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I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU TO OUR[2. Presentation and Discussion of the 2023 Edmond, Oklahoma Forest Composition and Ecosystem Analysis by the Urban Forestry Department.]
SPECIAL MEETING TODAY FOR THE 2023 EDMOND FOREST COMPOSITION AND ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS WORKSHOP.I DON'T KNOW WHO'S GONNA START US OFF.
COME ON DOWN AND START US OFF ON THIS BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION.
I'M THE CITY OF EDMONDS, URBAN FORESTER.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK MAYOR AND COUNCIL FOR HOSTING THIS WORKSHOP ON THE FOREST COMPOSITION ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS STUDY TODAY.
UM, URBAN FORESTRY AND PLANNING HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH CONSULTANT DAVEY RESOURCE GROUP FOR THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS ON THIS STUDY THAT LOOKS AT OUR FORESTED AREAS AS WELL AS AN ASSESSMENT OF TREE CANOPY.
AND, AND WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE DANA KARCHER, THE DAVY RESOURCE GROUP AND URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY SPECIALIST TO PRESENT THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO THANK DANA AND HER TEAM FOR THE WORK AND COLLABORATION THAT THEY, UM, DID WITH THE CITY ON THIS PROJECT.
AND, UM, BEFORE DANA COMES UP, I'D LIKE TO INVITE KEN, UM, BRIAN, OUR LONG RANGE PLANNER, JUST TO GIVE A BRIEF BACKGROUND OF HOW THE STUDY CAME TO BE.
AND, UM, WHENEVER DANA FINISHES HER PRESENTATION, WE'LL ALSO HAVE RANDY AND THE CITY PLANNER, UM, COME AND JUST GIVE SOME CLOSING COMMENTS.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN AND, UM, HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PRESENTATION.
UH, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME THIS AFTERNOON.
UH, BY WAY OF BACKGROUND, UM, I WAS INVOLVED WITH THE EAST EDMOND 2050 PLAN.
THAT PLAN WAS APPROVED IN THE SPRING OF 2022 AND INCORPORATED INTO THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, EDMOND PLAN 2018 IN THE SUMMER OF 2022.
DURING THE PLANNING PROCESS FOR THAT, UM, THERE WAS A STRONG PREFERENCE FROM THE COMMUNITY FOR DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS THAT AVOIDED CONSUMING FORESTED AREAS.
UM, WE NEEDED TO DO A LITTLE MORE WORK ON THAT BECAUSE THE, UH, THE, THE RESOURCE THAT WE WERE WORKING FROM THE REMNANT FOREST THAT WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH, UH, WAS STARTING TO SHOW ITS AGE.
SO IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE, UH, THIS DESIRE IN A MEANINGFUL WAY, WE NEEDED TO UPDATE THAT INFORMATION ABOUT OUR CITYWIDE FOREST RESOURCES AND MAKE KEY CHANGES TO OUR DEVELOPMENT CODE.
UM, THIS STUDY ADDRESSES A MAJOR ACTION ITEM FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, SO THERE'LL BE, UM, UPDATES TO THAT PLAN, UH, COMING SOON AS WELL.
AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN OVER TO DANA TO DIVE INTO THE DETAILS.
I AM GONNA GO THROUGH THE SLIDESHOW FIRST.
I THINK IF YOU HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS THEN WE CAN GET TO THIS AT THE END, IF THAT WORKS FOR YOU.
IF NOT, WE'LL TRY IT THE OTHER WAY.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS DANA KARCHER AND I WANT TO NO PROMISES.
MY NAME IS DANA KARCHER AND I'M WITH THE DAVEY RESOURCE GROUP.
AND I REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU, UH, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS PROJECT FOR YOUR CITY.
AND, AND THANKS TO STAFF FOR, UM, THEIR ASSISTANCE AND THEIR HELP.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE OUTCOMES.
UH, WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS STUDY THAT WE LEARNED IS THAT OVERALL CANOPY HAS NOT REALLY DECREASED.
I WOULD SAY FOR THE MOST PART IT HASN'T REALLY INCREASED EITHER.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS A SMALL DECREASE, OF COURSE IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.
WHY IS THAT IMPORTANT? BECAUSE ANY DECREASE THAT'S IN A MAJOR AREA IS, UM, AN AREA FOR IMPROVEMENT.
CANOPY AS A WHOLE IS REVERSIBLE AND THIS STUDY WILL GO A LONG WAYS IN SUPPORTING ANY KIND OF REVERSAL IN CANOPY.
OAK SPECIES ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE TO THIS, TO THIS CITY, TO THIS REGION, NOT ONLY FOR CANOPY, BUT FOR HEAT ISLAND EFFECT AS WELL.
THE SCOPE OF WORK WAS REALLY, UM, A CANOPY EXAMINATION, WHICH IS ALL TREES WITHIN THE CITY.
WE DIDN'T GO, YOU KNOW, INDIVIDUALLY AND COUNT THE TREES.
AN URBAN FOREST IS ALL TREES, 56,131 ACRES OF TREES IN YOUR CITY.
OUR SCOPE OF WORK WAS REALLY TO ESTABLISH BASE DI BASELINE DATA.
AND BASELINE DATA IS USED FOR A NUMBER OF THINGS.
IT'S USED TO COMPARE SPECIFIC TIMEFRAMES AND SPECIFIC INFORMATION, BUT IT'S ALSO, UM, ALLOWS YOU TO COMPARE TO LIKE COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT TYPES OF URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAMS. IN OUR WORK WITH EDMOND, WE HAVE SEEN SOME ADVANCES THAT ARE BEYOND MANY OTHER URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAMS. IT REALLY HELPED DETERMINE THE VALUE OF LARGE TREES, IN THIS CASE, MOSTLY OAKS AND HOW VARIOUS ORDINANCES THAT YOU CURRENTLY HAVE OR MIGHT NEED IN THE FUTURE AND HOW DEVELOPMENT AFFECTS THOSE LARGE TREES.
EACH CANOPY CLASS, WHICH WE WE'LL SEE LATER ON IN THIS PRESENTATION AND HOW EACH CANOPY
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CLASS IS AFFECTED THE OVERALL TREE POPULATION AS WELL.THE DELIVERABLES WERE VERY SIMPLE.
YOU HAVE RESULTS AND DATA AND MAPS, WHICH ARE ALL VERY USABLE INTO THE FUTURE.
WE USED OLD DATA TO COMPARE WITH NEW DATA.
THIS BECOMES OLD DATA, WHICH YOU CAN COMPARE WITH NEW DATA IN THE FUTURE.
PART OF THIS IS A PRESENTATION, PART OF THIS WHOLE PROJECT IS A PRESENTATION TO YOU AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS ABOUT THE OVERALL CANOPY AND NOT INDIVIDUAL TREES, ALTHOUGH WE DO ADDRESS INDIVIDUAL TREE SPECIES IN THIS.
AND I'LL GET INTO THOSE KIND OF DETAILS IN A LITTLE BIT.
OVERALL, THIS WAS THE FINDINGS THAT EDMONDS TREE CANOPY COVERS 38% OVERALL 38.5%.
SO YOU COULD SAY ALMOST 39% AND 50 PERC 15% OF THE CENTRAL URBAN DISTRICT.
AND THERE'S SOME STATISTICS FOR YOU.
AND I WILL SAY, I, I HAD A QUESTION AS I WALKED IN THAT, YOU KNOW, WHERE DOES EDMOND'S CANOPY COMPARE TO OTHER CITIES? WELL, THAT WASN'T PART OF WHAT WE LEARNED, BUT I WILL SAY THAT EDMOND HAS A GOOD CANOPY AT 38%, ALMOST 39%.
UM, IS THERE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT? YES.
STUDIES SHOW THAT THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.
YOU CAN SEE THERE THAT THE TREE CANOPY IS IN PURPLE AND WHERE YOUR MAJOR THOROUGH AFFAIRS ARE.
BY LOOKING AT THAT PURPLE, YOU CAN EXAMINE THAT.
UM, THAT CENTRAL AREA IS PRETTY LIGHT.
AND WE WILL ZOOM IN ON THAT IN A LITTLE BIT.
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT 38.5% CANOPY LOOKS LIKE, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE VALUE THAN HERE THAN JUST, UM, BEYOND SHADE.
UM, THIS IS AN INCREASE IN, IN WILDLIFE.
THIS IS AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY VALUES AND THIS IS A, UM, POSITIVE EFFECT ON AIR QUALITY AS WELL.
WE USED MAPPING AND METRICS AND WE DID THIS BY GEOGRAPHIES INCLUDING CITY LIMITS AND LAND USE, CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS AND THE URBAN CENTRAL URBAN DISTRICT.
AND THEN WE WENT INTO MORE DETAIL INTO RESIDENTIAL RECREATION, COMMERCIAL INSTITUTIONAL, GOVERNMENTAL, INDUSTRIAL UTILITIES, AND THEN UNCATEGORIZED.
AND THEN WE PULLED OUT THE ARCADIA LAKE AREA AS WELL.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE IN THIS SLIDE THAT RESIDENTIAL HIGH RESIDENTIAL AREAS HAD THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL LAND.
