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Erie planning staff report completion of street‑tree inventory and grant closeout; parks plan enters recommendation phase
Summary
Planning staff said consultants completed a street‑tree inventory (about 19,000 street trees surveyed) and the DCNR watershed/forestry grant is closing out; the parks and open space plan is moving to recommendations after broad stakeholder engagement.
Planning staff updated the Erie City Advisory Council on recent forestry and parks work, reporting that the city’s consultants completed a street‑tree inventory that surveyed almost 19,000 street trees (the inventory prioritized disadvantaged neighborhoods). Staff said the DCNR watershed and forestry grant is in final closeout and that the tree data will feed grant and maintenance planning, including pruning and removal budgets.
Staff noted that survey results identify maintenance priorities and that some new funding opportunities could now support pruning and long‑term maintenance, not just new plantings. "The consultants completed that inventory — they surveyed almost 19,000 trees — and now we have a prioritized list of what needs to be done," a planning bureau speaker told the EAC. Members responded that the city likely needs significantly more canopy coverage and welcomed that maintenance activities may now be eligible for funding streams.
Separately, the comprehensive parks and open space plan has moved from stakeholder engagement to the recommendation phase. Staff said consultants will present recommended park programming, access and connectivity improvements (sidewalks and crosswalks were cited as a Baldwin Park example) and that members and neighborhood groups can still submit input before recommendations are finalized.
No formal votes were taken on these items; staff said they will continue to align inventory priorities with funding opportunities.
