Sacramento is the City of Trees.  Earlier this year, the City's Urban Forest Services Division was transferred from the Department of Parks & Recreation to the Transportation Department.  Responsibility for trees in parks and on private property remain under the jurisdiction of Parks & Recreation.  Responsibility for 'street trees' was transferred because the thought was since Transportation oversees streets (parking; sidewalks, etc.) the Department should also have jurisdiction over 'street trees'.  

Appeals of granting or denying permits to cutdown heritage trees still remain with the Parks & Recreation Commission.

With the reorganization of Urban Forest Services to the Transportation Department, I believe now more than ever is the time to finally create a City Trees Commission.  

A little history: In 1992, Wolfe Mason Associates prepared the City of Sacramento Urban Forest Management Plan. This 1992 Plan was the first to advocate creation a new advisory group to implement the Urban Forest Management Plan.

Twelve years later, in 2004, Robert Tate Associates in their Sacramento Tree Services Best Management Practices Review and Report also called for the creation of a strong and well-recognized citizen advisory group to aid in setting policy, provide checks and balances, and advocate for the urban forest.

in 2006, the City Council adopted the Urban Forest Services Best Management Practices Implementation Plan. Once again, the creation of a Citizen’s Advisory Group on Trees was included in the plan.

The Parks and Recreation Commission's Urban Forest Services Committee has in a limited capacity served as a citizen advisory group as called for in the Wolfe Mason Report and the Tate Report. The Tate Report, papers 34 and 35, enumerated quite clearly the duties and responsibilities of a citizen advisory group (Trees Commission):

• Advise the Mayor, City Council, and appropriate City departments on urban forestry concerns.
• Review of project plans for major publicly sponsored developments, civic improvements, and changes to public right-of-way relative to their projected impact on trees and make recommendations regarding these projects to the Mayor, City Council and appropriate City Departments.
• Encourage early and continuous public participation in urban forestry projects and programs.
• Facilitate the cooperative interaction of tree-related activities within the City among various city, state and federal agencies, as well as among businesses, non-profit groups, and the public.
• Provide a regular forum, according to an establish, publicized agenda, of scheduled topics for public discussion of urban forestry issues.
• Assist with the development of policies that affect trees.
• Ensure the effective implementation and administration of the Urban Forest Best Management Practices Plan.
• Assist and support public education efforts on the value and benefits of the urban forest.
• Identify and support procurement of adequate funding, especially alternative funding opportunities, and staffing to ensure that the needs of the urban forest are effectively addressed.
• Actively advocate and champion the commitment of adequate resources for tree programs.
• Monitor and annually report on the state of the urban forest.
• Hear tree appeals regarding street trees, Parks and Recreation Commission would continue to hear tree appeals for trees located in City parks.

What are your thoughts?  Should the City of Sacramento create a Trees Commission? If you agree we should, would you be willing to help?