Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "urban forest"

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue - Quantifying the Benefits of Street Trees

2011-06-22T01:49:08Z

There's a lot more green on a tree than just its leaves!

At this month's 4WDD ISA-Certified Arborist Scott Gregory will talk about assessing the economic and environmental benefits of the urban forest. In April, Scott successfully defended his master's thesis, "Quantifying Street Tree Function and Distribution: Analysis of Environmental Services, Population Characteristics, and Sidewalk Uplift in the City of Chico, California".

His thesis entailed inventory of 34,950 street trees, stumps, and available planting sites within the City of Chico and subsequent data analysis to quantify environmental services provided by the City's street trees. By identifying public and private trees in advance of potential tree failure, the street tree inventory is estimated to save the City of Chico as much as $30,000 per year in reduced maintenance and emergency clean-up costs. Carbon dioxide sequestration benefits have already been used in the development of the City of Chico Climate Action Plan, and the identification of available tree planting sites has subsequently assisted in the acquisition of a tree planting grant by Chico's Street Tree Department.

The event is FREE and open to anyone. Light refreshments are provided. Please RSVP to info@aiacv.org or call 916-444-3658.
See the flyer (above) for more information.

What : 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) – Quantifying the Benefits of Street Trees

When : Wednesday, June 22nd @ 5:45-7:30pm. Doors open at 5:30, discussion and question/ answer session follows the presentation

Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street, Sacramento (Enter on 14th Street)

Facilitator: Jake Favour, Creative Director at Romp Creative

Disclosure: Dalton LaVoie is the co-chair of the 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD).

World Class City Of Trees

2010-05-27T20:51:05Z

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." -- Marcel Proust

"Victim trees are located outside, near to or within a block of bars and nightclubs. The damage consists of twisting, cutting them in half or breaking off at any point newly planted trees of all species, ripping out the stakes and battering the trees and trying to break a tree by bending it over so far that it damaged the root system so much it could not stand straight without city arborists’ attention and help." -- Tree Vandalism, Dale Kooyman

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/27950/Tree_Vandalism

Photos:
1. Vandalized tree. 2. Stunted growth of vandalized tree. 3. Growth of tree of same species and planting schedule. 4. Line of three planted together, with gap. 5. Vandalized tree removed (note mulch bed for first years' watering by City). 6. Trees planted at various times to maintain tree canopy.

The following is edited from "City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2005 - 2010," to accompany photos and link to Dale Kooyman's article (with permission) on tree vandalization, as requested by SacPress. May the following history help foster more appreciation for our World Class City of Trees. MM

"C.K. McClatchy was one of the City of Sacramento's most outspoken proponents of trees. During his term as editor of The Sacramento Bee, he would often publish on the front page the obituaries for trees killed by vandals. McClatchy's efforts were vital in raising the awareness, appreciation and pride in the City's urban forest."

It is indeed ironic that the founding charter of the City of Sacramento was developed under the shade of a tree. Developing a lush and healthy Urban Forest was one of the key instruments in making Sacramento a healthy and vibrant community.

Sacramento during the first years of incorporation was considered an unhealthy place to live. Wetlands surrounding the city bred mosquitoes and disease. The summer months brought extreme heat. There were several fires in the years shortly after incorporation in 1850, 1852, and 1861.

Tree planting was seen as the solution to the problem of hot days and the unpleasant odor in the air. An early reporter in Sacramento found that shade trees add much to the beauty of this place; it will be in a few years the city of trees. Evidence of local appreciation for trees dates to 1855, during which time residents were said to have a "mania" for planting them.

Typically, urban forest management relies on the planting and management performed by city officials; however, in Sacramento, the maintenance of the urban forest has always been a partnership between the City and its residents.

The Urban Forest continues to provide the backbone of the city's living infrastructure. The City of Sacramento continues to be the steward of the City's Urban Forest, along with the City's residents, maintaining more than 150,000 city street and park trees, planting new trees and monitoring the health of the urban forest.

In 2005, the City of Sacramento planted its one-millionth tree, making it second only in the world to Paris, France in the number of trees per resident.

