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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/17/2007, BUS 2 - DOWNTOWN STREET TREE MANAGEMENT PLAN 0 council M April 17, 2007 j aGEnba 12Epont OILS a, CITY O F SAN LUIS O B I S P O FROM: Jay D. Walter,Director of Public Works Prepared By: Barbara Lynch City Engineer SUBJECT: DOWNTOWN STREET TREE MANAGEMENT PLAN CAO RECOMMENDATION As recommended by the Tree Committee, adopt the 2007 Downtown Street Tree Management Plan. DISCUSSION Background 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 a large number of 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. The result of the review was a report by consulting arborist Bill Spiewak previously provided to the Council in August 2006. The consultant recommended the removal of a small group of trees and the trimming of another group of trees in the immediate future. This was in addition to a larger group of trees proposed for future removal and trimming. The report was reviewed by the Downtown Association and the Tree Committee. Ultimately, it went before the City Council in two phases, the first, a tour of example trees and problems on August 4, 2006 and then on September 5, 2006 for authorization to complete high priority removals and pruning. The second year of the Financial Plan funded construction work. This work is getting under way this month, April 2007, and includes replacement of damaged sidewalk and installation of tree grates. The Downtown Association and the Tree Committee have been supportive of getting the high priority removals completed to reduce the potential for property damage or injury and staff has received very few complaints regarding the removals.. Plan Development Staff recognized that the assessment report was not a management plan but rather a piece of the plan toward improving the health of our street trees. After reviewing the report and getting the high priority removals underway, staff began work on a plan for using the report and maintaining the health of the downtown street trees. Rather than obtaining additional funds for consultation, in a series of meetings, staff developed a list of needs and problems for the trees using a combination of in-house expertise and the report generated by the consulting arborist. From that list of needs and problems, language was developed to address each item. (Attachment 1) The draft report was provided to the Tree Committee, where it was reviewed and discussed at their regular meeting of November 27, 2006. The plan was also routed to the Community Development C:Q I . Downtown Street Tree Management Plan Page 2 Department, and the Downtown Association for comment. Their comments were incorporated into the plan and it is now ready for Council consideration. Plan Content The plan itself begins with the background of how the staff got to the point of deciding development of such a plan was needed and reviews related General Plan elements. The plan then becomes more specific as to how work will be prioritized and managed as well as how various issues that threaten the health of the trees are to be handled. 1. Purpose of Plan and Policies Highlighted The purpose of the Downtown Tree Management Plan is to continue implementation of the General Plan, the Tree Regulations and to promote good arboricultural practices as a "Tree City USA." The Safety Element requires the City to identify and maintain or remove tree hazards on City property. The Land Use Element requires a nearly continuous tree canopy along sidewalks. The Circulation Element requires shade for sidewalk areas in the commercial core. The Urban Forest Management Plan project is intended to implement all of these elements of the General Plan. The Plan also furthers our compliance with the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement signed by the Mayor last year which states: We will strive to meet or exceed Kyoto Protocol targets for reducing global warming pollution by taking actions in our own operations and communities such as:...Maintain healthy urban forests;promote tree planting to increase shading and to absorb CO2. . . 2. Actions Described in the Plan—Management of Removal and Replanting The Plan outlines a process by which trees are removed, pruned, or treated for pests with a long term goal of a healthy downtown urban forest which will provide species diversity, beauty, shade, canopy, and other environmental benefits while reducing potential hazards from trees. There will be three priorities for tree maintenance, trees with high risk of failure, trees needing pruning to reduce hazards, trees needing attention for pest control or fertilization. This work will be prioritized and handled by the Urban Forestry division in Public Works. Removals should be scheduled such that no more than one tree per block in a two year period are scheduled for removal. Trees will be replanted with larger specimens than previously used to improve their resistance to vandalism. Typically trees will be replanted in the winter season, after the regular pruning cycle for the downtown area in the fall. 3. Challenges to Trees in an Urban Forest The plan discusses some of the challenges trees face living in an urban area. Vandalism largely challenges the new trees and through larger specimens, and if needed, tree guards, survival should increase. The smoke from Farmer's Market can coat tree leaves and reduce their health. The Downtown Association and staff are recommending a regular review