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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOES 01-09Llty n PICKERING REPORT TO EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Report Number: OES 01-09 Date: January 12, 2009 From: Everett Buntsma Director, Operations & Emergency Services Subject: Urban Forest Strategy - File: A-1440 Recommendation: 1. That Report OES 01-09 of the Director, Operations & Emergency Services be received; 2. That Council endorse the concept of the development of an Urban Forest Strategy for the City of Pickering; 3. That Council receive and endorse in principle the proposal from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to undertake the Urban Forest Study and that staff be directed to include funding for this study in its 2009 budget submission for Council's consideration; 4. That should budget approval be granted in the 2009 budget, notwithstanding the requirements of the City's Purchasing Policy, TRCA be retained to undertake the Urban Forest Study; and 5. That a copy of this report be forwarded to the TRCA for their information. Executive Summary: An Urban Forest Strategy is a comprehensive document that establishes the guiding principles and policies for the management and enhancement of the City's urban forest and tree canopy. The strategy provides clear objectives, measureable outcomes and makes recommendations to existing policies and practices to sustain and enhance tree cover as an essential natural resource. On March 25, 2008, the City of Pickering Council passed a Notice of Motion respecting an Urban Forest Strategy under Resolution #54/08. The resolution required that staff report back to Council with respect to the development of a terms of reference for an Urban Forest Strategy after consultation with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority; that staff investigate potential funding partners to assist in the study, and that staff identify potential community stewardship partners for the program. 35 Report OES 01-09 Subject: Urban Forest Strategy Page 2 Subsequent meetings and discussions between staff and the TRCA initiated the preparation of a proposal from the TRCA to assist in undertaking an Urban Forest Study, the first step in preparing an Urban Forest Strategy. Financial Implications: The proposed estimate from the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to perform the Urban Forest Study is $71,097.00 (including a 10% contingency) subject to Council's direction. This cost will be considered under the 2009 budget with the potential assistance of funding from outside sources. Sustainability Implications: An Urban Forest Strategy is a long range initiative towards climate change adaptation. Sustaining and enhancing the City of Pickering's urban forest and tree canopy as part of a green infrastructure will promote benefits such as; • improved air quality • improved water quality • reduced energy costs • greenhouse gas reduction • mitigation of "heat island effect" from urban intensification • community capacity building • wildlife habitat • invasive species management • increase of biodiversity to lessen impact of disease and insect infestation Background: An Urban Forest Strategy is a long term planning tool that sets vision, establishes policy and guides actions An Urban Forest Strategy is a tool that allows municipalities to actively plan for a sustainable urban forest. An Urban Forest Strategy is different from a tree planting program because it considers urban forests as part of a planning process and considers the long term maintenance and health of the urban forest. Developing a strategy for sustaining and enhancing the urban forest requires a practical understanding of the status of the current urban forest. This includes the number, location and density of trees, species, health, age, etc, and the development of proper policies and techniques for the planting and maintenance of urban trees. An Urban Forest Strategy can be designed to integrate with the sustainability objectives of a municipality and goes far beyond simply assessing the current tree canopy cover. The foundation of a urban forest strategy is an understanding of what you have now and a vision for what you want it to be 10, 25, and 50 years in the future. January 12, 2009 CORP0227-07/01 revised Report OES 01-09 Subject: Urban Forest Strategy The first step in,the Strategy is undertaking an Urban Forest Study Page 3 The first step required to develop the Urban Forest Strategy is to perform a study to determine the existing conditions of Pickering's urban forest. A commonly used model is the Urban Forests Effects (UFORE) analysis, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Services. A random sampling of approximately 200 sites, each 0.04 hectares in area, are taken throughout the study area. In doing so, approximately 30 plots for each land use (industrial, commercial, residential, parkland etc.) are studied. Each tree over 2.5 cm (1") in caliper is accounted for, with its species, size and health being catalogued. Shrub cover may be considered as well. The data collected is sent to the USDA Forest Services, where they input the data into a software program for analysis. The results and recommendations provided from the analysis will assist the City in creating management goals. Prior to sending the data collected for analysis, the City's goals and objectives for the Strategy need to be determined so that they can be addressed in the recommendations. How does the City want to benefit