HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - #11
Orozco, Norma
From:Manuel Escamilla <manueljescamilla@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, October 18, 2021 11:05 PM
To:Ridge, Kristine; Saba, Nabil; eComment
Subject:Re: Item 11 - Urban Forest Management Plan
Dear City Manager Ridge and Director Saba,
I have the following comments regarding the Urban Forest Management Plan:
1. We should remove Queen Palms as an acceptable tree. The City should move towards shade trees whenever
possible and transitioning away from palms like those along Main Street.
If tree well sizes are the main concern for maintaining palms, simple permeable cement pavers would be a
preferable design solution.
2. Observations on the parkway size restrictions
a. The parkway size limits (5-8ft) seem to prevent pine trees from being planted on Pine Street.
1
b. Very few areas within the City provide 8 ft parkways required for the Camphor trees that are a great
addition to Cypress Street. I believe it is worth moving towards wider parkway standards within new
developments and during street redesigns.
3. There are some examples of large trees planted in relatively shallow parkways that have avoided sidewalk
uplift problems. These oaks in the Eastside neighborhood have done little visible damage to the 1930s sidewalk
they are flanked by. There might be some replicable lessons for sidewalk design or root management techniques
that can be applied across the City. Preferably with an understanding to plant trees with larger canopies and
root systems than would have been thought feasible.
2
4. I believe the City should also undertake an analysis outlined by the USDA Forest Service of where the tree
canopy is thriving and where investments need to be made. This should be a standard part of the Urban Forest
Management Plan as our City undertakes efforts to mitigate heat island impacts.
https://canopy.itreetools.org/ - This tool would allow staff to create a simple statistical sampling of
plant/impermeable coverage within the City. However, the City would likely need to hire a consultant to create
a full report with actionable data.
Alternatively, the City could pursue a partnership with Google's Tree Canopy Lab to conduct a canopy analysis
using their system. The major downside here being that the Google team has not indicated how partnership
cities are selected. I believe that staff members at the Central Library have an ongoing tech partnership with
Google and might be able to help this process along.
https://insights.sustainability.google/labs/treecanopy
My apologies for not catching this item at the ETAC meeting.
All the best,
Manny
bcc: Mayor and Council
3