of barbeque locations at Thursday Market to make adjustments as needed. The City Attorney's office reviewed the issue of damage to the trees by large. vehicles. This was an issue of concern expressed by Council members and the Downtown Association as well as by members of the Tree Committee. The State Vehicle Code does regulate what the City can do regarding truck deliveries and that is reflected in the plan. The Plan approaches the issue through tree selection and of ��. Downtown Street Tree Management Plan Page 3 management rather than relying on punitive measures in an area where we have little regulatory authority. The plan attempts to address the lack of space for the upper tree canopy that is common near tall buildings. The Downtown Association expressed some concern with the original language in the plan that stated buildings should be set back in places to provide room for future upper tree canopies. They felt this issue should be addressed in the Architectural Review process. Staff has since revised the language in the plan to indicate this should be a consideration depending upon the site issues; however it is not worded as a requirement. The plan also touches on infrastructure conflicts. Trees impact on sidewalks and underground service lines is well known. While the plan makes some recommendations on dealing with this issue, staff will continue to monitor new technologies to better deal with this. Next Steps In addition to a contract for grate installations getting ready to start, staff is also completing tree planting in vacant wells in the downtown. After completion of the current construction contract, staff will be planting trees in the new wells. Staff is working cooperatively with business owners who wish to pay for a larger specimen tree. Staff has also prepared a request for future funding for the downtown trees. The request for the 2007-09 Financial Plan is for continued modest funding for the installation of tree grates and tree planting in the downtown. If that project is approved, a small annual project will be advertised to complete grate installations and do tree planting. CONCURRENCES Community Development, the Tree Committee, and the Downtown Association have all reviewed and approved the plan. FISCAL IMPACT Adoption of the Downtown Street Tree Management Plan has no fiscal impact. Any requests for resources to implement the Plan are being submitted through the current Financial Plan process. ATTACHMENTS 1. Minutes from 11-27-06 Tree Committee Meeting 2. 2007 Downtown Street Tree Management Plan COUNCIL READING FILE Evaluation of Selected Trees for the City of San Luis Obispo by Bill Spiewak glstaif-reports-agendas-mnu m\-an2W7\pan¢-tree NdmtMe nV tplw\rZ-aooptpim.dm a -3 CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO TREE COMMITTEE CORPORATION YARD MONDAY,NOVEMBER 27,2006 MEMBERS PRESENT: Jim Lopes,Don Dollar, Ben Parker,and Sara Young STAFF PRESENT: Ron Combs, Todd Beights,and Barbara Lynch PUBLIC COMMENTS Christine Mulholland, Council rep to the Tree Committee, announces that Council will appoint a new liaison and thanked the Committee for their dedicated service. Audrey Hooper, City Clerk, discussed the Advisory Body Recruitment process and stated that the current advisory body vacancies were presenting a challenge to fill. She outlined how her office was stepping up efforts to advertise recruitment efforts and discussed the draft brochure. She encouraged Committee members and staff to participate in the recruitment and education efforts. Mr. Lopes agreed to draft a letter of explanation and invitation to apply to be sent to the people who have expressed interest in the Citizen Forestry group and that a brochure and application could be included with the letter. 1. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 23, 2006 MINUTES The minutes were approved as submitted. --Excerpts from Meeting Minutes— B. Review Draft Downtown Urban Forest Management Plan and make recommendations There was general Committee discussion and recommendations. Highlights included: Include tree regulations in the document "Purpose" section Outline tree specifics in the."Resource Dedication" section, e.g. tree injuries, truck height damage, vandalism, infrastructure damage a -� In the "Work Identification" section addressing how specific work requests will be prioritized, state the Downtown report will guide City's response and prioritization of citizen and utility requests _ In the "Vandalism" section, expand the high potential zone for vandalism to include Pacific Street In the "Infrastructure Damage" section, have the first sentence of the second paragraph read: "This portion of the plan is not unique to the downtown area, but is a citywide issue where trees and sidewalks, streets, pipelines, and public interest meet." In the "Tree Planting and Care" section, delete the last part of the last sentence in the paragraph and have the paragraph end with "It will be continued on an as needed basis." Delete reference to "non-aerial spray methods" Suggested adding a paragraph to emphasize improving on-going maintenance of trees to include water, increasing fertilization to prolong and enhance tree life and preventing problems Add an end paragraph addressing the re-evaluation of activities to date and requiring on-going assessments of Report implementation The Committee agreed they did not need to review the document again and asked staff to coordinate suggestions with Downtown Association and deliver it