San Leandro adopts Tree Master Plan after two‑year inventory and public outreach

San Leandro City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Tree Master plan that sets a multi‑year program for planting, care and equity‑focused tree canopy expansion.

The plan, presented by Parks and Landscape Manager Jennifer Aleta and consultants from Planet Geo, follows a two‑year process that included an inventory of nearly 18,000 trees and more than 4,000 potential planting sites, an urban heat analysis, and multilingual community outreach. “Trees don't grow overnight. You have to plan accordingly,” Planet Geo director Alex Hancock said during the presentation.

City staff emphasized that the plan is a high‑level guiding document intended to align urban forestry with the General Plan and the Climate Action Plan and to shift the city from a reactive maintenance model to a proactive, cyclical program. The inventory found more than 16,000 street/right‑of‑way trees and identified species diversity that meets the commonly used 10‑20‑30 guideline; crepe myrtle and London plane each make up about 10 percent of the population, the consultants said.

The plan addresses several operational priorities identified during committee review: assessing removal/replacement of eucalyptus trees on a case‑by‑case basis, clarifying when a tree in a planting strip is a “city street tree,” and reviewing the municipal ordinance for tree preservation. Aleta told council members the city will evaluate the ordinance and public outreach as part of the implementation phase.

Council members and the public pressed staff on budget and implementation details. The council heard that a Cal Fire grant of about $1,000,000 had funded earlier planting and that staff had received preliminary notice of a $224,000 planning grant aimed at an extreme‑heat planning network with Alameda County. Aleta said the Cal Fire planting grant has been exhausted and that the city will seek a mix of city staff, contract services and community partnerships to implement the plan. “What we would like, at least for the first two years, is additional funding to clear up that backlog,” she said.

Public commenters and several council members urged stronger protections for older trees and steps to extend canopy in low‑canopy, high‑heat neighborhoods. Residents highlighted the health and cooling benefits of trees and suggested partnering with schools, community groups, and nonprofits for plantings and maintenance. Consultants said the inventory did not include natural‑area trees along San Leandro Creek because those areas have differing ownership and management needs.

After brief council discussion the council passed a resolution to approve and implement the Tree Master Plan. Council member Reynaldo Aguilar moved to adopt the resolution; a second was recorded. The final vote was unanimous.

Implementation next steps listed by staff include a public education program, ordinance review, the development of a prioritized planting and maintenance budget, and targeted outreach to neighborhoods shown in the plan's heat‑priority maps.