from its urban forest in terms of quality of life? For example, the focus could be on mitigating climate change and urban heat island effects, improving air quality, restoring natural aesthetics, reducing flooding or decreasing community energy use. Different tree species provide different benefits; therefore, defining a livable City of Pickering will determine the kind of urban forest that the City will require. Data analysis can be conducted for the study area as a whole or it can be "stratified" by clumping it into various categories such as by land use or by neighbourhood. Staff will need to determine the best format for the data analysis, so that the results and recommendations will suit our needs in developing long term strategies and policies for our urban forest. On March 25, 2008, Andrea Dube of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority made a presentation regarding the Urban Forest Strategy to the City of Pickering Council. This was followed by the passing of a Notice of Motion for an Urban Forest Strategy under Resolution #54/08. The resolution required that staff report back to Council with respect to the development of a terms of reference for an Urban Forest Strategy after consultation with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority; that staff investigate potential funding partners to assist in the study; and that staff identify potential community stewardship partners for the program. Councillor Littley and several staff attended a UFORE Project Design Forum hosted by the TRCA on April 8, 2008, in order to become more informed on the process and requirements of an Urban Forest Strategy. Among the presenters at the Forum were Dr. David Nowak, Project Leader for the USDA Forest Service and Andy Kenney and Meaghan Eastwood from the University of Toronto who spoke of the process and their experiences in preparing an Urban Forest Strategy for Kelowna, B.C. The Forum was attended by representatives from the surrounding municipalities including Ajax, Brampton, Caledon, London, Markham, Mississauga, Peel, Pickering, Toronto, CORP0227-07/01 revised January 12, 2009 Report OES 01-09 Subject: Urban Forest Strategy January 12, 2009 Page 4 Vaughan and York. All the municipalities recognized the need for and indicated interest in moving forward with preparing an Urban Forest Strategy. We have been advised that to date the City of Toronto, City of London, Town of Ajax and Region of Peel have proceeded and completed the field component of their studies and York Region (for Markham and Vaughan) have plans to complete their study in 2009. TRCA has provided a proposal to the City to undertake the Urban Forest Study Subsequent to the passing of the Resolution, City of Pickering staff have kept in contact with Town of Ajax staff to follow their progress, to determine the most appropriate direction for proceeding with the study and to be informed of its associated costs. The Town of Ajax issued a request for proposal for the Urban Forest Study and received two quotes that came in substantially over their budget. TRCA responded to their needs and have assisted them by performing the study for an estimated cost of approximately $65,000, significantly less that the quotes received. In light of this, and as no funds have yet been dedicated for this program, a terms of reference to request for proposals from consultants was not prepared. The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) was consulted and staff advised that until such time as CLOCA receives interest from its local municipalities and have suitable forestry staff, they will not be promoting the program. In effort to advance this program, and in light of a number of development applications currently under review in the City that involve tree removal compensation, a meeting with Pickering and TRCA staff was held on October 22, 2008. Discussions surrounded the fact that the City needs to develop policies to address tree protection and removal compensation, and establish more stringent guidelines for landscaping to enhance our urban forest. With the expansion of development into Central Pickering and anticipated intensification in South Pickering (including our downtown), this issue will become critical. These policies and guidelines would become part of the final Urban Forest Strategy. It was agreed that TRCA would provide a proposal to the City to assist in the Urban Forest Study, similar to what they are currently doing for the Town of Ajax and the Region of Peel The TRCA proposal for the Urban Forest Study, dated November 5; 2008, proposes a study area of the existing urban and future growth areas, including the Seaton Community, but not the rural areas. As per the recommendations of the USDA, 200 sample plots are proposed for the Pickering study taken using the "randomized grid" method across the study area. This is recommended as it lends itself to monitor future change within the study area and allows for post-stratification: the organization and comparison of data collected over multiple years. The TRCA propose to begin the study in the spring 2009, with the field data collection, in-office data compilation and inputting proceeding during the summer months, data analysis and interpretation proceeding in the fall, with the final Study Report being complete in early 2010. The final Urban Forest Study report will be technical in nature, presenting and interpreting the results of the UFORE analysis. It will provide recommendations for CORP0227-07/01 revised Report OES 01-09 