Category: Uncategorized

Our August 1st meeting will be held at:

Sweetwater Community Room, 
Sweetwater Summit Regional Park.

This meeting will be held from 10:30am to 1:30pm

Directions: From the 125 South, exit Elkelton Pl to Paradise Valley Rd. Left on S. Worthington and take it until it becomes Sweetwater Rd. Left on Bonito Rd and left on San Miguel Rd. Left on Camp Ground Rd and drive into the reserve.

http://www.sdparks.org/content/sdparks/en/park-pages/SweetwaterSummit.html

Please register by Friday July 27th, 2018 at link Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scary-pests-impacting-san-diego-county-trees-tickets-47817510461

This Months topic will be:

Scary Pests impacting San Diego County Trees

Join us as we cover quarantines in San Diego County that are impacting trees both in the field and in nurseries. Pests such as the South American palm weevil (Rhynchophorus palmarum) and others you may want to be aware of will be the topic of discussion. Co-hosted by the Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures (AWD). Presented by Tracy Ellis, Agricultural Scientist, San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights & Measures. This workshop can include an optional walking tour of a palm weevil infested area.

Tracy Ellis from the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has worked 11 years for the County and took Dr. David Kellum’s position as agricultural scientist in entomology. Tracy is originally from Sturbridge, MA. She attended grad school at Ames Iowa at Iowa State University while working for seed company Mycogen Plant Sciences. She has worked for the University of California Cooperative Extension and Dow AgroSciences since 1987 while living on and off in San Diego. 

This meeting will have 1 CEU for Arborist/Tree Worker Certification
(with payment)

This meeting will cost $20.00
with lunch included.

Please register by Friday July 27th, 2018 at link Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/scary-pests-impacting-san-diego-county-trees-tickets-47817510461

“Faulconer to trim forestry budget as climate-plan pledge to plant more trees fails to bloom” – San Diego Union Tribune

“San Diego City Council ‘Disappointed’ With Mayor Faulconer’s Budget Revisions” – KPBS

Contrary to requirements in San Diego’s Climate Action Plan, Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s revised FY19 budget continues to slash San Diego’s Urban Forestry program.  The over $800,000.00 reduction in funding will provide tree maintenance only ONCE EVERY 21 YEARS!

Please help us Save Our Shade!  There are two things you can do NOW to take action against Mayor Faulconer’s cuts.

1-Attend the budget committee meeting on Wednesday May 23rd at 9am in Council Chambers

2-E-mail Mayor Faulconer and City Council!  Encourage council members to remind Mayor Faulconer of the benefits trees provide AND the requirements of San Diego’s own Climate Action Plan!

Remind them that trees:

• Provide shade and cool our community
• Encourage shopping and have positive economic impact
• Calm traffic
• Are an important part of storm water mitigation

We are asking for:

• Tree maintenance be funded at current levels – $900,000.00
• The free tree program, important to the CAP, remain funded at $300,000.00
• Two additional horticulturists be funded and hired – $200,000.00

Additional information and e-mail addresses for City Council can be found here. 

Come join Tree San Diego and Treejuvenation at the Salvaged Tree Jubilee.  An afternoon of story telling, problem solving and celebration.  Learn more about salvaged urban lumber, see live wood milling demonstrations, browse urban wood crafts from local artisans and relax with music by Ashley Manzanec.  San Diego Botanical Gardens.  May 20th.  10am to 2pm.  The event is free but please RSVP!  https://www.facebook.com/events/133590447468409/

The long-awaited data layers for all cities in San Diego County are finally uploaded to SanGIS (in the “ecology” set).  Local GIS experts are working with arborists, planners, health professionals, and communities to map and analyze the data. Please join us for a workshop on Wednesday morning, June 6 at the War-Memorial Building in Balboa Park, same location as the two workshops in 2016. Register at https://treecanopy-june6.eventbrite.com.   

• How do I use maps to see the trees in my community?
• How can professionals use tree canopy layers for plans and projects?
• Where can trees be planted to improve public health, provide ecosystem services, and meet Climate Action Plans?

Draft agenda:

• 9:30 Registration, coffee, and introductions
• 10:00 Recap of workshops in April and October 2016 (data collection and results)
• 10:15 Tree canopy data analysis (results and how to access and use data)
• 10:45 Tree canopy maps, where are the trees and where can more be planted (how to access and use maps)
• 11:00 Break
• 11:15 Case study with District 8 (City of San Diego)
• 11:40 Trees, shade and cooling, and public health benefits
• 11:50 Interim report and next steps
• 12:00 Adjourn

The data layers for all cities in San Diego County are available at SanGIS (San Diego Geographic Information Source, www.sangis.org). Access to data is free, more information at http://www.sangis.org/download/index.html.  The layers are in the “Ecology” section, all named as TREECANOPY.  

Workshops were held on April 5 and October 5, 2016 (also at the War-Memorial Building), attended by 60 and 110 colleagues on the respective dates. University of Vermont scientist Jarlath O’Neill-Dunne outlined the planned assessment and share preliminary results. Since then, the data has been transferred to SanGIS; the City of San Diego is developing maps to display the tree canopy with other map layers; and scientists at UCSD are analyzing the data from a regional perspective.  The turnover of City Forester caused some delay, as Jeremy Barrick took a job in his home state of Minnesota, and Brian Widener started as City Forester in September 2017. A report will be prepared after the workshop, to include analyses and how to access and use the tree canopy layers.

The Mayor’s proposed FY 2019 budget for the City of San Diego was released on April 12, and funding reductions are again proposed for urban forestry. Please help us restore the shade tree pruning and tree planting funds, and add essential urban forestry professionals.

