TITLE:
title
REVIEW OF THE CITY OF COSTA MESA URBAN CANOPY AND LAND ASSESSMENT
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT/MAINTENANCE SERVICES DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: ROBERT RYAN, MAINTENANCE SERVICES MANAGER
CONTACT INFORMATION: ROBERT RYAN, MAINTENANCE SERVICES MANAGER (714) 754-5123
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends that the Parks and Community Services Commission review and provide feedback on the City of Costa Mesa Urban Canopy and Land Assessment.
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BACKGROUND:
The City of Costa Mesa's Urban Forest contains approximately 23,000 trees located on City property. This includes city facilities, parks, parkways, sports fields, streets and medians. The City's tree inventory has an estimated value of over $85 million and has a diversity of over 270 different tree species. Despite a history of drought, and existing and newly established invasive pests and disease, the overall condition of the urban forest is at a healthy level. The City's Arborist in conjunction with the tree maintenance contractor has assigned a rating of "Fair" or "Good" (the two highest ratings possible) to 94% of the City's Urban Forest. A vast majority of those trees, over 87% of which were rated as "Good".
The City's Urban Forest and corresponding tree canopy contributes significantly to environmental quality, public health, water management, economic stability, and overall aesthetics of the City. The City Council has also identified the need to review and expand the tree canopy, especially in areas that are deficient. In order to address this need, the City contracted West Coast Arborists, Inc. to conduct an Urban Tree Canopy and Land Assessment (Attachment1). The primary goal of this assessment is to provide a baseline evaluation of Costa Mesa's tree canopy, analyze its distribution, and develop actionable, data driven plans to future strategies for urban forestry development across various geographic areas to maximize the urban forest benefits citywide.
ANALYSIS:
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