Subject: Urban Forest Strategy January 12, 2009 Page 5 achieving the desired urban forest goals and objectives, more specifically, the benefits and services currently being provided by the urban forest (air pollution removal, household energy savings etc.) as well as the various structural elements of the forest (species composition, age-class distribution etc.). Recommendations will be made for future management directions such as increasing the number of large stature trees or increasing species diversification in certain land use zones or neighborhoods. This information will be used to develop planning policies and management strategies for our urban forest. The projected budget estimate from the TRCA to cover staff time, vehicle allowance, data analysis and report preparation is $64,847. With a 10% contingency allowance, the estimated cost is $71,097. It is recommended that this cost be considered by Council in the 2009 budget. The City of Pickering's purchasing policy requires that three formal written quotes be required for goods and services with the proposed dollar value. Based on the information received from the Town of Ajax and TRCA's experience and expertise, staff request for Council's approval to proceed with TRCA and not seek additional quotes. The Director of Corporate Services & Treasurer has been consulted with regards to this matter and is in agreement with recommendation number 4. Potential Funding Partnerships have been explored Council's Resolution required investigation into potential funding partners and the identification of potential community stewardship partners. Members from the business and development community in the City of Pickering have been contacted. Although interest has been shown regarding this matter, no commitments have been made. The feeling is that until a commitment is made by Council to proceed with the study, funding partners will not step forward. Also more interest has been indicated for providing funding for specific tree planting programs than for a study. Environmental Stewardship Pickering (ESP) has accepted the challenge to assist in the implementation of an Urban Forest Strategy. ESP is an initiative to expand the work of the successful Frenchman's Bay Watershed Rehabilitation Project, to cover the entire City of Pickering. In June of 2008, the City of Pickering, Ontario Power Generation and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority invited a wide range of environmental and other community organizations to a forum to see if there was any interest in joining forces. Attendees to the forum included: Indo-Canadian Cultural Association of Durham, Hydro One, Frenchman's Bay Yacht Club, Dunbarton High School, Pickering Rod and Gun Club, Canadian Baha'i Business Forum, Durham Environmental Advisory Committee, Friends of Altona Forest, Friends of the Rouge, Rouge/Duffins Greenspace Coalition, Pickering Naturalists, South Pickering Seniors Association and Pickering Horticultural Society. The Urban Forest Strategy was presented to the organizations at that time and all agreed that it would be a worthwhile program to participate in. CORP0227-07/01 revised Report OES 01-09 Subject: Urban Forest Strategy Page 6 As an item of urgency with regards to the health and protection of our current urban forest, an announcement was made on December 8, 2008; that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) have confirmed the presence of the Emerald Ash Borer in the City of Pickering. The Emerald Ash Borer is an invasive beetle that is highly destructive to ash trees. Approximately 20% of the street trees in the City of Pickering are ash trees. The Urban Forest Study can identify the impact of the loss of these trees and provide recommendations to mitigate this problem. Attachments: 1. City of Pickering Urban Forest Study Outline (Including Projected Costs and Timelines for a UFORE Analysis), dated November 5, 2008, Prepared by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Prepared By: Arnold Mostert Coordinator, Landscape & Parks Development Approved/Endorsqd,By: Everett ?Buntsr?a. ' Directory Operations & Emergency Services RicKard W. R Korn, P. Eng. Division Head, Municipal Property & Engineering r AM:ds Copy: Chief Administrative Officer Recommended for the consideration of Pickering ity cil ,? AA ;Phorhas J. irfn, MR, CM Chief Admii istr? e Officer CORP0227-07/01 revised January 12, 2009 -0 REE TV LS? 01-0 -POR City of Pickering Urban Forest Study Outline (Including Projected Costs and Timelines for a UFORE Analysis) November 5, 2008 Prepared for: City of Pickering Prepared by: Toronto and Region Conservation Authority I I BACKGROUND The outline that follows for an urban forest study (Program component 2) was developed in follow up to a meeting on Wednesday, October 22, 2008, between representatives of City of Pickering and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the integration of urban forest. information into sustainable community planning as well as the basic considerations surrounding the City conducting an urban forest study. A pressing issue was the need for immediate, interim measures for dealing with existing planning files that need direction on tree protection and management. It was determined that initially the City's Urban Forest Program would have three components, as follow: 1. Component 1: research into examples of tree protection and policy in other municipalities, e.g. stringent guidelines used in older, more treed neighbourhoods, to assist with current planning files; 