Sierra Club and council members press for Bakersfield tree plan update amid heat-island concerns

Speakers from Sierra Club and other local organizations urged the Bakersfield City Council to accelerate urban-tree actions to combat heat-island effects and improve neighborhood quality of life.

Eddie Lane, speaking for the Sierra Club, said a recent Californian opinion piece described the “lack of trees along major city streets and highways … not just an eyesore, it's a health hazard and erodes Bakersfield's quality of life.” Lane said the Sierra Club is co-sponsoring a tree dialogue on Aug. 28 and is working with the Recreation and Parks District subcommittee to advance recommendations from stakeholders including the Kern River Parkway Foundation.

Council member Coleman described a recent street-level incident and asked staff for an update after public works responded. Coleman said trees along Gosford had been “hacked up” and that staff informed him the city did not control some right-of-way trees in that location. He said he wanted “to hear, what we are doing to, to improve our tree coverage in the city.”

Speakers and council members noted past outreach from the Sierra Club and other stakeholders and asked staff to follow up; the Sierra Club said there had been broad community involvement in drafting recommendations. No formal staff report, ordinance or funding decision was made during this meeting on tree-planting programs or a heat-island strategy.

Council members indicated interest in resolving a “hiccup” in the process and in receiving the recommendations the Sierra Club and partners have drafted, but no schedule or budget commitment was recorded on the public record at this meeting.