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Tree committee plans March planting and outreach to bolster Urban Forest Management Plan and Tree Preservation Ordinance
Summary
The committee agreed to coordinate with Relief Petaluma and city staff on a planting/event in early March to build public support ahead of the UFMP and Tree Preservation Ordinance discussion at city council on March 16.
The Petaluma Tree Advisory Committee decided Feb. 18 to prioritize a visible community planting or light TreeFest-style event in early March to generate public support before the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) and the Tree Preservation Ordinance (TPO) go before the planning commission and city council.
Drew, city parks staff, outlined three dates for potential attention points: the state Arbor Day window (early March), the city council UFMP hearing on March 16, and FutureFest in early May. Committee members favored attaching to an existing Relief Petaluma community planting (Relief listed March 14 as a candidate) so the committee could provide volunteers, publicity and spokespeople without extensive new logistics.
"If we're going to plan some kind of event before this critical March 16 meeting, those dates seem like the dates to coordinate with," the chair said. Committee members asked staff to help with newsletter inclusion and city promotion and to keep an email chain open for rapid coordination.
Relief also offered a specimen "oracle oak" (Quercus x morus) grown in a 24-inch box that could serve as a ceremonial planting at a community event. Jacobs said the organization would prioritize the specimen if the committee could help identify a public site for planting.
Why it matters: committee members emphasized the need to mobilize public attendance at the March 16 city council meeting in support of a strong TPO and to use a community event to educate residents about the ordinance and the UFMP. Members suggested persuading planning commissioners and individual council members in one-on-one outreach as part of the strategy.
Next steps: staff agreed to aim for a March 14 planting that Relief already has scheduled, to assemble materials for citywide newsletters with about two weeks lead time and to coordinate a small number of committee volunteers to attend and amplify the March 16 council hearing.
Ending: the committee asked staff to return updates via email because the group is not scheduled to meet again before the March activity window.