AND YOU CAN SEE THOSE GREEN CIRCLES THERE AND THAT'S USUALLY VERY TYPICAL AND THE HIGHEST PERCENT OF CANOPY BY CITY AREA AS WELL.
AGRICULTURE HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENT OF CANOPY, BUT A SMALLER PERCENT OF CANOPY CANOPY BY CITY AREA.
SO AGRICULTURE IN GENERAL IN MOST CITIES DOES HAVE A HIGHER PERCENT.
UM, IT IS A HIGHER PERCENT OF LAND USE IN MOST OF THESE RURAL TYPE CITIES IN AREAS THAT ARE LESS, UM, DEVELOPED, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE I 35 CORRIDOR.
AND THIS MAP GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A PICTURE OF WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE.
THE RESIDENTIAL AREAS ARE THE PINK AREAS, THE GREEN AREAS OR THE AGRICULTURE AREAS.
AND THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL AREAS ARE THAT KIND OF YELLOW GREEN COLOR PUBLIC AREAS OR PARKS.
AND THEN SCHOOLS, THIS ONE GIVES, UM, CANOPY AREA BY BLOCK GROUPS.
AND I GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THE DARKER THE AREA, OBVIOUSLY IT'S OVER 35%.
THE LIGHTER AREA WHERE THE CIRCLE IS, IS THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE ASKED TO DO, AND THIS ALWAYS IS, UM, HELPS UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF TREES BECAUSE TREES ARE MORE THAN WINDOW DRESSING, THAT WE DO AN ANALYSIS OF USING A TOOL CALLED IRE.
AND IRE WAS DEVELOPED BY THE US FOREST SERVICE AND ACTUALLY SUPPORTED BY THE DAVEY TREE EXPERT COMPANY, OUR PARENT COMPANY.
BUT OTHER GROUPS TOO, INCLUDING THE SOCIETY OF MUNICIPAL ARBORISTS, SUNY UNIVERSITY, CASEY TREES AND WASHINGTON D C CONTINUALLY WORK ON THIS TOOL SO THAT WE CAN WORK ON THE STRUCTURE, UNDERSTAND THE STRUCTURE AND THE FUNCTION OF THE VALUE OF URBAN TREES.
SO WE DID DO AN EYE TREE, UM, STUDY WITH THIS.
WE FOUND THAT THE, UM, UM, THE BENEFITS, WE QUANTIFIED THE BENEFITS, AND I'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE IN A MINUTE, WHICH WILL GIVE YOU SOME DETAILS ON THAT.
BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AIR QUALITY AND AIR POLLUTION.
UM, AIR POLLUTION IS REALLY ABOUT WHAT
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GASES ARE REMOVED AND UM, AIR QUALITY IS ABOUT WHAT PARTICLES ARE REMOVED.YOU CAN'T SEE THE GASES, BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY SEE THE PARTICLES.
SO WHEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT LOOKING AT BAD AIR WHEN YOU CAN SEE IT, UM, THE PARTICLES INCLUDE DUST AND SMOKE AND OTHER THINGS.
PM 2.5 AND PM 10 PARTICULATE MATTER.
I FEEL LIKE I'M AN EXPERT IN THAT.
I USED TO LIVE IN THE WORST AIR QUALITY BASIN IN THE COUNTRY AND, UM, WE DEFINITELY COULD SEE OUR AIR SOME DAYS CHEW IT AS WELL.
SO THIS IS THE BENEFITS AND WE LIKE TO TURN THIS INTO DOLLARS BECAUSE SOMETIMES THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR SOME PEOPLE.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, THE POUNDS OR THE TONS AND THE VALUE THAT EQUATES WITH, AND THAT'S WHAT THE MODEL I TREE DOES, IS IT GIVES US THAT INFORMATION.
THE HIGHEST BENEFITS ARE UNDERLINED WITH THAT AND UH, WITH THE BLUE ARROW THERE.
BUT THE ANNUAL, UM, NUMBER DOES NOT INCLUDE THE, UM, STORED CARBON.
AND THE REASON WE DON'T INCLUDE STORED CARBON IS STORED CARBON IS THE LIFE OF THE TREE.
THIS MODEL TAKES INTO ACCOUNT ONE YEAR AND YOU CAN'T REALLY BREAK THAT OUT.
THERE'S NO SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY FOR THAT YET.
WE DID A TREE CANOPY CHANGE ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT.
WE USED OLD DATA AND WE USED NEW DATA.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT CANOPY CHANGED OVER TIME.
THE BUSINESS DISTRICT HAS GONE DOWN ALMOST 19%.
BUT YOU CAN SEE THE OTHER AREAS HAVE GONE UP, INCLUDING AGRICULTURE, ARCADIA LAKE, THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL, AND THE PUBLIC AREAS.
AND THE CITY OF EDMOND, OF COURSE, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AS A WHOLE.
UM, RESIDENTIAL HAS REMAINED ABOUT THE SAME.
UM, THE RIGHT OF WAY HAS GONE DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND SCHOOLS HAVE GONE DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
AND THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT MANY PEOPLE ASK ME THIS QUESTION NOW, WELL, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SCHOOLS, WE DON'T, WE'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHOOLS.
WELL, WHEN THE CITY LEADS OTHER PEOPLE FOLLOW.
SO WHEN THE CITY LEADS AND TALKS ABOUT THEIR CANOPY AND SHOWS THE OTHER AREAS THAT MIGHT, WHETHER THEY DON'T MANAGE, YOU MIGHT, UM, HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP AFFECT CHANGE IN THOSE OTHER AREAS, INCLUDING SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS.
AND THIS IS BY, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS EARLIER.
SO BLOCK GROUPS ARE A SMALLER DELINEATION.
AND YOU PROBABLY KNOW ALL THIS OF CENSUS TRACKS.
UM, YOU'RE ABLE TO PINPOINT CANOPY IN MUCH MORE CLOSER PLUS OR MINUS PERCENTAGE.
UH, FOR EXAMPLE, A ZERO TO 5% DECREASE AT 30% AND A ZERO TO UM, 5% INCREASE OF 51%.
SO THAT'S A BIG STRETCH THERE.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? AGAIN, IT GOES DOWN TO GRANULARITY.
IF YOU'RE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER NEIGHBORHOODS ARE BEING NEGLECTED BASED ON INCOME OR POPULATION MAKEUP, THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE CAN LOOK AT NEIGHBORHOODS AT A VERY DIFFERENT LEVEL IN TERMS OF TREE PLANTING.
WE WANNA GIVE EQUAL ACCESS TO EVERYBODY IN TERMS OF TREES.
AND WHAT DOES THE FOREST LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF COMPOSITION? WELL, I'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT OAK SPECIES ALREADY.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS FROM THE SKY.
WE LOOKED AT THIS FROM THE SKY.
BUT THEN IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT GRANULAR DETAIL, WE ACTUALLY BROUGHT A FORESTER IN TO LOOK FROM THE GROUND AS WELL, SO THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY MATCH THAT UP WITH WHAT WE SAW FROM THE SKY.
HE GATHERED A STATISTICAL SAMPLE IN THE FIELD AND TO TRAIN THE DATAS ESSENTIALLY WHAT HE DID.
AND HE DID THAT THROUGH, UM, UM, THROUGH, THROUGH FIELD WORK.
AND THAT ALLOWED, UH, US TO DETERMINE WHAT TREES, 'CAUSE I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SPECIES, WHAT TREES WE WERE LOOKING AT.
SO WE LOOKED AT OAK TREES, CONIFEROUS TREES, AND OTHER TREE SPECIES.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT MOST OF THOSE ARE TO THE EAST OF I 35.
ALTHOUGH THERE ARE DEFINITELY POCKETS AND CONIFEROUS TREES.
THE BLUE TREES ARE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND THEN THE OTHER TREE SPECIES ALSO SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
BUT REALLY THIS SLIDE IS, SHOWS YOU WHERE THOSE, UM, WHERE THAT OAK CANOPY COVER IS.
AND THEN THIS IS THE, UM, DOWNTOWN URBAN DISTRICT.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE PURPLE ON THE LEFT IS THE TREE CANOPY IN GENERAL.
AND THEN YOU CAN SEE THE FEW OAK TREES, THE OTHER TREE SPECIES AND THE CONIFEROUS TREES ON THE RIGHT.
I THINK PULLING THAT OUT SHOWS A REALLY GOOD STORY ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE WITH THIS PARTICULAR REGION.
AND THEN THE OTHER THING THAT WE DID WAS WE RANKED AND PRIORITIZED, UM, THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TREES
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IN TERMS OF A SET OF CRITERIA.AND WE USED ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS FROM THE, UM, US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, THE U SS D A, THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, US FISH AND WILDLIFE.
AND THEN THAT COMBINED WITH THE SATELLITE IMAGERY THAT WE ALREADY WERE USING, WHICH INCLUDED HYDROGRAPHY, HYDRO, HYDRO, I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT, HYDROGRAPHY ELEVATION, ECOSYSTEM BENEFITS AND LIDAR.
