation. This project is establishing sustainable markets for urban wood after trees have been cut down.  Treejuvenation is working with the Green Building Council and promoting products that range from Biochar to lumber to sawdust. Their work stands out from the traditional tree planting projects.

Best Arbor Day Event – City of Encinitas Arbor Day.  This event brought together tree-related vendors, community groups, and elected officials.  There was a great educational program by City staff, a demonstration of wood milling, and an emphasis on tree benefits.

Best Urban Forestry Educational Project – Balboa Park Conservancy. The Conservancy launched a massive urban reforestation project over the past two years, with many state and local collaborators.  They have brought urban forest education to schoolchildren, park visitors, Urban Corps youth, and others.

Best Regional Council Representative – Delia Juncal.  Delia has been a superwoman behind the scenes at SDRUFC for years. Whether it’s making sure minutes are taken and approved, ordering food, making sure venues are set, or ordering supplies for future events, she’s always “on it!”

Best Plant Health Care Program – Tracy Ellis, Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures, County of San Diego.  As an agricultural entomologist in the Entomology Lab and Honey Bee Protection Program, Dr. Ellis has helped identify invasive pests in the field and nurseries.

Best Trees and Water.  Mathew Warren, Department of Park and Recreation, City of San Diego. As water conservation horticulturalist for hundreds of parks, Matt has brought innovative irrigation techniques to both sustainable water use and irrigation budgets.  He has helped change the conversation of trees and irrigation, important in this present environment of drought and water shortages.

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2018 Climate Action Plan report from City of San Diego

The City released its 2018 Climate Action Plan report, and some of the details may interest you!

Climate Action Plan reports are available at https://www.sandiego.gov/sustainability , and include the CAP annual report, appendix, and table with FY2019 additional funds that are partly attributed to CAP investments (includes park rangers and other positions, click on “budget data” tab).

NEWS ARTICLE

San Diego Union-Tribune article last week mentioned trees.  “San Diego’s Climate Action Plan is years ahead of schedule despite few efforts to cut emissions,” http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-faulconer-climate-plan-progress-20181026-story.html , Joshua Smith.  EXCERPT about trees:  The tree canopy program has also yet to bloom, although efforts to catalog the city’s inventory of trees have started. The climate plan calls for 15 percent of the city to be covered in trees, up from 13 percent today. However, to meet that target the city would need to plant roughly 150,000 new trees. Last year, it planted 307, according to the progress report.

“Nothing’s changed really,” said Anne Fege, chair of the Community Forest Advisory Board. “They have a small staff, and I’m working to try to make sure we have some funding. It continues, but it’s awfully slow. Really slow.”

(Budget reduction impacts were covered in the May 2, 2018 article by same reporter, “Faulconer to trim forestry budget as climate-plan pledge to plant more trees fails to bloom,” http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sd-me-forestry-plan-20180501-story.html .)

EXCERPTS FROM REPORT

In the 2018 CAP Annual Report, https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/city_of_san_diego_2018_cap_annual_report.pdf , there is a list of awards, page 1, “2017 Tree City USA Designation The Arbor Day Foundation named San Diego a 2017 “Tree City USA” recognizing excellent citywide urban forest management. This designation acknowledged San Diego’s dedication to the planting and care of trees based on the city’s urban forestry program, tree care ordinance, community forestry budget and Arbor Day observance.”

  • On page 4, the Sustainability Dashboard, notes that “307 trees planted and 17,212 trees maintained/trimmed.” Both seem low, except that the report covers January-December 2017, when City Forester position was only filled from mid-September.
  • On page 5, the report shows tree cover increase, which is attributable only to changes in assessment methods. Goals:  “2010 baseline, “7% tree canopy cover citywide,” 2017, “13% tree canopy cover citywide.”

EXCERPTS FROM APPENDIX

The CAP report appendix, https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/city_of_san_diego_appendix_for_2018_cap_annual_report_0.pdf , covers the urban forestry program on page 19:

STRATEGY 5: CLIMATE RESILIENCE.  Increasing urban tree canopy coverage in the city contributes to the capture and storage of carbon, as well as other benefits including storm water management, improved air quality, increased property values, etc.

Action & Progress: Increase Urban Tree Canopy Coverage.  The updated urban tree canopy coverage in 2015 was 13% in the City of San Diego, based on the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment preliminary results developed by the University of Vermont and the USDA Forest Service, funded by California Department of Forestry and the FITURE Protection (CalFire) for the City of San Diego. The City is tracking the number of new trees planted and tree maintenance (trimmed, pruned and or removed) by City departments (Table 23).

TABLE 23 TREE PLANTING AND MAINTENANCE, CALENDAR YEAR 2017

  • Trees planted: 307
  • Trees trimmed:  17,212

In addition, 500 trees were planted in Spring 2017 under the CalFire Grant awarded previously. The City has also started to inventory over 58,000 trees and potential tree planting locations starting in 2017.

Job impacts, page 25, “STRATEGY 5: CLIMATE RESILIENCY   Climate Resiliency encompasses programs that prepare the region for success as threats from climate change become a reality. From protecting the coast from the detriments of erosion to setting up tree-planting programs, climate resiliency is a critical component to help governments and companies shift the energy landscape to make the city more resilient. Jobs in climate resiliency are expected to grow as landscaping, infrastructure and city planning align with CAP goals.

TABLE 25 INDUSTRIES WITHIN EACH CAP SECTOR, page 27, included Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations, Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products, Landscape Architectural Services, and Landscaping Services.