2. Component 2: design and carry out an urban forest study, using UFORE, and write recommendations to assist the City in further urban forest strategy development; and, 3. Component 3: develop a guidance document for integrating recommendations from components 1 and 2 into community planning and development review, to assist with Official Plan review. All three components will likely be started simultaneously to meet the needs and timelines of the various users. There was discussion about the need for inter-department and inter-agency collaboration and communication, which should include the Region's Health Department. The City would undertake and lead components I and 3. TRCA was asked to prepare a basic outline of an urban forest study to fulfill component 2. That outline follows. COMPONENT 2 - URBAN FOREST STUDY (to be led by TRCA) Context The City of Pickering's green infrastructure - its street trees, hedgerows, forests, wetlands and rich species diversity - from which the City derives ecosystem services, can play a large part in attaining and sustaining a livable City of Pickering. The Urban Forest Study can provide a progressive look at how trees could be a more essential part of urban community design in the City of Pickering. The Urban Forest Study requires a well thought out context if it is to be effective in informing policy, development negotiation and urban design. First, it requires that the implementers (audiences) - those who would take action to implement any ensuing urban forest management strategies - be identified and involved early on. Second, the Study requires that the implementers have a reasonable definition of what is a livable City of Pickering, including how the City wants to benefit from its urban forest in terms of quality of life - e.g. human health and social wellbeing. Different tree species provide different benefits; therefore, defining a livable City of Pickering will determine the kind of urban forest that the City will require. The accent may be on mitigating climate change and urban heat island effects, improving air quality, restoring natural aesthetics, reducing, flooding or decreasing community energy use. Those objectives need to be determined prior to designing the urban forest Study. The ensuing Pickering Urban Forest Program objectives could form the basis for the City's Terms of Reference for the Study. The purpose of the Study would be to determine how the current urban forest is contributing to achieving the livable Pickering and then to inform strategies on required restoration, enhancement and maintenance of the urban forest. The TRCA has been managing the Urban Forest Studies for the Region of Peel and the Town of Ajax as well as facilitating the communication and collaboration between project managers and stakeholders of urban forest studies within and beyond the TRCA's nine watersheds. Drawing from that experience in study design, data collection and strategy development, TRCA can assist the City in the development of their own Study Terms of Reference. The following is a brief outline of a recommended project description for Component 2, the City's Urban Forest Study, including a corresponding projected budget and work plan. Proposed Study Design Selected Model The Study Terms of Reference will need to include the methodology to be used to collect information on the structure of the urban forest and the models used to relate the structure to function (ecosystem services). A commonly used model is the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) analysis, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, and which has been used in cities worldwide. The UFORE model uses field data collected from sample plots throughout a study area, together with local hourly meteorological and air pollution-concentration measurements, to provide a detailed assessment of the structure and function of the urban. forest. Other municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area, including Oakville, Toronto, Peel and Ajax have used or are using UFORE as a component of their urban forest studies. UFORE will facilitate a better understanding of the role of the City's urban forest, will assist in the development of an urban forest strategy and will establish a baseline for future evaluations. Study Boundaries In previous UFORE analyses conducted by the TRCA study boundaries were delineated by municipal boundaries in order to provide a representative sample. The exception was the Town of Caledon, for which only the urban settlement areas were sampled. The steep urban-rural gradient that occurs within the municipality of Pickering may also warrant that the analysis includes the existing urban and future growth areas, including the Seaton Community, but not the rural areas, e.g. Ward 3 and the Duffins Rouge Agriculture Preserve. Sampling Methodology The UFORE analysis utilizes data (species composition, tree health and dimensions, degree of imperviousness, etc) collected in the field from sample plots; the data are then statistically extrapolated to estimate the condition (totals and standard errors) of the entire study area. In 2008, TRCA has used a "randomized grid" method to distribute the sample plots across study oc S Gi 0 areas. A grid of equal size cells is overlaid across the entire study area and plots a placed randomly within each grid cell. The USDA recommends the randomized grid method as it lends itself to monitor future change within the study area and allows for post-stratification (explained