Trees are a critical, very underfunded, and unrecognized element of the Mayor’s three budget goals to “put neighborhoods first, create a better quality of life for all communities, and maintain restored services throughout the city.” (from FY 2019 budget webpage, https://www.sandiego.gov/fm/proposed/). Trees contribute directly to all three!

Please join us in the “Save the Tree Budget” campaign. Send messages to Mayor and Council to fund tree care.

• Restore $900,000 for shade tree pruning.
• Continue $300,000 for “free tree” initiative.
• Add $200,000 for two urban forestry professionals.

Send messages to KevinFaulconer@sandiego.gov, myrtlecole@sandiego.gov, barbarabry@sandiego.gov, chrisward@sandiego.gov, markkersey@sandiego.gov, loriezapf@sandiego.gov, scottsherman@sandiego.gov, davidalvarez@sandiego.gov, georgettegomez@sandiego.gov, slomedico@sandiego.gov, KMcFadden@sandiego.gov, kreeser@sandiego.gov (with cc to afege@sdrufc.com)

How will San Diegans benefit from Tree Budget restoration?

1. Trees are a critical, very underfunded, and unrecognized element of the Mayor’s three strategic budget goals to “put neighborhoods first, create a better quality of life for all communities, and maintain restored services throughout the city.” Trees contribute directly to all three!
2. The “free tree program” is a small but visible and measurable implementation step for the Climate Action Plan.
3. Urban forestry professionals provide quality oversight of tree contracts, inspect and protect trees, and respond to tree complaints. Fifteen staff are needed to implement the Five-year Urban Forest Management Plan, and there are currently seven staff.

What are the impacts of the budget cuts?

1. Shade tree pruning maintains tree health and increases tree canopy for climate action. Scheduled tree inspection and pruning can immediately reduce litigation payments for tree damage.
2. “Free tree” program was set up in FY 2018, with outreach, process to request trees, and contract planting of 2,000 trees. If discontinued, the momentum and future tree canopy investments will be lost.
3. There simply is insufficient capacity to respond to tree complaints, issues, and inspections. This will (and does) cause more tree losses and increases City exposure to liabilities and lawsuits,
4. Contract oversight to ensure quality work to prune, inspect, replace, and preserve existing trees is jeopardized by having only one (very qualified and competent) field arborist.
5. The Invasive Shot Hole Borer is spreading locally, one of several tree pests that need to be evaluated and addressed by the City’s urban forestry professionals.
6. Budget direction includes transfer of code compliance officer position, which shifts but does not add staff.

Transportation & Storm Water proposed FY 2019 budget, https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/fy19pb_v2tsw.pdf .

For more information, contact Anne S. Fege, Ph.D., Chair, Community Forest Advisory Committee for City of San Diego, afege@sdrufc.com.

• Carson Crossing to the Waterfall, northside
• Waterfall to Sycamore Crossing, northside
• Sycamore to West End, northside
• Ridgewood Community Park to I-15 and Cara Knot Way and Memorial Garden (half done), southside
• Pump Station east to the dam
• Dam east to Trailhead near Waterpoint
• Trailhead east to Springbrook southside
• Springbrook east to Springhurst southside
• PQ Creek Crossing east to ranch  house (if County not taking responsibility)

• Trailhead at west end to Old Lopez Rd\
• Old Lopez Road to Lopez Ridge Park
• Lopez Ridge Park to Montongo St.

Our April 4th meeting will be held at:

City of San Diego

War Memorial Building in Balboa Park (ROOM 3), 3325 Zoo Drive. Free parking in the north part of the Zoo parking lot.

This meeting will be held from 11:00am to 1:30pm

This meeting will have 1 CEU’s for Arborist / Tree Worker Certification.

https://sdrufc_april4.eventbrite.com

This Months topic will be:

Invasive Shot Hole Borer…
Coming to a tree near you! 

How to identify symptoms of infestation in different host species, how to survey, sample, and trap ISHB and what the current management recommendations are including discussion on Soil Injection/Topical/Trunk Injection.

Lee Wozniak
Target Specialty Products

Beatriz E. Nobua-Behrmann, PH.D. BIO
Beatriz is a Research Associate at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Orange County. Her research background is in ecology and insect-plant interactions. She got her doctorate degree on insect ecology from the University of Buenos Aires, in Argentina. She is currently managing the Invasive Pests project at UCCE, focused mainly on the Invasive Shot-Hole Borer beetle.

Lee Wozniak BIO
Lees has worked for Target specialty products for 29 years as a horticulturist, Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor.  He is a graduate of Cal Poly Pomona with a BS degree in Ornamental Horticulture.

This meeting will cost $20.00 with lunch included
RSVP by Friday March 30, 2018 https://sdrufc_april4.eventbrite.com

“Pick a tree at random anywhere in Southern California and examine it closely. Chances are good that you will find small wet stains on its
trunk. Those wet stains are most likely signs of a fatal tree disease that is spreading throughout the region at an alarming rate, and which
has the potential to significantly change the way Southern California looks.

The disease is called Fusarium dieback, and it is transmitted by one type of fungus-farming beetle: the invasive shot hole borer.

Thought to have arrived in Southern California in packing materials from Southeast Asia, this beetle burrows into trees and grows fungal pathogens
for food. The pathogens then interrupt the transport of water and nutrients within the tree from roots to leaves, eventually causing branch dieback
and possibly death.” – Akif Eskalen, Shannon Lunch.  LA Times 11/30/17

We have posted the quarterly situation report for Invasive Shot Hole Borers on our website.