UM, AND THESE WERE, UM, YOU COULD SEE THOSE ON THE LEFT AND HOW WE ARRIVED AT THAT, AT THE DATA ORIGIN RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN WE WAITED THAT AND THE, I WAS ON THAT CONVERSATION ON THE PHONE AND IT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
SO WE SURVEYED THE PUBLIC AND WE ALSO HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE, UM, EDMOND TEAM AND WITH OUR TEAM.
AND WE WAITED WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT ECOSYSTEM SENSITIVE AREAS AS BEING AND LOW PERCENT OF UNDESIRED SPECIES AND NATIVE OAK SPECIES.
AND FOREST FRAGMENTATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS WE WANTED TO DETERMINE WITH THIS WHAT EDMOND'S MOST VALUABLE TREE STANDS WERE.
AND UM, CLEARLY I THINK WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO NOW YOU CAN SEE THAT RANKING.
AND I LIKE THE COLORS THAT WE USED ON THIS, THAT VERY HIGH AND THAT HIGH REALLY SHOW UP HERE.
AND THE VERY HIGH, THE MAJORITY OF IT AGAIN, IS EAST OF I 35.
THIS IS, UH, IMPORTANT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, BUT IT'S CONSIDERATION FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND HOW THAT DEVELOPMENT IS HANDLED.
IF THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY, IF THAT PRIORITIZATION IS IMPORTANT, THEN THOSE CONSIDERATIONS MUST BE MADE.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALSO NOTE THAT POCKETS OF IMPORTANT TREES EXIST THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO YOU'LL SEE LITTLE POCKETS OF ORANGE AND GOLD THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
PRESERVATION APPLICATION IS CRITICAL THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY, NOT JUST EAST OF, UM, I 35.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONCLUSIONS 'CAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF DATA THAT WE GATHERED.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IS THAT THE, UM, DECLINE IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.
MAYBE IT'S IMPORTANT TO SET A CANOPY GOAL THERE.
MAYBE IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE ORDINANCES THERE.
MAYBE IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT ENFORCEMENT OF OR ORDINANCES THERE, UM, WITH A 0.91 INCREASE OVERALL, BUT A 18.7 DECREASE IN THE, IN THE CENTRAL, UM, AREA.
YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT BALANCE OUT? WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN FOR THE CITY? WHAT I THINK IS REALLY INTERESTING IS I WORK IN CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND EDMOND'S A FORWARD-THINKING CITY.
AND, UM, I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT IT'S TRUE.
I THINK THIS IS A REALLY UNUSUAL STUDY, ESPECIALLY THE PART ABOUT WAITING WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND GETTING INPUT ON THAT.
SO I'M THINKING ABOUT HOW THAT FORWARD THINKING LOOKS IN TERMS OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FUTURE OF YOUR CITY.
WE THINK THAT, UM, PRESERVATION PRIORITIZATION IS IMPORTANT.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SETTING CANOPY GOALS OVERALL.
UM, I TALKED TO LEE ON THE WAY OVER HERE ABOUT SETTING CANOPY GOALS FOR SPECIFIC AREAS.
UM, THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS TO GO ABOUT IT.
YOU HAVE THE DATA NOW WITH THAT 2023 CANOPY STUDY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS.
BUT ALSO YOU MAY CONSIDER REVISING THE DEVELOPMENT CODE CODE.
YOU HAVE THE DATA TO DO THAT NOW.
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? I'M SORRY.
UM, REVISING THE DEVELOPMENT CODE RIGHT NOW, UH, FOCUS ON STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE TREAT CANOPY DOWNTOWN.
AND I SAY TREE CANOPY ELSEWHERE AS WELL.
AND THOSE STRATEGIES CAN BE ANYTHING FROM A TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN TO A PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN AS WELL.
UM, AND IMPORTANTLY, UH, WRITE AN URBAN FOREST, UH, MASTER PLAN, WHICH GIVES GOALS FOR A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIMEFRAME, NOT JUST CANOPY GOALS, BUT GOALS FOR WHAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THE CITY.
IT HELPS TO PRIORITIZE WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR THE CITY.
AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW.
BUT I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS.
THEN A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT OF DETAIL THERE, COUNSEL, UM, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS.
I MEAN, I GUESS I'M CURIOUS ABOUT, AND MAYBE THIS IS FOR LEE AS WELL, UM, KIND OF WHAT WE SEE AS SOME CANOPY GOALS IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
AND I MEAN, I GUESS THAT'S UP FOR DISCUSSION, BUT, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN DOING URBAN FORESTRY FOR A LONG TIME, AND IT USED TO BE THAT, UM, WE USED TO SET CANOPY GOALS BASED ON WHAT OTHER CITIES DID, RIGHT? AND NOW WE BASE CANOPY GOALS ON WHAT YOU HAVE.
SO YOU ONLY HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SPACE TO PLANT TREES AND YOU ONLY HAVE SOME THE KIND OF ORGANS THAT SUPPORTS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PLANTING.
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HAVE SO MUCH, UM, INITIATIVE WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY TO PLANT TREES.SO CANOPY GOALS ARE SET WITH, UM, A CANOPY, YOU KNOW, THE CANOPY STUDY THAT YOU'VE DONE DETERMINING HOW MUCH SPACE YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO PLANT TREES, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU CAN'T PLANT THEM IN THE LAKE AND YOU CAN'T PLANT THEM AT AN AIRPORT AND YOU'RE NOT IN CHARGE OF THE SCHOOLS.
SO WHERE CAN YOU PLANT TREES? SO WE, WE HELP DETERMINE THAT AND LEE HAS THE DATA TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, HELP DETERMINE WHERE THAT GOES.
AND THEN THERE HAS TO BE AN IMPETUS AS WELL.
UM, AND SO HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE THE 80 TO 90% OF THE CAN PEOPLE TO PLANT IN THEIR CANOPY, WHICH IS BACKYARDS AND FRONT YARDS MM-HMM.
SO I WOULD NEVER SAY A NUMBER 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, RIGHT? RIGHT.
BUT I'M SAYING THAT THAT'S HOW YOU FORM A CANOPY GOAL.
AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M SEEING IN URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY THAT IS CHANGING QUITE A BIT IS THAT CANOPY GOALS ARE DONE BY, UM, NOT NECESSARILY OVERALL.
THERE MIGHT BE AN OVERALL CANOPY GOAL, BUT IT'S BROKEN DOWN AND IT MIGHT BE BROKEN DOWN IN GEOPOLITICALLY.
UM, I WORKED WITH THE CITY IN CALIFORNIA WHERE WE SET IT BY GARBAGE DISTRICTS.
I MEAN, IT JUST HAPPENED TO BE THE POLITICAL LINE OR THE NON-POLITICAL LINE.
IT WAS THE, THE WAY THAT THEY PRUNE THEIR TREES AS WELL WITHIN THE CITY.
SO, UM, IT JUST KIND OF DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANNA LOOK AT.
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION THOUGH.
UH, I'M A TREE HUGGER, SO TELL ME WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT AND WHAT WE'RE DOING WRONG.
WELL, UM, WELL FIRST OFF, YOU HAVE AN URBAN FORESTER, A PERSON WHO TAKES CARE OF YOUR TREES AND MANAGES THEM, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.
SO THERE ARE MANY CITIES THAT DO NOT HAVE THAT.
UM, I THINK A LOT OF 'EM ARE SITTING IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM, AND THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WELL.
UM, YOU HAVE AN R F P OUT RIGHT NOW FOR A TREE INVENTORY IN PARKS.
UM, YOU HAVE A CONCERNED STAFF THAT WANTS TO MAKE THINGS MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
I'M NOT IN A POSITION TO JUDGE THAT I HAVE.
I I MEAN I'VE LIVED IN, PROBABLY I'VE TOLD YOU I LIVED IN THE WORST AIR QUALITY BASIN IN THE, UM, COUNTRY WITH NO URBAN FORESTED OR TREE.
I WAS THE ONLY CERTIFIED ARBORIST IN THE WHOLE CITY.
SO I'VE SEEN WRONG, I'M SEEING A LOT RIGHT HERE.
I SEE AS WE GROW THAT, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I LIVE IN, UH, IN THE, ON THE SIDE OF TOWN.
SO THE NEIGHBORS HAVE PLANTED TREES.
NOW THEY'VE GOTTEN TO A POINT FROM AN ECONOMIC AND RATHER FROM ECONOMICS NOT BEING MAINTAINED, ICE STORMS AND ALL THAT, THEY'RE COMING DOWN MM-HMM.
SO HOW DO WE ACCOUNT FOR THAT WHEN WE HAVE AREAS THAT WHEN WE FIRST MOVED THERE, EVERYONE WAS PLANTED TREES.
SOME OF 'EM, SOME OF THEM ARE OVER MATURE AND THEIR ONLY SOLUTION IS TO TAKE IT DOWN TO THE STUMP.
AND SO I I SEE THAT IN OTHER PLACES ACROSS THE CITY.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT? WELL, AND, AND THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION, AND IT'S AN AGE OLD QUESTION.
