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Natural Resources section outlines creek, trails, vernal-pool and urban-forestry work
Summary
City natural-resources staff summarized creek maintenance, vegetation management, vernal-pool monitoring, unsheltered-camp cleanup and urban-forestry programs. Staff said the city manages about 78 miles of creeks, 45 miles of bike trails, roughly 42,000 acres of open space vegetation work and an inventory of about 55,000 city trees.
Natural-resources staff for the City of Roseville on April 2025 presented an overview of the programs that manage the city’s creeks, open space, trails and urban forest.
Michael Neumann, the city’s urban forester, and Colleen Rhodes, Natural Resource Specialist, told the Parks and Recreation Commission that the Natural Resources Stewardship Team and the Urban Forestry Team split responsibilities: stewardship handles creek maintenance, invasive species management, vegetation and firebreaks, trail maintenance, vernal-pool monitoring, wildlife conservation and unsheltered camps; urban forestry handles tree pruning and removals, planting and plant-health care, risk assessment and wildlife-habitat management.
Rhodes said the city oversees about "78 miles of creeks." She described field data collection using GIS-enabled tablets to record invasive plants, debris, beaver dams and other conditions and said the teams submit VRF forms to California Department of Fish and Wildlife before routine creek work; the allowable creek work window is between May and October. For vegetation and fire-break work, staff said the city manages roughly 42,000 acres of open space and uses in‑house crews, contractors and goats for targeted grazing to reduce dry vegetation.
On trails, staff manage about 45 miles of bike trails with weekly maintenance tasks such as removing debris, replenishing dog-waste bags and monitoring signage. The Natural Resources team also runs a trail-interpretation program that marks natural trails with symbols and informational plaques; staff said they aim to add one marked natural trail per year.
Rhodes said the city monitors over 1,500 vernal pools and uses a biological contractor to sample pools and track conditions. Staff described wildlife encountered in city creeks and preserves, including beavers, owls, hawks, deer and coyotes. In unsheltered-camp responses, staff described a partnership with the Roseville Police Department to offer assistance and provide a 48-hour notice before city crews remove debris; staff said weekly debris removal volumes run around 6,000 pounds at some sites.
Urban forestry staff reported an estimated 55,000 inventoried city trees in parks, streetscapes and landscapes and about 100,000 trees in open space and trails that are not fully inventoried. City programs have planted roughly 35,000 native trees in natural-resource areas over the last 18 years and currently plant about 2,000 native trees per year. The city and its nonprofit partners run volunteer planting and mulching events; the Roseville Urban Forestry Foundation was named as a long-term partner.
Commissioners thanked staff for the presentation. No formal action was associated with the item; it was presented for information and discussion.