to Council. C. Council Appeal Mr. Lopes discussed Mr. O'Rei s appeal of the Tree Co ttee decision regarding the Chorro St. Mobile station p erty and asked that as m Committee members as possible be in attendanc t the Council meeting of 5/06. Mr. Dollar reitera at he voted against th otion, which had allowed r specific tree removals and re ' tion of other trees on s' , because he felt all the tre should remain until a desib or the property had bee _ pproved and the request f removal should be made afte hat design approval. OTHER BUSINESS 1. Tree List Update Submitted to Council Mr. Lopes noted the list was going to be submitted for Council approval and again urged 2007 Downtown Straet Tree Management'Plan O ATracHMENTJ,,. Introduction The Downtown Tree Management Plan was the result of the failure of some of the large ficus trees planted in the Downtown during the initial phases of the tree planting program in the 1960's. In some cases major limbs broke from the tree, falling and causing significant property damage. The City determined that the best approach was to hire a consulting arborist to make an assessment of the older trees and provide an overall condition report with recommendations for work to be performed. This assessment was completed in mid-2006. The Downtown, as defined in this plan, is that area designated as the Downtown Association Boundary, being that area roughly bounded by Palm, Santa Rosa, Pacific and Beach streets. Purpose The purpose of the Downtown Tree Management Plan is to continue implementation of the General Plan, the Tree Regulations and to promote good arboricultural practices as a "Tree City USA." The Land Use Element of the General Plan (Section LU 4.5) states that, "There should be a nearly continuous canopy along sidewalks,..." and that the City will consider including features of "A Conceptual Physical Plan for the City's Center" as appropriate in its Zoning Regulations, architectural review guidelines, engineering standards and capital improvement program. One of the key concepts of the Conceptual Physical Plan covers pedestrian access and environment and goes on to recommend improving existing streets through tree planting. In the "Walking" section of the Circulation Element (Section Cl 4.6), sidewalks in the commercial core are recommended to have rest areas with shade and seating, again highlighting the importance of trees. The Safety Element (Section S 7.0) specifically addresses the issue of tree failure, a key component of the plan. The. City will identify, and maintain or remove, trees that are weakened and susceptible to failing to minimize hazards and danger to people and property. This Plan outlines a process by which trees are removed, pruned or treated for pests with a long term goal of a healthy downtown urban forest which will provide species diversity, beauty, shade, canopy and other environmental benefits while reducing potential hazards from trees. Resource Dedication The Downtown area, along with major streets, is identified in the Tree Regulations (Section 12.24) of the City Municipal Code as an area where trees will be maintained by the City. This means a higher level of staff time is dedicated,to work in this area than in Revised Aprii2, 2007 1 a - c� 2007 Downtown Strck Tree Management Plan ATTACHMENT other areas of the City. The higher level of attention is appropriate because of the high pedestrian use, the large number of trees and stressful growing conditions due to the close proximity of buildings, truck damage and vandalism. Work Identification The assessment of the downtown and gateway trees was completed by Registered Consulting and Board Certified Master Arborist Bill Speiwak in conjunction with Dan Condon, a former City Arborist for Santa Barbara. The report detailed health problems, poor tree structure such as limb conflicts and included bark, and other issues such as conflicts with infrastructure or damage caused by large vehicles. The data put together by Mr.. Spiewak provides a detailed review of each tree and uses a rating system to help prioritize the volume of work. This report will be used as the first source to outline and prioritize anticipated work in the downtown. The report will also guide the response to, and prioritization of, work requests from citizens, property owners and utility companies. Lastly, observations by the Urban Forestry staff will provide additional information as to potential problem areas that need to be addressed, or updated in the priorities. Prioritization of Maintenance Work There will be three priorities for tree maintenance. The primary approach is specific to tree care and maintenance and will use the assessment report to highlight trees that have the highest risk for failure. Any significant risk tree will be dealt with as a high priority. Next in line will be those trees needing significant pruning to reduce the risk of-hazard. And lastly those whose health and longevity could be increased through pest control and fertilization will receive attention. As the highest risk trees are dealt with, more time will be available to focus on regular maintenance to extend the life and improve the health of the remaining trees. This work will be prioritized and handled by the Urban Forestry division in Public Works. Removals should be scheduled such that no more than one tree per block in a two year period are scheduled for removal. The exception would be those trees that break apart, dropping the majority of their canopy, fall