REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Authorize the City Manager to Enter into an Agreement with Our City Forest for Planting Trees on Homeowner's Private Property and Approve Budget Modification No. 17
Report
BACKGROUND
City Council adopted the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) in September 2014 (RTC 14-0396). The overall goal of the plan is to help sustain, protect and enhance the urban forest in the City of Sunnyvale in order to maximize the many benefits that it provides to residents. The urban forest is comprised of three main groups of trees including trees located on City-owned property, trees located in the public right-of-way (ROW) and trees located on private property outside of the ROW.
Major goals of the plan include:
* Increase tree canopy cover to maximize ecosystem benefits provided by the urban forest.
* Choose and locate new trees in all vacant planting spaces to maximize tree-related benefits and minimize maintenance costs.
* Develop an urban forest canopy that is stable over the long term.
* Maintain city trees to maximize benefits and minimize hazard, nuisance, hardscape damage, and maintenance costs.
* Facilitate collaboration among City departments related to issues and projects involving trees.
* Foster community support for maintaining and improving Sunnyvale's urban forest.
* Encourage proper tree management on private property.
Staff has been making consistent progress on the implementation of the UFMP since its inception. Currently the Trees Division is considering ways of working toward the goal of encouraging proper tree management on private property. To this end, an opportunity to partner with Our City Forest (OCF) to offer subsidized trees to Sunnyvale residents to be planted on the resident's private property has come forward. This program would only be available for planting trees on the resident's private property and not on City property or the ROW.
EXISTING POLICY
GOAL CV-1 COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND ENGAGEMENT - Achi...
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