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City staff propose Grove Park replanting and a LIDAR tree inventory to manage 2,100+ city trees
Summary
City staff outlined a Grove Park replanting plan to address prior improper planting and proposed a LIDAR-based tree inventory (approx. $40,000) to supplement the city's ~2,100-tree dataset with objective health and structural metrics, with options to piggyback on nearby projects to lower cost.
At a work session, staff presented a multi-part urban-forest plan centering on Grove Park and an evaluation of a LIDAR tree inventory to modernize the city's tree-management data. Staff said previous plantings at Grove Park included trees planted too deep and with burlap and twine restricting trunks; they recommended replanting with ISA-certified arborist oversight and specified soil-volume and diversity standards.
"We have all 2,100 trees here in Vineyard," George said while describing the existing inventory and the limits of a fully field-based inspection. He told council the city currently uses a traditional inventory that requires boots-on-the-ground inspections and that a LIDAR survey would add nonsubjective, 3-D metrics (DBH, crown measurements, trunk stability indices, leaf-area indexes) to prioritize interventions.
George estimated a full LIDAR tree inventory at roughly $40,000 but noted staff could split the work over two years or piggyback off neighboring jurisdictions to reduce cost. He said the technology would let staff generate targeted work orders and monitor canopy health and clearance issues more efficiently than a fully manual approach.
Council asked about resident reporting and funding sources; staff said residents should use the city's report-a-concern portal for dead or dangerous trees and explained that volunteer hours and the city's Tree City USA two-dollars-per-capita requirement supplement the tree budget. Staff said the next step would be to include the LIDAR option in budget planning and consider phased procurement.