over completely or indicate a high probability of doing so. Tree removals will be reviewed by the Tree Committee per the existing guidelines. As part of the Street Maintenance division work, needed street and sidewalk repairs resulting from tree root damage will be identified. Work will be coordinated through the City Arborist to determine the best approach for the tree that would allow repair of the infrastructure. In every case, the options to save the tree will be explored before removal is considered. If it appears a removal is necessary to restore a safe pedestrian .path, street maintenance will coordinate with the Urban Forestry divisions work to prevent excessive removals in the same area. Revised Apri12.2007 2 � l � 2007 Downtown Street Tree Management Plan ATTACHMENTS, Work requests from utility companies, building owners and others, will fall into the third category of work effort. These will be investigated by the Urban Forestry division and the severity of the issue determined. If the issue is such that it presents a hazard that needs immediate attention, it will be advanced to a high priority with other high priority work outlined by the assessment report. If not, it will be completed through City or contract staff as time permits or referred back to the requester. Replanting of Removed Trees The new standard for replacement trees downtown will be 24 inch box trees with the City allowing interested citizens to contribute additional funds to plant 36 inch box trees. The larger specimens assist in deterring vandalism. The City Arborist will utilize the Master Street Tree List created by the Tree Committee to determine the appropriate species to be replanted. Traditionally the tree trimming for the Downtown is completed in the fall, just prior to the heavy rain season. The plan proposes that this schedule remain unchanged. Tree replacements at removal locations would then occur following that. Where new tree grates are not required, tree replanting could occur almost immediately. Areas that need sidewalk work and new tree grates would be postponed until after the first of the year and completed in January and February. Trees removed by vandalism will be replaced as soon as a new tree and guard can be ordered but no later than 6 months after the occurrence, taking into account seasonal constraints. Growing Environment The trees in the downtown face a variety of challenges which a tree growing in a natural environment does not. The plan attempts to address these issues in a preliminary way, but by no means in a final way. Issues relating to trees will continue to arise and staff will develop ways to address these issues either through construction standards, development guidelines, ordinance revisions or through community education. The plan, due to the changing nature of the canopy and technology, must remain a flexible document. Vandalism is one of the largest challenges for new trees. The plan to plant 24 inch box trees is anticipated to reduce breakage of new trees based on current experience. A tree guard will be installed around those trees in the high potential zone — specifically along Chorro Street from Pacific to Palm and along Higuera Street from Nipomo to Chorro. Initially, to reduce costs, these will be the only trees to be installed with a guard. Within a couple of years, when the guard can be removed, the City will have a supply of guards that can be. used in other locations. A guard will also be installed if a tree has to be replaced due to vandalism. These revisions were adopted as part of the January 2007 Engineering Standards and Standard Specifications. The current situation with Thursday night barbeques has been dealt with in on a case by case basis. In the past, vendors have been requested to shift their barbeques to avoid Revised April2,2007 3 2007 Downtown Street Tree Management Plan U ATTACHMENTI. damage to the trees. The smoke can cause a problem for the trees, coating their leaves, and the heat can singe the trees if too hot and close. Staff will review barbeque placement every two years with the Downtown Association to shift barbeques in such a way to minimize the detrimental impact to the trees. Damage by large vehicles is an ongoing problem. The California Vehicle Code makes regulation of trucks at their point of delivery very difficult. In the future the City could consider implementing some sort of fine for damage to trees, but the success of this would be entirely reliant on a willing witness to the incident. Two items are proposed to minimize the potential for damage. First, trees removed from commercial loading areas will be replaced with species that will have a more upright structure and these trees will receive additional attention from the Urban Forestry division during their early growing years to discourage branches that would be subject to damage by tall vehicles. Secondly, street reconstruction work which takes place will include full width pavement grinding to prevent the buildup of the center of the street which can increase the amount a truck leans toward the street trees. Impact on buildings is a common concern expressed by building owners. Where a limb threatens a structure, staff will review the situation and take appropriate action to prevent damage. The more common concern expressed is one of clogged gutters or down drains from the accumulation of leaves. This is considered a given if street trees are to exist downtown and maintenance issues are not considered