Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forestry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City forester warns Boulder's urban canopy is under pressure, urges funding to reduce pruning cycle
Summary
The city's forester told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board that Boulder's urban tree canopy baseline is 22% but is declining in some neighborhoods. Climate extremes, pests and development are the main drivers; staff urged new funding to shorten the city's pruning cycle and support proactive tree care.
Kathleen Alexander, the city forester, told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board on March 1 that Boulder's urban tree canopy needs additional investment to remain resilient.
The presentation summarized the State of the Urban Forest report and the city's progress implementing the 2018 Urban Forest Strategic Plan, noting the city now uses newer mapping methods and a 22% canopy baseline but is seeing localized canopy loss in older neighborhoods such as University Hill.
Alexander said the report identifies three main causes of canopy decline: climate change (more frequent severe weather and extreme temperature swings), insect and disease pests and tree loss associated with development. She highlighted a pest complex affecting mature red oaks (described in the meeting as "Drippy Blight and Kermes Scale") and said Emerald Ash Borer is being actively managed. "The earlier a pest is detected, the more management options are available," she said.
Why it matters: city staff said maintaining trees reduces urban heat, stores carbon and helps with stormwater. Alexander said the city's street-tree pruning rotation is currently about 14 to 15 years, compared with an industry standard of roughly eight years, and that the strategic plan estimated a funding gap (originally cited at $500,000) that is larger now because of rising costs.
City staff described near-term work items: a new canopy-monitoring subscription with parcel-level data, an updated tree inventory and a forthcoming Tree Resource Report; two packages of code changes to be advanced to City Council this year (one focused on climate-resilient landscapes and the other on wildfire-hardening and related landscape measures); and continued partnership with the Play Boulder Foundation Tree Trust to support private-property canopy work.
Board members pressed staff on wildfire risk and coordination. Alexander said the fire department's assessments generally do not recommend removing well-maintained deciduous trees in urban areas and that cross-training with city fire personnel is underway. She noted that private-property trees are currently protected only through the development-review process and that the city plans to start a community conversation about private-property protections in a future year.
On planting and species choice, Alexander emphasized species diversity and matching species to site conditions (soil, exposure), noting that many street trees are not native because diversity improves resilience to pests and climate stressors. She also described difficulties planting and sustaining trees in rental-property areas, where long-term watering and maintenance are inconsistent.
Staff requested the board's help in the budget process to address the funding gap. "We'd love to plant more trees. We'd love to maintain our trees better and do more for them, but we do need more money and staffing to do that," Alexander said.
Board members asked about ways residents can help; staff pointed to the city's street-tree planting program and Play Boulder Foundation trainings and encouraged residents to report suspected invasive pests early.
Ending: Staff said the State of the Urban Forest report and the Tree Resource Report will be available to board members and will inform the city's upcoming budget discussions, where staff expect to seek additional funding to reduce the pruning rotation and improve tree survivability.
