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City presentation shows Rohnert Park has ~16,800 public trees, recommends multi‑year maintenance and new plantings
Summary
A consultant presented a citywide inventory identifying roughly 16,827 public trees, estimating $61.1 million replacement cost and recommending a 5‑year work plan to address priority pruning and removals; staff warned current annual tree funding (~$94,000) is insufficient for both catch‑up and routine maintenance.
A consultant from Davey Resource Group told the Rohnert Park City Council on Feb. 28 that the city’s new community tree inventory documents 16,827 public trees, 963 planting sites (including 122 stumps and 841 vacant sites), and shows a canopy that covers about 11.5% of the city’s land area.
Anne Fenner, a certified arborist with Davey Resource Group, said the inventory used ITRECO/Tree Eco modeling to estimate benefits and priorities. The inventory places the coast redwood as the most common species (32.6% of trees), followed by coast live oak and London plane. The consultant reported the trees store an estimated 9,364 tons of carbon and calculated a notional replacement cost of about $61.1 million — roughly $3,810 per tree.
The report identified maintenance needs: 93.3% of trees are in fair or better condition, 2.6% are recommended for removal, and 89% are recommended for regular pruning. Fenner outlined a 5‑year prioritized work plan in which Year One would address all Priority One pruning and large Priority One removals, with subsequent years addressing remaining priority work and routine maintenance cycles.
City staff told council that current annual spending on community‑tree care is approximately $94,000 (about $586 per tree), which does not cover the work needed to eliminate the backlog and then sustain scheduled pruning. Fenner recommended restarting planting at vacant sites, using the “right tree in the right place” principle, prioritizing species and genus diversity to reduce reliance on coast redwood and increase long‑term resiliency, and exploring additional funding sources.
Council members pressed on details including how long new coatings for rehabilitated tanks last and where to place plantings; Fenner and staff suggested public outreach (infographics, tours, school partnerships) and said some larger planting partnerships could draw on outside grants. The presentation also announced Arbor Day events and staff encouraged tours of production and maintenance facilities.
Attributions: Anne Fenner, Davey Resource Group; Amanda Bunty, Operations Manager, Public Works.
What’s next: staff will use the inventory to prioritize Year One maintenance and plantings and bring the proposed work plan and budget implications to upcoming budget workshops.