justification for tree removal. This issue is best addressed through education and reminders to building owners of the need to clean gutters prior to the rainy season. Through the architectural review process, tree canopy, either existing canopy or future canopy, should be considered for new structures. Existing trees are largely one sided where they abut structures over one or two stories in height. There are instances where new buildings have stepped back their structure in locations where it was desirable to preserve an existing large tree. This concept should be addressed in the Architectural Review process for projects, taking specific site issues into consideration. Consideration for future canopy expansion for existing smaller trees should also be discussed in this process. This consideration is to be included in the Design Guidelines provided to the public by the Community Development Department. Construction impacts on trees can be very significant. A large number of the trees downtown have experienced underground utility line replacement work, or will in the near future, as the City updates this infrastructure. Depending upon the proximity of the trench line to the roots, some root pruning may have already occurred in the street area. In some places root pruning has been completed to allow level sidewalks to be placed for pedestrian access. When a redevelopment project is proposed in the downtown, the City Arborist will make a final determination on the prudence of keeping a significant specimen tree if it can not reasonably be expected to survive the combination of previous work in the root zone and the proposed work of the redevelopment. In these cases, where the City Arborist makes Revised April 2,2007 q Ca l 2007 Downtown Street Tree Management Plan ATrncHMENrI, such a determination, the developer would be responsible for replacement with a large specimen. Infrastructure damage is very common around trees in urban area. In an attempt to get to air and water, they push their roots out into infrastructure crushing or displacing it. Cities all over the nation are trying different ways to improve the way trees and hardscape coexist. This portion of the plan is not unique to the downtown area, but is a citywide issue where trees and sidewalks, streets and pipelines and the public interest meet. This portion of the program is an area where flexibility is important. Many tree — infrastructure conflicts will have to be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine what approach is the best fit. The following are some approaches currently used. Where root intrusion is moderate, root pruning is done, removing the conflicting roots and restoring the improvements. Root pruning must be completed with care to prevent destabilization to the tree. Some root conflicts can be addressed by creating very large tree wells where pedestrian passage can still be maintained along the buildings. In some areas it is possible to build the curb out into the street to give the tree more room. One new approach will be to improve the condition and size of the planting area to reduce the trees desire to migrate its roots into the sand used below the sidewalk concrete. Past practice has been to install root barriers which have proved to buy time, but do not address the long term problem. Other suggestions have been to install porous concrete or rubber sidewalks. As new ideas and technologies are made available, they will be pursued to determine their applicability and incorporated into the City's standards where appropriate. Tree Plantinq and Care Tree planting and care are part of the overall health of the tree. Current funding levels allow for annual pruning in the downtown and periodic watering for new plantings. The trees are planted with slow release fertilization tablets. Pest control has traditionally been minor in need. It will be continued on an as needed basis. Engineering Standards and Specifications address planting hole preparation and will continue to be reviewed and modified as appropriate. Weakened limbs will typically not be cabled. The cabling introduces additional maintenance effort that the City is not staffed for. The.condition of the limb connections as well as the integrity of the cable installation must be monitored. Cabling should only be considered in special circumstances and upon approval of the City Arborist. Cabling should be used only on a short term basis with the tree scheduled for removal within two years. Cabling will be completed by a consulting arborist. Long Term Program Goals The Urban Forest would be better served by a higher level of attention. The following are the long term goals of the program. (a) Provide earlier maintenance to reduce the likelihood of a tree developing problems leading to its removal, including small tree care and.preventive care. Revised April 2,2007 5 t� 4C '1V 2007 Downtown Straet Tree Management Plan \ ATTACHMENTi (b) Provide additional watering and nutrients to extend the life of the tree. (c) Experiment with different types of care to determine what works the best for the trees and use that information to improve the care of the trees. (d) . Review the activities undertaken as advised in the Evaluation of Selected Street Trees (March 2006) to determine the effectiveness of the recommendations. (e) Update the Evaluation of Selected Trees in four years. The program will require funding dedicated to these goals if progress is to be made. Revised April 2,2007 6