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?
- 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!
- The “free tree program” is a small but visible and measurable implementation step for the Climate Action Plan.
- 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?
- 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.
- “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.
- 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,
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.