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City of Davis releases State of the Urban Forest; staff report backlog, limited planting vs removals
Summary
Urban Forestry staff reported FY24'FY25 metrics showing progress on closing work-order backlog and proactive pruning, but a gap between tree removals (177) and plantings (116). Commissioners and public called for clearer funding, enforcement in development agreements, and expanded outreach and planting partnerships.
Charlie Murphy, Davis's urban forestry manager, presented the city's State of the Urban Forest annual report, summarizing FY2024'FY2025 work orders, staffing, contracting with Tree Davis, and priorities for inventories and implementation.
Murphy told commissioners the urban-forestry program is responsible for roughly 30,000 trees in public rights-of-way and protected private trees and that the city adopted an urban forest management plan in 2023. He said FY25 saw about 1,600 work orders created and about 1,700 closed, a staffing turnover that briefly reduced capacity, and a roughly $100,000 increase in the program budget over the prior year.
Why it matters: The report shows a shift toward proactive pruning that reduced emergency removals, but plantings lag removals: Murphy reported 177 removals and 116 plantings in the fiscal year. He and commissioners flagged the need for a new inventory (which could add an estimated 5,000 trees to the official tally), clarity about whether developer-planted trees become city assets, and long-term funding to sustain maintenance cycles.
Public commenters and community partners weighed in. Yael Franco, executive director of Tree Davis, said her organization plans to plant roughly 235 trees and expand volunteer engagement; others urged better public-facing documents, neighborhood notifications about removals and plantings, tracking of young-tree mortality rates, and stronger enforcement clauses in development agreements.
Commissioners asked about benchmarking staffing and budgets against comparable cities, school outreach, workforce development for tree crews, and possible funding sources including state grants and climate bonds. Murphy described outreach methods (tabling, partner events, Tree Davis collaborations) and steps taken after a recent sidewalk-liability settlement, such as reporting thresholds for lifted sidewalks.
Next steps: Staff said they will return to council and the commission with prioritized inventory and funding options, more detailed outreach plans, and recommendations on developer-tree ownership and enforcement mechanisms. The commission discussed scheduling the CAP annual report and other items on the long-range calendar before adjourning.
