Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forest topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newman adopts Urban Forest Management Plan; staff to expand canopy after $203,000 grant-funded plantings
Summary
The Newman City Council adopted an Urban Forest Management Plan that inventories public trees, sets canopy goals and outlines steps for staffing, maintenance and planting. The plan identifies roughly 6.9% canopy cover, inventories 2,239 public trees, and follows a planting project of 200 trees funded largely by a state grant.
The Newman City Council on June 24 adopted the City of Newman Urban Forest Management Plan, a multi-year framework intended to expand and protect the city's tree canopy.
Anne Fankner, municipal arborist and project developer for Davie Resource Group, presented the plan and told council the city's tree canopy is approximately 6.9% and the public tree inventory includes about 2,239 trees in the public right-of-way. The plan recommends staffing, maintenance, planting and policy changes to increase canopy, address pests and drought stress, and improve equity in tree distribution across neighborhoods.
"An urban forest plan is a long-term strategic framework that guides the management, protection and expansion of trees and green spaces within your city," Fankner said during her presentation. She summarized the project's technical work: a public-tree inventory, geospatial canopy assessment using high-resolution aerial imagery, species and health surveys, policy review and community outreach.
The city coordinated a large planting in which Davie Resource Group trained the California Conservation Corps to plant 200 trees; staff said those trees are now inventoried and in the city's maintenance cycle. Public works staff said the planting effort and plan development were supported by a Cal Fire grant and a city match. According to staff remarks, the project cost approximately $270,000, of which about $203,000 was a Cal Fire grant and the remainder a city match.
The plan organizes implementation around three goals: ensuring routine, high-quality care for public trees through appropriate staffing and training; increasing overall canopy through ordinance updates, protections during construction and improved communication; and enhancing resilience against pests, drought and climate-related stressors. The plan encourages regular review and incorporation into annual budgeting.
Councilmember comments included thanks to project staff and to Cal Fire for the grant. The council adopted the resolution to approve the plan in a 4'0 vote.
The adopted plan and related materials were presented at the June 24 meeting and city staff said they will integrate recommended actions into upcoming budget and operations planning.