WHEN YOU SAID YOU SEE THAT ACROSS THE CITY, I SAY I SEE THAT ACROSS THE COUNTRY MM-HMM.
AND IT'S, IT'S NOT AN UNUSUAL SITUATION.
TREES REACH A POINT OF SENESCENCE AND THEY, THEY DIE.
IF YOU HAVE COTTON WOODS, THEY FALL APART.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE A NATIVE TREE, YOU KNOW, COTTONWOOD, THAT'S ABOUT IT.
AND A BLUE SPRUCE AND THAT'S ABOUT IT.
SO, YOU KNOW, URBAN, URBAN FOREST LOOKS VERY DIFFERENT.
THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THERE HAS TO BE AN ONGOING PROGRAM.
SO YOU HAVE A GREAT START HERE.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE, BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ONGOING PROGRAM.
THE PROGRAM HAS TO BE LED BY THE CITY FOR THE MOST PART.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT IN TALKING TO LEE, THAT SOMETIMES YOU PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES TO HELP THEM REMOVE IF THEY REMOVE US THAT THEY REPLACE, OR IN SOME PLACES YOU CODIFY THAT THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED.
UM, NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE AUSTIN, TEXAS, BUT IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, YOU CAN'T TAKE OUT A TREE UNLESS THERE'S HUGE MITIGATION.
AND MANY BIG CITIES ARE MOVING TOWARDS THAT.
UM, THAT'S EVEN ON HOMEOWNER AND PRIVATE PROPERTY.
BUT I HAVE THIS DISTINCT FEELING THAT THAT'S NOT A SOLUTION FOR YOUR CITY.
BUT I THINK THAT LEADING IS WHAT'S IMPORTANT AND YOU, YOU'VE REALLY STARTED THAT HERE.
UM, I THINK THAT ENCOURAGING, UM, WHAT WE CALL RIGHT TREE, RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME, UM MM-HMM.
IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CITIES CAN DO.
UM, THE TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGNS, UM, WHEN I FIRST STARTED MY CAREER IN MAR VE GAROSA IN, IN, UM, LOS ANGELES DECLARED THAT HE WAS
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GONNA PLANT A MILLION TREES ON THE DAY HE TOOK OFFICE.THE URBAN FORESTER HAD NO IDEA THAT THAT WAS GONNA HAPPEN.
BUT THEY WORKED TOWARDS THAT GOAL WITH THE NONPROFITS AND WITH OTHER GROUPS TO, TO MOVE TOWARDS THAT.
DID THEY GET THERE? NOW? THEY DIDN'T GET THERE.
BUT THERE'S THIS, THERE'S THIS MOVEMENT.
I, I DO ADMIT MY BIASES, BUT TREES DO AMAZING THINGS FOR COMMUNITIES.
AND MAYBE IT'S TIME TO BEGIN TO TEACH THAT A LITTLE BIT TOO.
I HEARD SOME COMMENTS BACK HERE ABOUT, UM, TREES AND CHILDREN AND HEALTHCARE AND ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
AND YOU HAVE THE DATA TO BACK UP THE THINGS THAT TREES DO FOR COMMUNITIES.
I THINK THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE IN EDMOND LIKE THEIR TREES.
AND, UM, JUST THE, THE CANOPY ORDINANCE HAS HELPED A BUNCH WITH DEVELOPMENT.
BUT LIKE YOU SAID, WHEN THE TREE LEAVES, REACHES ITS LIFE EXPECTANCY, THERE'S SOME FOLKS WHO, THERE'S A LOT OF FOLKS WHO CAN'T AFFORD TO NOT ONLY PLANT THAT TREE, BUT ALSO NURTURE IT AND, AND GET IT TO GROW.
UM, I, WE DO HAVE A THING WHERE WE GIVE OUT TREES EVERY YEAR, WHICH IS FANTASTIC.
AND SOME FOLKS JUST EITHER CAN'T PHYSICALLY OR, AND SO, GOSH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A STICKY AREA BECAUSE YOU, I WOULD NEVER WANT TO FORCE SOMEBODY INTO A HARDSHIP RIGHT.
HOWEVER, I MEAN, AND I WOULDN'T, NOT THAT I WOULDN'T WANT TO, I WOULDN'T.
BUT I THINK WE ALL GET THE IMPORTANCE OF 'EM IN OUR ENVIRONMENT FOR US, FOR THEY LOOK NICE.
THEY PROVIDE SHADE, THEY PROVIDE COOLING FOR THE WILDLIFE.
I MEAN, SO, BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S A HARD SITUATION WHEN YOU GO INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT PLANTED THOSE TREES 30, 40 YEARS AGO.
AND THEY'VE REACHED THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY ALL AND THEN OUR LOVELY ICE STORMS. I KNOW, RIGHT?
SO, AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE CHEAPER TREES TO BUILD SEEM TO BREAK EASIER IN THE ICE STORMS,
SO, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE ALL THE CHALLENGES.
YOU, YOU KNOW, FIRST OFF, YOU SHOULD KNOW YOU'RE NOT ALONE IN THOSE CHALLENGES EITHER.
AND, UM, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY, UH, I KEEP SAYING THIS, AND I DON'T MEAN TO BE A BROKEN RECORD, BUT LEADING IS IMPORTANT.
UM, AND I AGREE, YOU SHOULD NEVER FORCE A TREE ON SOMEBODY BECAUSE IT JUST WILL DIE.
UM, AND THEN IT'S NOT WORTH, YOU'VE ALREADY, IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.
UM, SOME OF THE PLACES THAT, UM, I, I'VE SEEN THINGS HAPPEN.
ONE OF THE PLACES THAT, UM, IN CALIFORNIA THEY NORMALLY HAVE CAP AND TRADE FUNDING, AND THEY TOOK ALL OF THEIR CAP AND TRADE FUNDING, WHICH IS IN THE, THE MILLIONS.
IT WAS $44 MILLION THIS PAST YEAR.
AND RATHER THAN GIVE IT TO CITIES, THEY GAVE IT TO SCHOOLYARDS BECAUSE SCHOOLYARDS ARE A BIG PROBLEM.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS REALLY INTERESTING.
UM, LEE'S VERY AWARE OF THIS THAT, UM, IN THE, UH, I R A FUNDING, WE GOT, UM, URBAN AND COMMUNITY FORESTRY GOT $1.5 BILLION BILLION WITH A B.
WE'VE NEVER HAD THAT MUCH MONEY BEFORE.
WE GOT 44 MILLION UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
SO, UM, THERE ARE GRANTS THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE STATE.
WELL, AND YOU MENTIONED SCHOOLS.
THERE'S A SCHOOL BY MY HOME AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL SCHOOL AND THEY PLANTED LOVELY TREES AND I BET OVER HALF OF 'EM.
AND I THOUGHT, OH, THAT WAS JUST SO SAD BECAUSE THOSE KIDS DO NEED SHADE OUT THERE.
IT'S NOT GETTING COOLER, IT'S GETTING WARMER AND IT HAS BECOME A HEALTH ISSUE.
AND, AND I THINK CONTINUING TO SHARE THOSE KINDS OF STORIES ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR TREE BOARD IS A WAY THAT YOU CAN HELP WITH THAT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER.
BUT TO HELP OUT THE SCHOOL THAT THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
I HAVE, I HAVE IDEAS FOR DAYS.
SO, UM, I SAW ON ONE OR TWO SLIDES A REFERENCE OF A $7 MILLION SORT OF BENEFIT OF A CANOPY.
SO IRE IS A TOOL AND IRE IS, UM, YOU, YOU TAKE THE TREES OR YOU TAKE THE CANOPY AND YOU RUN IT THROUGH THIS MODEL.
AND IN THIS MODEL IS THE BACK END.
THE BACK END TALKS ABOUT WHAT THE VALUE OF THOSE TREES ARE.
IT'S, UM, SO IT SAYS THAT IF IT'S A LARGE CANOPY TREE THAT'S, UM, HAS A DIAMETER AT BREAST HEIGHT, WHICH IS 4.5
[00:30:01]
INCHES OF, UM, A CERTAIN SIZE THAT THAT TREE PRODUCES THESE BENEFITS THAT IT MAKES, UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT SEQUESTERS X AMOUNT OF CARBON HOLDS X AMOUNTS OF PM 10.IT TAKES CARE OF, UM, IT DOESN'T STORE STORM WATER, BUT IT SLOWS DOWN STORM WATER.
SO IT, IT SLOWS DOWN A CERTAIN NUMBER OF GALLONS OF STORM WATER.
UM, IT, UM, IT PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR, UM, UM, WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.
SO IF A, A TREE ISN'T A SHOPPING AREA, FOR EXAMPLE, PEOPLE STAY LONGER, SHOP LONGER, SPEND MORE MONEY.
SO IT PROVIDES ECONOMIC BENEFITS.
AND THAT'S DONE BY LOOKING AT THE LEAF AREA INDEX.
SO THE LEAF AREA INDEX IS ACTUALLY WHAT THE, UM, LEAF AREA IS OF A TREE.
AND THAT IS MEASURED BY ONE TIME REMOVING ALL THE LEAVES FROM A TREE AND ACTUALLY MEASURING WHAT THAT LEAF AREA INDEX IS.
