Valley Center presents progress report on North Meridian tree-replacement project

Roger Stewart, a member of the Public Properties and Outdoor Spaces Board, told the Valley Center City Council that the North Meridian tree-replacement project began in July 2023 and has advanced through tree removals, species selection and property-owner outreach.

Stewart said the project documented 53 trees removed along Meridian. He described a multi-step process: inventory and construction-plan review in 2023, a public open house in November, tree removals in January, species selection in spring–summer and work to match the “right tree for the right place.” He told the council that, as of the presentation, roughly 50 trees had been handled as part of the Meridian project and that “we still have 29 more trees to plant there.”

Stewart said crews and volunteers met with property owners to offer from a list of species (small, medium and large trees) and to avoid conflicts with underground utilities. He described an emphasis on diversity for spring and fall color and on locating larger canopy trees on private property where utilities would not conflict. “You don't put a big giant tree in a small little spot,” Stewart said.

Stewart reported project-level property counts and outcomes: 57 properties were on the project list; 34 had trees removed; 41 had trees planted. He said 9 properties had no room for a tree, three property owners refused plantings, three initially accepted but later declined, and one property owner could not be contacted.

On cost, Stewart said he collected bids from five local suppliers and calculated an average supplier cost of about $250 per tree. He said volunteer planting labor, equipment, insurance and staking averaged about $100 per tree, producing an average project cost of roughly $350 per tree. Stewart told the council that planting trees in-house had saved an estimated $4,000 to $8,000 compared with outside-planting estimates.

Council members thanked Stewart for the volunteer work. Stewart also told the council that Valley Center had been accepted for another year as a Tree City USA, a recognition he said the city had received again this year.

The presentation included photos of planted species and a list of small, medium and larger trees chosen for the corridor; Stewart said large, disease-resistant American elm varieties and Shumard oak were selected to begin rebuilding canopy over time.