Consultant presents 30‑year urban forest plan for Petaluma, urges hiring dedicated urban forester

Colleen Ravden, lead consultant with UrbanEcos, presented a draft Urban Forest Management Plan to the Petaluma Tree Advisory Committee on Jan. 21, laying out four one‑word goals—manage, protect, grow and engage—and a set of strategies and recommended actions to guide city policy and operations for the next 30 to 40 years.

Ravden said the plan is grounded in outreach, a canopy cover analysis and a municipal forest resource assessment. "Our first action under the strategy is to hire a dedicated urban forester," she said, recommending a city point person to coordinate inventories, permitting, enforcement and outreach. Ravden added that the full UFMP, including specific action items, will be distributed to the committee and posted with a public survey for feedback in the coming weeks.

The plan’s "Manage" recommendations call for a complete street‑tree inventory, a proactive maintenance program, clarified technical specifications and centralized oversight of tree‑related permitting. Under "Protect," Ravden recommended tighter protections during development review, consistent enforcement of existing tree policies and updating the 25‑year‑old tree technical manual. She warned of climate and pest threats—citing Mediterranean shot hole borer risks to oak trees—and urged the committee to weigh tradeoffs between wildfire safety and preserving canopy.

On growth, the consultant described a conservative but measurable planting goal: a net gain of about 250 street trees per year aimed at expanding street‑tree numbers by roughly 50% over time, plus a goal to encourage 500 plantings per year on private property. The plan also prioritizes plantings in low‑canopy, high‑heat and lower‑income census blocks to address equity in urban canopy access.

Committee members pressed for implementation clarity. "How and when do we dive into the operational stage?" Keith asked, raising questions about reporting lines and who the urban forester would answer to. Colleen said the UFMP will include an implementation schedule with suggested sequencing, partners and metrics—stressing that an urban forester is the key to moving recommendations off the page and into city operations.

Several members urged funding strategies and operational details. Taryn proposed licensing or city registration for arborists and suggested revenue ideas used elsewhere, including a hotel surcharge to fund tree programs. Committee discussion also focused on streamlining the permit process for planting on public property and improving coordination with utilities such as PG&E to prevent unnecessary or excessive pruning.

Members of the public and council allies reinforced the consultant’s recommendations. Councilmember John Shribbs and others encouraged the committee to advocate for dedicated resources and helped frame next steps for bringing the plan before the City Council.

The committee agreed to form implementation working groups, carry forward public feedback from Relief Petaluma and community partners, and to agendize near‑term items—such as a possible moratorium on nonessential street‑tree pruning—for the next meeting. Colleen and UrbanEcos will finalize and post the UFMP draft and the linked survey ahead of a planned council presentation in March.

The committee’s next procedural steps include further review of the draft, policy refinement (including the technical manual), and coordinated advocacy during the city’s priority‑setting period so resources can be considered in upcoming budget discussions.