SO A LARGE OAK TREE THAT HAS A DIAMETER BREAST HEIGHT, THEY PULL OFF ALL THE LEAVES AND SAY THAT HAS A LEAF AREA INDEX OF X.
AND THE BENEFITS BEHIND THAT ARE Y OKAY.
IT'S, THAT'S THE BEST WAY I CAN DESCRIBE IT.
IT'S GOT MULTIPLE INPUTS, EVERYTHING MM-HMM.
AND SO THAT HAS BEEN DONE ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN DIFFERENT REGIONS.
AND SO THERE ARE, UM, THERE ARE DIFFERENT, UM, THERE DIFFERENT DOLLAR AMOUNTS.
SO A TREE HERE IS GONNA BE DIFFERENT THAN A TREE IN COLORADO, WHICH IS GONNA BE DIFFERENT THAN A TREE ON THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA.
SO AS FAR AS THIS STUDY AND PUTTING TOGETHER THIS INFORMATION WAS A PART OF THIS STUDY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SOME OF OUR DEVELOPERS OR THE, OUR, OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT IN REGARD TO OUR CODES OR THE THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN THIS STUDY IS, THAT'S THE NEXT STEP THAT WE'LL ENGAGE THOSE AND SAY, WHAT CAN WE DO WITH THE INFORMATION PROVIDED AND HOW OR IF WOULD THAT IMPACT OUR DECISIONS? IS THAT OUR ORDER OF OPERATIONS, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER? YEAH.
THIS IS THE, WE NEEDED THIS BASELINE OF DATA IN ORDER TO START THE DISCUSSION VERSUS JUST, YOU KNOW, TREES ARE GOOD, NOBODY WANTS TO SAVE TREES.
BUT HOW DO YOU DO THAT? I MEAN, I'VE BEEN HERE A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND A HALF.
I THINK EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT NO MORE CLEAR CUTTING.
UM, HOW DO WE PREVENT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE GREAT ORDINANCE, BUT IT'S, WHAT IS IT, 20% AND RIGHT, WRONG OR DIFFERENT? THE 20% LARGELY IS IN THE FLOODPLAIN WHERE NOBODY CAN ACCESS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
AND PEOPLE ARE LIKE, WELL, IS THAT REALLY THE BENEFIT WE'RE LOOKING FOR OR NOT? BUT IN ORDER TO HAVE THAT NEXT LITTLE DISCUSSION, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THIS BASED ON THIS TYPE OF DATA.
SO I THINK THE QUESTION WILL BE IS HOW DO YOU UTILIZE IT? UM, IF YOU GO BACK, IF, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE ONE SIDE? I HAD LIKE THE RED, ORANGE, WHATEVER COLORS.
SO TWO QUESTIONS I WOULD HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, MOST OF OUR FUTURE GROWTH IS OUT IN THE RED, IN THE ORANGE AREA.
SO, SO HOW DO WE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PROTECT THAT OR PRESERVE IT? OR ARE WE INTERESTED OR NOT INTERESTED IN IT? TO WHAT LEVEL? I'M SURE THERE'S GONNA BE PEOPLE THAT'LL REACH OUT TO THIS COUNCIL MEMBER AND FUTURE COUNCIL MEMBER SAYING, WE'RE READY TO DEVELOPMENT, I'VE GOT PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS.
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT? I MEAN, I GREW UP ON THE EAST COAST, I'VE GROWN UP IN THE DESERT, I'VE SEEN DIFFERENT AREAS.
SO HOW DO YOU ADDRESS THAT? HOW AGGRESSIVE DO YOU WANT TO GET OR NOT? MM-HMM.
SO WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UH, AND THEN I HAVE THE QUESTION, I KNOW THE MAYOR AND OTHERS ARE GOING QUESTIONS ABOUT DOWNTOWN.
WE PLANT TREES, EVERYBODY LOVES 'EM, AND THEY GROW TO A CERTAIN HEIGHT AND THE, AND THE COMMERCIAL DEVELOP SAYS, CUT 'EM BECAUSE I CAN'T SEE WHATEVER.
SO WHAT'S THE BALANCE THERE? AND AT WHAT LEVEL DO WE SAY WE'RE GONNA PRESCRIBE AND REQUIRE? YOU'RE GONNA REINSTALL, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TREES OF A CERTAIN SIZE OF CERTAIN NATURE BEFORE YOU GET YOUR C OF O OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE.
SO BECAUSE PART OF WHAT YOU'RE UNCOVERING IS, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW WE HAVE CERTAIN ORDINANCES THAT SAY WE NEED TO PRESERVE X AMOUNT OF TREES AND CERTAIN DEVELOPMENT, WHATEVER.
BUT WHAT YOU'VE IDENTIFIED IS THERE'S SORT OF A VALUE RANKING SYSTEM OF CERTAIN TYPES OF TREES OR CANOPIES THAT HAVE A MUCH MORE MULTIPLYING EFFECT AS FAR AS ITS POSITIVE THAN THAN OTHERS.
SO OBVIOUSLY NOT ALL TREES ARE EQUAL AND THEY'RE SORT OF R O I.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S I THINK IS INTERESTING TO DISCOVER, TO SEE IF, 'CAUSE REFLEXIVELY IT'S LIKE, OKAY, LET'S HAVE THIS PERCENT OF BUFFER TREE, BUT DO WE HAVE A CERTAIN PERCENT OR DO WE TARGET CERTAIN TREES WITHIN THAT OR ALL THAT? THAT'S, THAT'S A TOPIC THAT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO ME.
I MEAN, I THINK IN GENERAL, I MEAN, YOU LOOK AT OUR CITIZENS, WE'RE REALLY PROUD OF OUR TREES.
THEY MADE A DECISION THAT WAS OVERWHELMINGLY PASSED TO PRESERVE 22 ACRES.
[00:35:01]
UM, INSTEAD OF HAVING IT BEING DEVELOPED, UH, ALONGSIDE ONE OF OUR MAJOR PARKS TO HAVE A LIGHT TOUCH AREA, PREDOMINANTLY NATURE, UH, PRESERVED AREA.UH, I MEAN, ONE OF THE OTHER, I MEAN THAT'S, THAT'S THE KIND OF THE GRAND DECISION OF IS IF YOU LOOK AT THAT MAP AND THEN YOU DIVIDE IT UP, WHAT LAND DOES THE CITY OWNED OR AN ENTITY SIMILAR? AND THEN WHAT IS PRIVATE? AND THEN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH THOSE INDIVIDUALS IN REGARDS TO RIGHT.
TO DEVELOP VERSUS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS DONE? UM, ONE THING THAT I PARTICIPATED IN OVER, OVER THE WEEKEND IS WE HAVE A REALLY, UH, AWESOME NONPROFIT CALLED EVAN MOBILE MILL THAT SERVES ABOUT 290 OF OUR SENIORS.
AND SO MYSELF AND SOME OTHER CITIZENS WENT OUT AND, UM, WE GOT A LIST OF OUR, OUR, OUR SENIOR CITIZENS AND UM, WHO, WHO NEEDED SOME ASSISTANCE WITH YARD WORK.
AND THE HOUSE THAT I HIT WITH MY CREW WAS TREES THAT WERE ON TOP OF THE ROOF, YOU KNOW, THAT WERE CLOGGING THE DRAINS THAT WERE PROBABLY GONNA PROVIDE SOME ROOF DAMAGE, CLEANING OUT THEIR FLOWER BEDS.
AND AGAIN, YOU LOOK AT THINGS LIKE THAT OF WHAT CAN WE DO TO PRESERVE, OR WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY, A LOT OF CHURCHES, A LOT OF CIVIC MINDED, UH, PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE AND WANT TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR NEIGHBORS.
SO HOW DO WE CREATE OPPORTUNITIES, MULTIPLY THAT AS WELL.
UH, DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, SENSE OF, I KNOW CERTAIN TREES, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LOT OF WATER LIKE CEDARS OR INVASIVE LIKE OUR, THE PEARS OR WHATEVER.
DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF IF WE WERE TO GO SOMEPLACE THAT WE COULD, IF TO TRIM BACK OR FROM AN URBAN SEA FORESTRY, DO WE HAVE AN ISSUE IN OUR CITY AS REGARDS TO ANY TYPE OF INVASIVE SPECIES THAT'S, THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE CHATTING ABOUT HERE IN THE NEXT LITTLE BIT BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA DO DAMAGE OR, OR OVERTAKING OR, OR, OR POPULATING AT A RAPID RATE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? ANYTHING COME UP IN THAT SURVEY AS REGARD TO INVASIVE THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF? NO, BUT, UM, I THINK STAFF CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION BETTER THAN I CAN BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY HAVE A GUT FEELING.
BUT I WILL SAY THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UM, IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT, UM, EVERY TREE HAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT.
EVERY TREE HAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE LOOKING AT ASH TREES THROUGHOUT THE, UM, THE CROSS TIMBERS REGION BECAUSE THERE IS A SMALL BUG THAT COMES IN AND DEVASTATES ASH TREES.
