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NOTICE OF SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a special meeting of the City Council of the City
of San Luis Obispo will be held on Friday, August 4, 2006, at 9:00 a.m. The
meeting will commence at the San Luis Obispo Historical Society Museum, at 696
Monterey Street (Monterey and Broad Streets), follow the route specified in the
attached route diagram, and end at the corner of'Osos and Monterey Streets,San,
Luis Obispo. The purpose of the meeting will be for Council and the public to
participate in a walking tour with the City's Arborist to view trees being
recommended for removal in the Downtown.
GA301-03 AGENDAS\2006 Agendak8-04-06 Special Meeting Notice Walking Tour.doc
council MCM01ZAn6um
July 25, 2006
TO: City Council
VIA: Ken Hampian, City Administrative Officer
FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Public Works
Prepared By. Barbara Lynch, City Enginee�
SUBJECT: Urban Forest Management Plan Field Meeting
As part of the 2005-07 Financial Management Plan, the City Council approved the Downtown
Urban Forest Management Plan project. The first year of the project funded an evaluation of
approximately 130 mature Ficus trees in the downtown and along upper Monterey Street. These
mature trees have experienced problems related to age or disease, and are more likely to experience
structural failures that could cause injury or damage. In further reviewing the project, staff considered
the addition to the evaluation of approximately 160 Carrotwood trees. The reason for considering the
addition was two fold. First, the Carrotwood is no longer an approved species for street tree planting.
Secondly, Carrotwood trees have similar potential.to the Ficus for unexpected failures and are a
significant presence in the downtown.
Proposals for the original scope of work were received along with a proposed additional cost to
complete the review of the Carrotwood. Staff recommended, and the City Administrator
approved the use of salary savings in the department's budget to fund the review of all 290 trees..
The result of the review is the attached Evaluation of Selected Street Trees. The consultant has
recommended the removal of a small group of trees and the trimming of another group of trees in
the immediate future. This is in addition to a much larger group of trees proposed for removal
and trimming.
Staff anticipates there could be significant concern regarding tree removals in the Downtown. To
help both the public and the City Council to understand the issues addressed in the report, staff is
approaching the consideration of the tree evaluation report in two steps. The first step is to take
the Council meeting on the road. A selection of trees will be reviewed by the City's Arborist
during a walking tour to visually show the meeting attendees the issues first hand. This will also
assist staff in understanding the questions and concerns of the community, prior to preparing a
formal presentation for the City Council. This formal presentation will follow the field review by
about a month and include details of how staff proposes to "manage the Downtown.Urban
Forest and the timetable proposed for removals, trimming, and replanting.
Urban Forest Management Plan Field Meeting Page 2
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1. Tour Route
Attachment 2. Summary of Evaluation of Selected Street Trees prepared by Bill Spiewak
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ATTACHMENT
Downtowntown Street Tree Evaluation
Walk and Talk
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EVALUATION OF SELECTED STREET
TREES
CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
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Prepared for
RON COMBS
Urban Forester—Tree Maintenance Division
Public Works Department
25 Prado Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7314
March 2006
Evaluation of Selected Street Trees for the City of San Luis Obispo March 2006
SUIVMARY
A large Ficus tree crushed a car in the downtown core of the City of San Luis Obispo. This tree
failure prompted the Public Works Department to allocate funds for an objective assessment of
key trees within a selected area of the city.
As a Registered Consulting Arborist with the American Society of Consulting Arborists,I was
awarded the contract to assess 383 trees including Carrotwoods and two varieties of Ficus.
I created a worksheet for the project that identified the tree types,locations,trunk diameters,and
other health and structural characteristics necessary to assess risks. I evaluated health problems,
canopy cover,branch attachments,root conflicts,targets within range of the trees and the
frequency of use of each tree site. My worksheet included a point system for rating
characteristics that helped me prioritize tree needs.
With the assistance of Dan Condon,former Arborist for the City of Santa Barbara,we set out to
conduct our field assessment. Dan offered a municipal perspective that complemented my
commercial background. We were quite impressed with the beauty and prominence of the street
tree canopy,but it was evident there were risks that needed to be addressed.
The key problem among the three tree varieties was the consistency of co-dominant stems and
weak branch attachments. These common structural weaknesses are caused by fast growing,
multiple branched trees,where limbs of the same tree compete against each other for space and
dominance. The results are weak branch unions,and a common cause of devastating tree failures.
Many Ficus and Carrotwood trees within this inventory are highly susceptible to failure from this
anatomical weakness.
Another major problem was conflict between low tree limbs and trucks The damage to low
limbs was abundant throughout the city and large wounds lead to other structural weaknesses that
increase risk.
My data provided me a look at the quantity,size and distribution of the trees within the project
area,and priorities for removal or pruning,sidewalk or curb and gutter repair and insect control.
Aside from.the recommended 52 trees to be removed, 184 were in need of pruning and.54 needed
groundwork(sidewalk repair,etc.). I also determined there is an urgency to remove six trees
and prune eight. The details of my conclusions can be read in the Conclusion Section of the
report beginning on page 13. An Action Plan beginning on page 15 offers step-by-step direction
on managing the tree inventory.
A CD accompanies this report with the tree inventory copied onto an Excel spreadsheet. It can.be
of great assistance to the proficient user in sorting data and planning maintenance and budgets.
On the previous page,I provide a list that helps review this lengthy document and get started on
reducing risk and managing trees. Any questions can be directed to meat the email address or
phone number on the letterhead.
Bill Spiewak
Registered Consulting Arborist#381 Board Certified Master Arborist#310-B
American Society of Consulting Arborists International Society of Arboriculture
Bill Spiewak—Consulting Arborist 3