Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Urban Forestry topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Albany posts Street Tree Management Plan; staff seek council direction on policy and funding
Summary
Public Works reviewed the recently adopted Street Tree Management Plan, outlining near‑term implementation (systematized maintenance, community engagement), a recommended 10‑year canopy monitoring cycle, and the need for council action on policy changes and funding options to expand services.
Devorah Zotterer, Public Works program manager, presented an update on the city’s Street Tree Management Plan, which the City Council adopted on Sept. 15. The plan has two core pieces: a 2023 street‑tree inventory and a programmatic plan with goals, objectives and recommended actions.
Zotterer said the plan’s near‑term work (1–2 years) focuses on building foundational capacity: defining maintenance responsibilities, updating policies that limit proactive city work on private trees, and pursuing funding mechanisms if council directs larger service expansions. She said staff will post the plan and related slides on the city website and will bring policy options to council in November for initial discussion.
Urban forester John Hockridge and staff described proposed maintenance changes such as grid pruning and zoned, contract‑based pruning cycles to make maintenance more systematic. Hockridge noted staff capacity limitations — the city has one urban forester responsible for street trees, parks and open space — and said many recommendations will require funding or policy adjustments to implement programmatically.
On canopy monitoring, staff said consultants recommended a roughly 10‑year cycle for citywide canopy assessments because tree growth is slow and annual remeasurement is costly and less informative. Zotterer said funding questions remain: Measure DD is a general‑fund parcel tax, and while staff believes about one‑third was intended for climate purposes, specific allocations would require follow‑up research and council input.
Commissioners asked about the balance between species diversity and maximizing canopy potential, how homeowners choose street‑tree species, and whether the city can use ordinance changes to give staff more implementation authority. Staff said some near‑term actions — planting guidance, improved outreach and updates to the street‑tree webpage — are within current resources, while larger, systematic changes depend on council direction and funding.
The department encouraged public engagement for the annual winter planting program (request window closes Oct. 31) and flagged possible pursuit of Tree City USA certification as a longer‑term goal.