SO YOU TAKE DOWN ALL YOUR ASH TREES, DO YOU GET RID OF ALL OF 'EM? DO YOU TREAT THEM? WHAT DO YOU DO? SO THAT'S REALLY THE ROLE OF THE URBAN FORESTER AND DETERMINE WHAT THAT MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
UM, ARE THERE OTHER SPECIES THAT ARE NOT GREAT MM-HMM.
WE DIDN'T LOOK AT AT INDIVIDUAL TREES AS CLOSELY.
UM, I THINK WHEN THEY DO THE TREE INVENTORY AND KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SPECIES THAT THEY HAVE, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO RUN THOSE, RUN THAT DATA THROUGH THAT SAME EYE TREE MODEL.
AND THAT WILL GIVE YOU A STRUCTURE FUNCTION AND VALUE OF TREES.
BUT REMEMBER, IT'S A COLLECTIVE FOREST.
I DON'T SEE ANYTHING ON THE HORIZON OTHER THAN ASH TREE.
UM, WEATHER IS CHANGING THE WAY WE MANAGE TREES.
UM, BUGS ARE CHANGING THE WAY WE MANAGE TREES.
BUT THAT'S IN GENERAL, THAT'S, THAT'S A GENERALITY.
I DON'T SEE ANYTHING SPECIFIC THAT'S COMING ALONG OTHER THAN
AND THEN YOU GUYS DON'T REALLY PROBABLY HAVE THAT MANY.
UM, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, SOME MANAGEMENT ISSUES, WE DO FREQUENTLY SEE, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE CROSS TIMBERS, WHICH IS, UM, A COMBINATION OF BOTH BLACKJACK, POST OAK FOREST AND, UM, AREAS OF PRAIRIE.
AND, UM, IN THOSE PRAIRIE AREAS WHERE THEY'RE NOT AS INTENSIVELY MANAGED, WE DO SEE PROLIFERATION OF EASTERN RED CEDAR AND MORE RECENTLY CALORIE PAIR AND WHERE THEY'RE KIND OF ENCROACHING WITHIN THOSE AREAS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT ECOSYSTEM IS ALSO VALUABLE TO CONSERVE.
UM, SO YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS COME UP IN THE PAST, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATES TO THE URBAN AND WILDLAND INTERFACE, UM, WITH WILDFIRE, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE MAY CONSIDER IN THE FUTURE, SUCH AS A COMMUNITY FOREST OR A COMMUNITY FIRE PROTECTION PLAN, UM, THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
BUT, UM, NOW THAT IT'S KIND OF A MANAGEMENT ISSUE THAT'S COME UP OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEED TO TALK ABOUT MORE IN THE FUTURE, BUT IT, OH, SORRY, GO AHEAD.
I WAS SAY, AND IT, IT IMPACTS OUR CANOPY AS WELL.
SO SOME OF THE INCREASE IN CANOPY THAT WE MIGHT SEE, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY BECAUSE OF THOSE AREAS
[00:40:01]
THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY GRASSLANDS THAT NOW HAVE, UM, TREES ENCROACHING INTO THEM.AND THAT'S USUALLY SOMETHING THAT DOES GET ADDRESSED WHENEVER WE HAVE THE TREE CANOPY COMMENTS, UM, ON ZONING CASES THAT COME THROUGH ON THE, THE CITY COUNCIL AGENDAS.
WELL, WELL, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY WAS, I THOUGHT IN THE PAST THAT WE HAVE HAD SOME PROGRAMS LIKE FOR THE EVASIVE, UH, MALE COTTONWOOD TREE TO REMOVE THOSE.
UM, THIS WAS YEARS AGO THAT WHERE THEY WERE, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHEN THEY SEND THEIR SPORES OUT THAT, UH, IT GETS ALL INTO YOUR AIR CONDITIONING AND IT JUST, THERE'S A LOT MORE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
AND I THOUGHT WE ALSO HAD SOME OTHER EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ON, OR PAMPHLETS ON THE RED CEDAR AND THE BRADFORD P UH, FOR NOT PLANTING THOSE.
UM, I'M NOT AWARE OF A, AGAIN, NUISANCE TREE REMOVAL TYPE PROGRAM.
I CAN, I'VE BEEN UP HERE TOO LONG.
SORRY, I'VE BEEN UP HERE TOO LONG.
YEAH, THEY, THEY'VE BEEN BEFORE ME.
BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE AN ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO HELP WITH REMOVAL OF HIGH RISK TREES AND THOSE FREQUENTLY OUR COTTONWOOD TREES IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, IT COMES UP SOMETIMES, AS DANA MENTIONED, Y'ALL TREES HAVE, UM, A BAD THING ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
AND ALL TREES HAVE GOOD THINGS TOO.
AND COTTONWOODS AND THE APPROPRIATE LOCATION ARE GREAT, GREAT TREES AND PROVIDE A LOT OF BENEFITS.
UM, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, WE DO TRY TO DO A LOT OF EDUCATION ABOUT, UM, A VARIETY OF URBAN FORESTRY TOPICS.
AND I THINK WE HAVE SHARED SOME ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, BUT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE A POTENTIAL EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN IN THE FUTURE AS WELL.
UM, THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED OUR TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE, 20%.
I THINK WE'RE THE ONLY ONE IN THE STATE THAT HAS SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UH, AND WE'VE GOT AN EXCELLENT CITY PLANNER TO BE SURE HE'S GOT A TOUGH JOB.
UH, I DON'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH HIM, BUT HE DOES A GOOD JOB,
UM, SO WHAT IS THE BEST PRACTICE YOU'VE SEEN AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH DEVELOPERS AND CITY PLANNERS AND URBAN FORESTRY GETTING TOGETHER AND WORKING OUT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT, MY PREDECESSOR WORKED EXTREMELY HARD ON THE TREE PRESERVATION PLAN, AND I'M PROUD OF THAT.
AND HOW COULD WE EXPAND ON THAT? NOT NECESSARILY THE TREE PRESERVATION PLAN, BECAUSE WE'LL HAVE PEOPLE GETTING FUSSY ABOUT THAT, BUT WHAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD DO? WELL, AT THE END, THE LAST SLIDE WE MENTIONED AN URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS ENGAGING ALL COMMUNITIES AND BY ALL COMMUNITIES.
IT'S WHETHER YOU LOVE TREES OR DISLIKE TREES OR ARE IN THE WAY OF YOUR DEVELOPMENT.
SO THAT WOULD BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THAT GROUP COMES TO THE TABLE.
AND I THINK THAT'S ALREADY HAPPENED HERE.
AND MY CONVERSATIONS WITH LEE, I'VE HEARD THAT THAT HAPPENS.
SO I THINK IN CONTINUALLY ENGAGING THAT GROUP IS VERY IMPORTANT AND NOT TO COME TO ANY CONCLUSIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ONE GROUP MAY WANT OR NOT WANT BECAUSE SCIENCE AND URBAN FORESTRY IS CHANGING.
WHEN I WENT TO WORK IN URBAN FORESTRY, UM, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS URBAN FORESTRY.
I MEAN, IT WAS JUST TREES AND CITIES.
AND SO AS SCIENCE CHANGES, THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO EDUCATE IS GONNA BE VERY IMPORTANT.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I THINK THEY NEED TO DO.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY WORK TOGETHER ALREADY CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
UM, I NEVER SEE A CITY LIKE EDMOND BECOMING AN AUSTIN OR A, AN ATLANTA WHERE EVERY TREE, EVERY TREE IS PROTECTED.
I JUST DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.
MOST COMMUNITIES I WORK IN, I DON'T SEE THAT HAPPENING.
YOU'VE GOT A PRETTY GOOD CRYSTAL BALL.
DO YOU, SOMETHING KIND OF TOOK MY BREATH AWAY A COUPLE WEEKS OR TWO, THREE WEEKS AGO.
IT'S ACTUALLY IN A TRANSPORTATION CONVERSATION I WAS HAVING, WE HAD A NUMBER OF HEAT DAYS OVER A HUNDRED IN THE END OF AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER.
AND I'D GET THIS EMAIL EVERY DAY THAT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, OZONE WARNING, PETE ADVISORY THAT WAS SENT OUT.
AND, UM, WAS TALKING TO ONE OF OUR, OUR, OUR, UH, PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'RE SORT OF ON, AS, AS A METRO REGION, WE'RE SORT OF ON THE KNIFE'S EDGE OF BEING DECLARED OUT OF ATTAINMENT MM-HMM.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY PROBABLY SHARE A SEDIMENT THAT WE DO NOT WANT TO GO UNDER THE PER PURVIEW REGULATION THUMB OF E P A AND ALL THE, AND
[00:45:01]
THEIR COMMENT WAS, THE CALCULATION THAT THEY DID AS A NONPROFIT WAS TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WOULD'VE TO BE SPENT IN ADDITIONAL, UM, REGULATORY COST.THE DATA THAT YOU PROVIDE AND THE ANALYSIS THAT YOU DO HERE, IS THAT EVER ABLE TO BE FED INTO SORT OF THOSE MODELS AS WE'RE LOOKING AT, HEY, WE HAVE THIS DECISION WITH OUR TREES HERE, BUT IF WE GO DOWN A PATH OF NON-ATTAINMENT AND WE FALL UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE E P A, OUR COSTS ARE GONNA GO.