City of Sacramento Urban Forest Services
Mission: To Promote a Safe, Sustainable, and Healthy Urban Forest for Sacramento Communities.
Vision: To be the recognized leader in urban forestry.

Urban Forestry Service provides tree care service for the City’s public trees. Public trees include street trees (tree within planter strips or the area between the sidewalk and the curb), trees in City parks, and trees on City property. Urban Forestry Service, under the authority of the Sacramento City Code, also protects Heritage Trees on both public and private property.

For service requests or information, please call or email 311 and a call center agent will get back to you as soon as possible.
http://cityofsacramento.org/transportation/urbanforest/
http://cityofsacramento.org/transportation/urbanforest/faq.html
http://cityofsacramento.org/transportation/urbanforest/heritage.html
City of Sacramento Parks and Recreation Master Plan 2005 - 2010
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/parksandrecreation/masterplan/pdf/mp3-a-appendcs-a-c.pdf

photos: Marion Millin

Free SMUD trees support the 5 million tree campaign

2009-10-28T17:33:28Z

Tree clean our air and water, store carbon in their trunks, create habitat for wildlife, reduce air pollution, increase property values, and provide countless other benefits. The Sacramento Tree Foundation works to leverage all of the benefits that trees provide to create healthy and sustainable communities through building the best urban forest in the Sacramento region. A major keystone in building the best urban forest is the Greenprint initiative, a multi-decade regional framework created to meet Sacramento's sustainability and livability goals by expanding urban forests and optimizing the benefits of tree canopies. Greenprint partners, comprised of 22 cities and 6 counties, have agreed to double their tree canopy over the next 40 years. In order to achieve this goal, we need to plant 5 million new trees by the year 2025.

SMUD customers can join the 5 million tree campaign by planting free energy saving SMUD trees. Through the Shade Tree Program, the Sacramento Tree Foundation, in partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, has planted over 450,000 trees in Sacramento County since the program’s inception in 1990. If you wish to receive free shade trees, a Community Forester from the Sacramento Tree Foundation will visit your property and help you select the best trees, determine the strategic locations for maximum energy savings, and provide you with information on planting and care. When you are ready to plant, your trees will be delivered to your home, along with stakes and ties – all at absolutely no cost to you. To sign up for a free appointment or to learn more about trees and the 5 million tree campaign, please contact the Sacramento Tree Foundation at (916) 924-8733 Ext. 121 or visit Sactree.com.

Tree Foundation to receive funding for jobs

2009-10-16T03:56:50Z

A non-profit group that promotes an “urban forest” through programs to plant and maintain trees is likely to receive a $750,000 federal stimulus grant to hire additional staffers. The Sacramento Tree Foundation has been selected to receive the American Recovery and Reinvestment grant and is ironing out the details for how it plans to use the money.

The federal stimulus dollars will be distributed through the U.S. Forest Service and will be administered through California ReLeaf, a Davis-based environmental group.

“We’re privileged as well as excited to receive the grant from the Forest Service,” said City Councilman Ray Tretheway, who is the foundation’s executive director. “It hits at an acute time where non-profits are normally struggling.”

The money has already been secured, said Martha Ozonoff, executive director of California ReLeaf. The funding will be obtained through reimbursements and the billing process will likely begin in December, according to Ozonoff and Tretheway. The grant program will last through early 2010, Ozonoff said.

The foundation is pinning down the specifics of how it plans to use the money. The funding is for jobs, but the total number of positions and the job descriptions have not yet been settled. The foundation wants to use the money to hire four staffers, Tretheway said. Resources such as equipment and vehicles to carry out the work would also be part of the proposal for the $750,000 in funding, he said.

However, Ozonoff said she wants to work with the foundation to see if more than four jobs can be created.

Tretheway envisions that four staffers would be regional coordinators for the foundation’s Greenprint initiative, which he explains is a framework for building “the best urban forest” in the region. One of the main framework objectives is to double the tree canopy in the region by 2025, Tretheway said. The undertaking will require planting 5 million trees in the following six counties: Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City of Sacramento Urban Forest Services Committee December 8, 2008

2008-12-09T06:45:38Z

Tonight the City of Sacramento Urban Forest Services Committee met to receive and comment on proposed changes to the tree appeals process. The proposed changes would move appealed tree removal hearings from the Parks and Recreation Commission to the Planning Commission.

