MANAGING FORESTRY ASSETS WITHIN CAPITAL PROJECTS

1. MANAGING FORESTRY ASSETS WITHIN CAPITAL PROJECTS

2. DPW Forestry Program Background

3. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Purpose: Manage woody plant material within City rights-of-way • and public land • Mission: Provide for the safe use of public rights-of-way and • public land while protecting and enhancing the City’s • urban forest

4. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Guiding Principle: No net loss of canopy on public land IPL/CEG KIB • 2013 DPW Funded Removals: DPW • Capital Projects and Maintenance: -4000 -1300 -50 • 2013 DPW Funded Replacements: • Capital Projects and KIB Partnership: +2270 +3000 +1800 -1730 +1700 +1750 • 2013 Total Net Change of Canopy: +1720

5. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Program Structure: • Interactions with other entities: DPW Engineering • Forestry provides technical support for Capital Improvement • Projects (CIP’s) • Explain effects of grading, trenching, and other activities • Offer suggestions for tree preservation • Develop a mitigation plan • Supervise the implementation of the necessary mitigation • Assist in plant material evaluation for warranty enforcement

6. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Program Structure: • Interactions with other entities: Code Enforcement • Work with DCE to coordinate response to concerns about trees • Assist in technical review of applications for Flora permits • Collaborate on interpreting and revising relevant ordinances • Assist in on-site enforcement of permits and ordinances

7. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Program Structure: • Interactions with other entities: Dept of Metropolitan Dev • Work with DMD to establish existing forestry assets on a site • Review proposed forestry components of development projects • Provide a list of technical specs for inclusion in projects RFP’s • Work with DCE to inspect ROW plantings established during • DMD projects

8. DPW Urban Forestry Program Overview • Program Structure: • Interactions with other entities: Parks Planning/Land Stewardship • Evaluate trees that are potentially impacted by Parks CIP’s • Facilitate Parks Planning review of KIB projects in City parks • Work with Land Stewardship on invasive removal projects • Coordinate resources necessary for removal of brush piles • generated by invasive removal projects (DPW chipper trucks)

9. Forestry Asset Management on Capital Projects

10. Phases of Forestry Input on Capital Projects • ASSET EVALUATION • DESIGN • BIDDING & CONTRACTOR SELECTION • SITE SET-UP/WALKTHROUGH • VEGETATION REMOVAL AND/OR PRUNING • TREE PLANTING • MAINTENANCE

11. Forestry Asset Evaluation “WHAT IS THERE?” • Evaluate trees that are potentially impacted by the project • Size, species, condition, location • Document degree of conflict with proposed project • Determine which trees are to be preserved or merely pruned • Determine amount of mitigation necessary to offset removals

12. Project Design “WHAT SHOULD WE DO?” • Make judgment calls on what to keep and what to remove • Resolve conflicts with planned construction • Create tree preservation/maintenance plan • Create tree removal plan • Create tree mitigation plan

13. Bidding and Contractor Selection ASSEMBLE THE TEAM FOR IMPLEMENTATION! • Answer questions from bidders during public bid process • Evaluate submittals from contractors • Schedule pre-construction meetings once bid has been awarded

14. Site Set-Up and Walkthrough APPROVALS & DOCUMENTATION • Before construction begins, confirm that contractor performing forestry operations has obtained the following: • Flora permit • ROW permit • Other permits as required by the task • Pruning and maintenance operations require a Certified Arborist on site as part of the contractor’s personnel team • Installing tree preservation measures and performing removal activities do not require a Certified Arborist to be on site

15. Site Set-Up and Walkthrough WHAT IS THE GAMEPLAN? • Hold pre-construction meetings with contractors, RPRs and other project team members • Walk through plans, and on-site conditions prior to mobilization • Preservation measures should be installed, inspected, and accepted before any mobilization! • Removals should be marked clearly • Establish location for proper and safe staging of debris and logs

16. Site Set-Up and Walkthrough ESTABLISH A SAFE WORK SITE!!! • After preservation measures have been accepted and mobilization begins, watch for the following: • Avoiding live power lines • Contractor using appropriate equipment and safety gear for the task • Safe staging of equipment prior to work beginning • Appropriate measures to exclude unauthorized personnel and provide for traffic control during operations

17. Vegetation Removal and/or Pruning KEEP TRACK! • Contractor needs to keep track of removals and document size and quantity of removals • Tree City USA Requirements • Mitigation planning – NO NET LOSS!

18. Vegetation Removal and/or Pruning BE CONSIDERATE • Extreme noise levels of forestry work mean that contractor should only be working during approved business hours as defined in the contract • ROW Permit may further define acceptable business hours

19. Vegetation Removal and/or Pruning IN-PROGRESS ADJUSTMENTS • Call City Forester if additional clearing is necessary to accommodate minimum clearance of equipment, especially: • paving machines • grinding machines • curb placing equipment • DPW has on-call forestry contractors that can quickly mitigate issues of clearance on projects • root pruning • Call before works begins!

20. Vegetation Removal and/or Pruning IN-PROGRESS ADJUSTMENTS • Call City Forester for the following issues: • trees damaged during construction • trees damaged from recent storm event • trees discovered in poor condition or dead • including public or private property

21. Tree Planting PROPER HANDLING OF TREES: TLC • Handling and unloading of tree stock: • Do not drop, roll, or drag trees • Trees should be handled by root ball, not by trunk or branches

22. Tree Planting PROPER HANDLING OF TREES: TLC • Maintenance prior to planting: • Keep rootball out of direct sunlight • Pile up mulch on rootball if staging overnight or multiple days • Must water and maintain with similar regimen to nursery if installation is not immediate • City Forester needs to inspect tree shipments and reserves right to reject plant material not meeting ANSI standards for nursery stock

23. Tree Planting “Right Tree, Right Place, Right Way” • Proper planting techniques per specs: • Planting in correct season & conditions • Excavate hole 2x width of rootball • Do not over-excavate and attempt to re-compact earth, tree will settle and be planted too deep • Hand digging is preferred to mechanical means • Remove top 1/3 of rootball burlap and wire, completely remove plastic pots • Gently place rootball in pit, adjust to plumb • Remove as much of rest of burlap and wire as possible, do not destabilize root ball

24. Tree Planting “Right Tree, Right Place, Right Way” • Proper planting techniques per specs: • Backfill in stages, eliminate air pockets • Create an earthen ring around outside of excavated area to help retain moisture during watering • Apply mulch over excavated area 2-3” in depth, avoid around trunk • Stake trees as necessary, high traffic areas likely need it as protection • Wire trunk guards might be necessary in riparian areas

25. Subsequent Maintenance ‘Keep them alive with 1” per week’ • Follow up maintenance per specs: • Trees should be receiving equivalent of 1” of rain per week during growing season for duration of warranty • Keep mulch pulled back away from trunk • Trees take a minimum of two or three years to fully establish

26. Thank you!