LIKE, HAS THERE, HAVE YOU WORKED WITH ANY CITIES OR ANY REGIONS THAT ARE, THAT ARE, THAT ARE USING THEIR SORT OF C O T C O TWO TREE CANOPY AS DATA OR ANALYSIS IN REGARDS TO THOSE DECISIONS OR, OR THINGS IT YES AND NO.
YES, IN THAT, I SERVED ON THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT FOR THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA.
AND OUR AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT DID NOT ALLOW TREES AS PART OF THAT.
UM, THEY SAID THE SCIENCE WASN'T THERE.
SO THAT DEPENDS ON YOUR AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT THAT YOU, WHATEVER OKLAHOMA HAS FOR THAT, UM, IT IS BECOMING MORE ACCEPTED.
SO I BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD PROBABLY MAKE A CASE FOR THAT.
THAT'S, THIS IS THE SHORT ANSWER AND THIS DATA WILL HELP.
UM, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ALLOW IT, I DON'T KNOW.
THE E P A WAS NOT ALLOWING IT 10 YEARS AGO.
THEY MAY HAVE CHANGED THEIR MINDS BECAUSE OUR SCIENCE, URBAN FORESTRY SCIENCE IS BETTER.
DOES THAT HELP? YEAH, I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT, I MEAN, I, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY HONEST ANSWER.
I HAVEN'T WORKED FOR, PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT TREES AND WHAT THEY MEAN, AND YOU DESCRIBED THE GROUPS THAT LOVE 'EM, THOSE THAT ARE INDIFFERENT, THOSE THAT WANT TO DO DEVELOP.
BUT I THINK GENERALLY THE COMMUNITY CENSUS IS, WE DON'T WANT TO BE UNDER A, AN ADDITIONAL FEDERAL REGULATORY REQUIREMENT THAT PER THIS GROUP PUT OUT, YOU KNOW, WOULD COST TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS COLLECTIVELY IN OUR METRO REGION TO, UM, COMPLY WITH.
AND SO I JUST WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN EDMOND AND HOW THAT CAN BE ANALYZED AND THE DATA CAN BE SHARED TO SAY, HEY, OUR CANOPY OR OUR PRESERVATION OR OUR, UH, ALLOWS FOR THIS TYPE OF C O T C O TWO TO BE, UH, TAKEN OUT THE AIR OR WHATEVER.
AND, AND AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICTS, UM, HAVE DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, TOLERANCE LEVELS FOR DIFFERENT THINGS.
IN LOS ANGELES, THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT GAVE MONEY TO LOCAL NONPROFITS TO PLANT MORE TREES BECAUSE THEY SAW IT.
HAS ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE LIKE TO HAVE ANY COMMENTS? COME ON DOWN AND HI, INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
I WAS ON THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMISSION FOR 17 YEARS.
AND SO I'VE SEEN A LOT OF CHANGE.
AND IF YOU WOULD'VE TOLD ME IN 2006 THAT WE WOULD'VE GOTTEN THE TWO PRESERVATION ORDINANCES THAT WE HAVE, I WOULD'VE SAID THERE'S NO WAY.
THERE WAS SUCH A, WE WERE THE TREE HUGGERS.
UM, YOU WANNA CALL US LIBERALS, WHICH I THINK IS SILLY.
I THINK EVERYBODY LOVES TREES, YOU KNOW, AND I SEE OUR CITY, WHAT I'M MAINLY WHAT I WANNA SAY IS EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION, EDUCATION.
'CAUSE WHAT'S GONNA CHANGE IS THE KIDS.
SO HOW, WHY ARE WE ALL RECYCLING? IT'S BECAUSE THE KIDS.
AND SO I KNOW WE'VE TRIED TO WORK, WE DO A LOT OF GREAT EDUCATION THINGS.
UM, BUT I SEE MORE, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO SEE IS MORE OF A, UM, AND WE WERE DOING THIS BEFORE COVID, BUT COVID KIND OF PUT EVERYTHING ON HOLD.
BUT HAVING OUR LEADERSHIP, YOU GUYS WORK WITH THE SCHOOL BOARDS, BECAUSE WHERE WE HAVE A LOT OF AREA, WE CAN PLANT TREES.
'CAUSE THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA KEEP OUR, WHEN WE DID SOME OF THE ORDINANCE, WE WERE SAYING 40%, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T SHOOT HIGH, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET THERE IS WITH THE SCHOOLS, THE SCHOOLS HAVE SO MUCH LAND THAT WE COULD PLANT TREES ON.
THE PROBLEM IS THEY DON'T LIKE THE MAINTENANCE OF IT.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT EDMOND NORTH, MANY OF YOU KNOW, I LOST A CHILD AND, UM, WE PLANTED 31 TREES IN HER MEMORY WITH THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMISSION, WITH THE SCHOOL BOARD.
I RAISED $2,000 TO PUT IN A SPRINKLER SYSTEM BECAUSE WHAT STACEY WAS SAYING IS, YEAH, WE PLANT TREES.
AND WHAT HAPPENS AT THE SCHOOLS UNFORTUNATELY IS OVER THE SUMMER, THERE'S NOBODY CARING FOR THEM.
I USED TO HAVE MY OWN, I HAVE MY OWN WATER KEY FROM BRETT TOWN AND I WOULD WATER JENNIFER'S GARDEN THERE.
BUT I THINK IF WE COULD EDUCATE, IF WE COULD WORK LEADERSHIP, BECAUSE I CAN TALK, I MEAN, I WAS URBAN FORESTRY COMMISSION LEADERSHIP, BUT THEY DON'T TAKE IT AS SERIOUSLY FROM ME AS THEY TAKE IT FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS.
AND IF WE COULD FIND A WAY TO WORK WITH
[00:50:01]
THEM, WE PLANTED A WHOLE BUNCH OF TREES AT SUNSET.SOMETHING HAPPENED IN MISCOMMUNICATION AND THEY TOOK 'EM ALL DOWN.
WHEREAS YOU COULD HAVE EASILY PICKED THE TREE WE HAD JUST PLANTED THEM IN A YEAR OR SO.
YOU COULD HAVE PICKED THE TREE UP AND TAKEN IT OUT.
BUT BECAUSE THERE WASN'T THAT COMMUNICATION, THERE WASN'T WHAT I WOULD SAY, A LIAISON THAT'S IN LEADERSHIP THAT WAS REALLY TALKING TO THEM.
AND I KNOW THE GUY WHO MOWS NORTH, HE WASN'T VERY HAPPY WHEN ALL THOSE TREES CAME IN BECAUSE YEAH, IT'S A LOT EASIER TO DO THIS AND THIS, IT MAKES ME SAD AT JOHN ROSS HOW MUCH PLAYGROUND THOSE KIDS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY SUGGESTION.
TWO THINGS, EDUCATION, EDUCATION WITH THE KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS WERE FOLLOW REALLY.
UM, IF YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN OUT TO THE ARBORETUM, MOST PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW WE HAVE AN ARBORETUM, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH EDUCATION OUT THERE, AND IF WITH YOUR ALL'S LEADERSHIP, GETTING WITH THE SCHOOL, AND I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE INUNDATED AND THE SCHOOLS HAVE BIG FISH TO FRY, YOU GUYS HAVE BIG FISH TO FRY.
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING, IF WE COULD FIND A LIAISON, A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THEM BETTER, I THINK IT'S A GREAT PLACE WE COULD PLANT TREES.
AND I APPRECIATE Y'ALL BECAUSE I KNOW YOU LOVE TREES.
COME ON DOWN AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF PLEASE.
UM, I LIVE ON, I LIVE OUT BY ARCADIA LAKE, AND, UM, I'M AN AMATEUR.
I'VE JUST DONE A LOT OF SELF-STUDYING ON MY OWN, AND SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS ARE RIGHT ON, AND I JUST WANNA ADD A COUPLE OF THINGS.
FIRST, VERY SIMPLE CHINESE MUSTACHE.
I'M SEEING INVASIVE CHINESE PIST ALL OVER MY LOT.
AND, AND IT'S LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW BIG THEY HAVE TO GET BEFORE I CAN FIGURE OUT WHETHER IT'S A MALE OR A FEMALE, BUT IF IT'S A FEMALE, IT'S, IT'S DIED.
UM, THE OTHER IS THAT THERE'S, I, I'M, I'M A TREE LOVER, AND I DON'T, I HAVE, I HAVE, UM, I I'M NOT REAL ABLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE THAT DON'T LIKE, THAT DON'T LIKE TREES.
HOWEVER, IT'S ALMOST ALWAYS BECAUSE THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE WRONG TREE IN THE WRONG PLACE.
AND IT'S REALLY EASY TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT TO YOUR RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TREE, WRONG PLACE.