The meeting was civil but contentious. Representatives from Winn Park Neighborhood Association and Newton Booth Neighborhood Association attended to present letters from their boards opposed to the ordinance change. Committee members expressed mixed views of the change.

This was a "receive and comment" meeting so there were no official votes on actions. But an unofficial vote on whether to recommend the proposed ordinance change to the broader Parks and Recreations Commission split 3 - 2. Cynthia Cooke, Leo Lujan, and Patrick Lynn voted in favor. George Raya and David Tamayo voted against. No matter the outcome of that vote either way the full Commission will discuss the proposed ordinance change.

The proposal would change 12.56.120 and 12.64.060 of The Sacramento City Code relating to appeals of decisions on tree removal and maintenance permits. The process to remove a tree is not simple. If a decision to remove a tree is appealed it currently moves through a review process in the Parks and Recreation Commission. The appeal process would be the same, but under the proposed change the Planning Commission would review the appeal. The criteria used to review would also stay the same.

Response

2008-12-08T23:16:26Z

Joe Benassini, the Manager of Urban Forestry Services for the City of Sacramento, responded to citizens concerned about the tree on 16th street coming down with this public email:

All;

The tree in question was removed as a part of the improved streetscape adjacent to the Hot Italian restaurant. The tree had a major limb failure and had other structural problems that might not have been apparent to a passer by. The City Arborist made the call to remove and replace the tree and include an irrigation system in an effort to improve the canopy cover, not to lessen it. The cost of removal and replacement was borne by the applicant, not the city. The fact that the tree was not posted was an oversight by the arborist. However, posting is not required by the City Code. It is done as a matter of our general policy.

There are no plans to remove all liquidambars. However, the City Council has requested that staff review options for removal of trees that are often problematic, including liquidambars and other trees, due to root intrusion or other issues. City code allows a process for individuals to request removal and replacement of street trees, but it is by no means automatically granted.

The mission of the urban forestry division is to support a safe, healthy, and sustainable urban forest for Sacramento's communities. While it may not always be apparent, our decisions are based on the best interest of the residents, property and business owners, and visitors to Sacramento.

Joe Benassini
Manager, Urban Forestry Services
Department of Transportation
City of Sacramento

City plans to attack our trees

2008-12-04T05:57:41Z

I've just learned that city management is planning to move the appeal process to cut down trees from the Parks and Recreation Commission to the Planning Commission on all development related issues!!! This would apply to ALL developer projects.

Why is this bad? This change will enable Development Services Manager and staff (who have no expertise in trees) to order removal of healthy shade trees any time a developer wants them removed. The public would have to appeal to the Planning Commission instead of the Parks and Recreation Commission. A tree would not have to be in the way of construction. It could be that the developer wants all new or fewer trees bordering the new building. Check out SW corner of 20th & Capitol. The big healthy shade Elm tree would have been cut down had it not been for people's opposition.

Please attend Urban Forest Sub Committee Agenda for December 8, 2008 5:30 PM. The meeting to discuss and decide this change of policy will be held in Conference Room 2121 - 2nd floor, DOT offices at City Hall.

Our Tree representative, George Raya, will be there on our behalf but he needs our heip. We need to call, email or mail our new Mayor, and councilmembers Loren Hammond , Seve Cohn, Ray Tretheway (former Tree Foundation) , Rob Fong also to let them know this is just a way to get a healthy tree cut down in a hurry to please a developer who does not even live in our city..

Points to cover a. Planning staff and commission have no expertise in or knowledge about trees like the Parks and Recreation Commission does. b. this is wanton destruction of HEALTHY trees' shade for all pedestrians (mention especially seniors, children, those in wheel chairs) who then have to move around in 100 degree weather. This flies in the face the city encouraging pedestrian activity.

We all agree that sick and dangerous trees should be removed but we must save our healthy shade trees from unnecessary destruction.