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Buena Park council previews new interactive tree map, moves to table a public-orchard pilot and advances a high-school tree partnership
Summary
Council reviewed an urban-forest management update and demo of a new interactive tree-inventory portal (showing 11,100 public trees valued at about $36 million), backed a high-school tree partnership supplying ~40 saplings per year, and tabled a public-orchard pilot citing security, pest and liability concerns.
The Buena Park City Council on Oct. 14 received an urban-forest update and a live demonstration of a new interactive tree portal, agreed to pursue a partnership with Buena Park High School to nurture street-tree saplings, and tabled a proposed public‑orchard pilot for further study.
Public Works Manager Johan Hunt told the council the city will offer roughly 40 fifteen‑gallon trees per year to the high-school agriculture program; students would nurture the saplings on campus and most trees would later be returned to the city for parkway or median planting. Hunt estimated the city’s annual cost for the partnership at about $2,500 (trees, specialized tools and a student‑selected specimen). He recommended a memorandum of understanding to outline roles and responsibilities. Councilmember Franco introduced the item and described it as an educational and stewardship opportunity.
Hunt also demoed a new tree‑inventory website developed with West Coast Arborists. The portal lists 167 public tree species, an inventory of about 11,100 public trees with an estimated replacement value of $36 million, and environmental metrics drawn from i‑Tree (roughly 418,000 pounds of carbon sequestration per year and estimated annual environmental benefits of $162,000). The portal includes a pruning‑district map and a tree‑benefits dashboard that lets users click individual trees to see species, prune cycle and replacement value.
Council then discussed a public orchard pilot intended to grow fruit for community distribution. Staff said a feasible orchard would likely require a fenced, secured site, specialized irrigation and pest control, agricultural expertise or contracted staff, and a nonprofit partner for distribution (the Friendly Center was mentioned as a potential partner). Councilmembers raised concerns about unauthorized harvesting, wildlife (coyotes), pests, and city liability for hazards arising from fallen fruit. Public commenter Archie Holton (Food Forward) offered a volunteer harvest-and-donation model; council thanked him but emphasized the resource and liability questions.
After debate, councilmembers agreed to table the orchard pilot and direct staff to continue focusing city resources on the parkway tree‑planting program, to add photos and educational content to the new tree portal, and to explore partnerships (schools, nonprofits) to reduce city maintenance burdens while pursuing the council’s aspirational planting targets.
Quotes
"The city would provide about 40 trees a year from our approved street-tree list to the school...they would care for them from the sapling phase to a more mature tree," Public Works Manager Johan Hunt said.
"We lost a huge amount of our inventory...we had over 16,000 trees [in 2012] and now just over 11,000," a councilmember noted, urging more planting and outreach.
Ending
The council tabled the public-orchard pilot for further work and partnerships; staff will proceed with the high-school tree partnership MOU and launch updates to the tree-portal on the city website.