BUT I TELL YOU, I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON FIGURING OUT WHAT TREES ARE RIGHT IN WHAT PLACES.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EDUCATION, IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WHAT DO YOU EDUCATE THEM WITH? I HAVE, I HAVE AMASSED SEVERAL DIFFERENT, UM, PUBLICATIONS OF DIFFERENT CITIES THAT LIST APPROVED STREET TREES THINKING THAT OKAY, IF THEY'RE APPROVED FOR STREET TREES, THEN THEY MUST HAVE A DEEP TAPROOT INSTEAD OF A BIG SPRAWLY ROOT.
BECAUSE IF YOU PLANT, UM, A PERSIMMON ANYWHERE NEAR CONCRETE, FORGET IT, YOUR CONCRETE'S GONE.
BUT, SO I'M, I'M WONDERING A LITTLE BIT, BUT I WANNA EMPHASIZE ONE THING.
WHEN YOU'RE THINKING TREES, THE OTHER HALF OF THE EQUATION IS CONCRETE.
IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF PRESERVING TREES, IT'S A MATTER OF KEEPING YOUR CONCRETE TO THE SMALLEST FOOTPRINT YOU POSSIBLY CAN, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF YOUR HEAT IS COMING FROM, THAT YOUR TREES ARE TRYING TO MITIGATE.
THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF YOUR IMPERVIOUS SURFACE IS.
THAT IS BLOCKING YOUR, THAT IS FORCING YOUR RAIN WATER TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE INSTEAD OF SOAKING INTO THE GROUND, INTO YOUR WATER TABLE, WHICH YOU NEED DESPERATELY HERE.
SO THERE'S, IT'S, AND WHEN YOU'RE THINKING TREES AND HELPING PEOPLE PRESERVE TREES, YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT ROUGHLY HALF THAT TREE IS UNDERGROUND.
AND IF DEVELOPERS COVER THE ROOTS WITH DIRT, THAT TREE IS GONNA DIE A SLOW DEATH NO MATTER WHAT ELSE YOU DO.
JUST SAY ONE THING AND I AGREE WITH EVERYBODY.
UM, I'M IN THE COMMERCIAL END OF, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF, MA'AM.
UH, I TOO HAVE BEEN ON THE URBAN FORESTRY COMMISSION IN EDMOND, AND I'VE, I'M A HOMEOWNER IN ARCADIA.
I OWN, UH, JUST 10 ACRES, BUT IT'S FILLED WITH TREES.
AND I DO LIKE THIS LADY OVER HERE.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT A LOT OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GOING ON THROUGHOUT, UH, EDMOND AND ARCADIA.
UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS THE DEVELOPERS GOING IN, THEY'RE SCRAPING
[00:55:01]
EVERY BIT OF TOPSOIL OFF THE LAND, UM, NOT PRESERVING THE BIG TREES, THE BIG BEAUTIFUL OAKS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME, TOLERATE A LOT OF DROUGHT.UM, TALK ABOUT TREES, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT TREE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE NATIVE TREES.
UM, AND I AGREE WITH THE, UH, ASSESSMENT OF THE, THE, UM, UH, BIST STA.
UM, BUT THEY ARE TREES THAT DO WELL IN A LOT OF AREAS THAT ARE VERY, VERY DRY.
UM, THERE ARE CULTIVARS AND THERE ARE, UM, UH, TYPES THAT, THAT WILL NOT PRODUCE AS MUCH SEED AND, YOU KNOW, BE AS PROLIFIC.
BUT WITH THE SCHOOLS, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING A LOT OF SCHOOLS AND WE'RE, WE HAVE AREAS THAT ARE NATIVE AND WE'RE GOING IN, WE'RE TAKING OUT ALL OF THE NATIVE TREES WHEN WE COULD USE THEM FOR EDUCATION.
THERE COULD BE TRAILS DEVELOPED THROUGH THERE AROUND THE SCHOOL AND, UH, THESE NATIVE AREAS CAN BE PRESERVED.
UM, YOU KNOW, CROSSINGS, COMMUNITY CHURCH IN, UM, UH, OFF OF PORTLAND, WE TOOK AN AREA THAT, UH, WHERE THE SOIL WAS WAS JUST DUMP SOIL, AND WE CREATED A GRASSLAND AND A WILDFLOWER AREA OUT OF IT.
IT'S TAKEN A FEW YEARS TO GET DEVELOPED, BUT, UH, BUT THE KIDS USE IT ALL THE TIME.
THE SCHOOLS THERE, THE KIDS GO OUT AND WE, YOU KNOW, CREATED A PATHWAY THROUGH THAT.
UM, WE CAN USE SOME OF THESE AREAS, SOME OF THESE NATIVE AREAS FOR EDUCATION IF WE PRESERVE THEM AND MAKE IT INTENTIONAL.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO IN AND WE, YOU KNOW, PUT A SCHOOL IN ON A PROPERTY OR A COMMUNITY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD PRESERVE THESE AREAS.
AND THESE ARE, THESE ARE THINGS THAT I THINK ARE SIMPLE AND LESS EXPENSIVE, INSTEAD OF GOING IN AND ADDING MORE NON-NATIVE PLANT MATERIALS THAT ARE, THAT ARE GONNA REQUIRE A WHOLE LOT OF CARE.
SO, UM, I JUST THINK PRESERVATION IS SO IMPORTANT, UM, IN SOME OF THESE, UH, AREAS IN THE CROSS TIMBERS.
AND, AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT THAT.
AND I THINK THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN WORK WITH DEVELOPERS TO, UH, NOT GO IN AND CLEAR CUT CAUSE EROSION ISSUES, WATER, UM, UH, LOSS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT WE'VE SEEN IT.
UH, JUST DRIVE DOWN COFFEE CREEK OR DRIVE DOWN DANFORTH AND YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THAT GOING ON.
I THINK WE HAVE ONE MORE IN BACK HERE.
YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP AT ONE TIME.
JUST VERY BRIEFLY, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF, SIR.
UH, BEEN INTERESTED IN TREES FOR A LONG TIME.
THAT WAS SORT OF MY GOAL WHEN I RETIRED.
UM, I WERE CRITICIZING DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, IN 1889 THERE WERE NO TREES HERE.
YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURES THAT WERE DOWNTOWN, THERE WASN'T A TREE ANY DIRECTION YOU COULD WATCH.
UH, SECONDLY, BUILDERS, UH, CAN BUILD AND KEEP TREES.
THE BEST I CAN THINK OF IS BRADBURY CORNER.
UH, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, THEY DIDN'T, THEY DIDN'T HARDLY CHOP DOWN A TREE AT ALL TO BUILD THE HOUSES HERE.
UH, SO SOME OF THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A LONG TIME.
I MOVED HERE 45 YEARS AGO, UH, THIS MONTH.
AND, UH, AT THAT TIME WE HAD HEARD THAT THE BUILDERS IN EDMOND WERE DOING IT DIFFERENTLY.
AND THAT WAS THE ATTRACTION THAT CAUSED THE SURGE OF HOUSING IN THE LATE, UH, SEVENTIES AND EARLY EIGHTIES WITH PEOPLE MOVING TO EDMOND BECAUSE THEY HAD ACREAGES OUT HERE.
THEY HAD, UH, EVEN, UH, UH, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE ALL RANGE OF, OF HOUSING, BUT THEY, THEY, THEY TOOK AN INTEREST AND THE BUILDERS TOOK AN INTEREST IN KEEPING TREES.
UH, AND SECOND, THE, THE GREATEST A, ONE OF THE GREATEST ASSETS WE HAVE IN OUR COMMUNITY IS THIS EDMOND AREA IS, UH, SORT OF A CORNERSTONE OF AN ANCIENT FOREST.
NOBODY WOULD THINK OF IT TO BE AN ANCIENT FOREST, BUT IT IS AN ANCIENT FOREST.
THE TREES IN MY YARD ARE OVER 200 YEARS OLD.
THEY WERE THERE BEFORE I, LONG, BEFORE WE BECAME A STATE.
I DIDN'T HAVE PLENTY OF SHADE IN FRONT OF MY H MY ON THE WEST SIDE OF MY HOUSE, AND 45 YEARS AGO I PLANTED A SIX FOOT, UH, BALD CYPRESS.
IT'S 45 FOOT TALL TODAY AND IT SHADES MY ENTIRE HOUSE FROM THE WESTERN SIDE.
[01:00:01]
ARE KIND OF THINGS THAT PEOPLE DID WHEN THEY LOOK AHEAD.IN FACT, TREES ARE VALUABLE AND, UH, SOMETIMES WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT ENOUGH IN OUR, IN OUR PROCESSES, BUT, UH, WE NEED TO, AND, UH, PERHAPS WE NEED TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY LIVING IN, IN A CORNERSTONE OF AN ANCIENT FOREST.
JUST THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
COUNSEL, ANYTHING ELSE? I MEAN, WE, A LOT OF INFORMATION.
THIS IS JUST THE, THE CREATES PART OF THE FOUNDATION FOR US TO GO FORWARD, HAVE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, UM, OUR CITY, OUR ECOSYSTEM, AND CODES AND DESIRES.
HAVING SAID THAT, WE CAN ADJOURN FROM THIS SPECIAL WORKSHOP.