below). Study Area Stratification The data collection and analysis can be conducted for the study area as a whole but they can also be conducted in more detail by clumping data into various categories; for example, by land use type or by municipal ward. This is called the "stratification" of data (and the land uses are the "strata"). Stratifying the study area into smaller units can aid in understanding variations in the structure of the urban forest. according to land use type (e.g. residential, commercial, etc.) or potentially by neighbourhoods. The timing of stratification is important. With pre-stratification, the study area is divided into smaller units prior to plot distribution, which focuses the data collection on a predetermined study scope. The disadvantage of pre-stratification is that a) the land use, or strata, may change over time, making future re-evaluation potentially incomparable, and b) the data collected according to a preset scope and purpose may not be relevant if the study scope and purpose shifts. The USDA recommends post-stratification as it offers the most flexibility for data organization and comparison of data collected over multiple years. The number of strata used in an analysis is typically between 5 and 10 for an analysis of 200 plots. All analyses of data collected in 2008 urban forest studies in the GTA (Toronto, Peel and Ajax) will be post-stratified by land use categories. The TRCA has created a standardized set of categories (strata), derived from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) codes, to be used in analyses for the Region of Peel and the Town of Ajax. The City of Toronto categories are similar but adapted to their unique management needs in a more concentrated urban setting. It is recommended that the City of Pickering post-stratify using the categories used in Peel and Ajax in order to ensure consistency. Plot Size and Number In order to derive valid results from the UFORE analysis an appropriate number of sample plots must be selected. Increasing the number of plots will lead to increased certainty in the results, but it will also increase the time and cost of data collection. As a general rule, 200 (0.04 hectare) sample plots will yield a standard error of approximately 10% for an estimate for an entire city. In accordance with the recommendations of the USDA, 200 sample plots have been used in the analyses for Mississauga, Brampton, and Ajax. The Township of Caledon elected to use 35 plots in Caledon East and 50 plots in Bolton. According to the USDA, a minimum of 30 plots is required to provide meaningful results in a small study area such as Caledon East. The Township and the USDA agreed that the aforementioned plot numbers would provide a suitable level of accuracy within a desired budget. The City of Toronto has increased the 1 USDA Forest Service (2007). I-tree Software Suite v1.2: User's Manual. 5 ?. 45 number of sample plots from the original 350 to 412 in order to obtain more detailed results for their land use categories. Given the size of the study ar°a as well as the level of detail needed, it is recommended that the City of Pickering use a total of 200 sample plots. A suitable plot size for the City's analysis is 0.04 hectares (with an 11.3 meter radius), which is consistent with all 2008 urban forest studies conducted in the GTA. Distribution of Tasks A breakdown of required tasks for the Component 2 Urban Forest Study is provided in Table 1 that includes a suggested distribution of tasks between the City and TRCA. This task list is derived from previous studies and can be adapted to suit the needs of the City of Pickering. Study Timelines Table 2 provides a work plan for the UFORE analysis. Although several of the project deliverables and milestones are flexible, the field data must be collected during the summer leaf-on period in order to capture accurate results. Consequently, tasks relating to project setup, including landowner contact and equipment acquisition, must be completed within the timelines given. Proposed Budget A working budget for the completion of a UFORE analysis is provided in Table 3. This budget is derived frorn previous studies and should be used only as a guide in budget development. In the event that additional analyses (UFORE Hydro, aerial canopy cover analysis, etc.) are requested by the City the budget can be adapted to reflect additional expenses. Project Contacts Project Manager: Lionel Normand lnormandA,trca.on.ca, (416) 6616600 extension 5327 Urban Forestry Technician: Meaghan Eastwood meastwood(a)trca.on.ca, (416) 6616600 extension 5734 _oc_s of o? Table 1: Proposed Task List STUDY TASK RE UIRED ACTION PICKERING TRCA Project Oversight Project direction Project management / advisory Set-up and Plot Selection Provide TRCA with study area shape file Submit study area to USDA for plot generation Landowner Contact TBD TBD Staffing None Hire, train and supervise field crew Resources Provide equipment (not required) Rent vehicles and purchase all equipment Field Data Collection None Undertake and supervise all field data collection, liaise with landowners Data Input None Undertake and supervise data input Data Transfer None Undertake data transfer to USDA Communication As needed Provide regular progress reports Analysis and Interpretation None Coordinate data analysis and interpretation Reporting Editing Study report writing and presentations Table 2: Proposed Work Plan TASK/YEAR J F iv1 A M J J A S 0 N D Milestone 2009 Meeting/Discussions with Pickering Staff I Develop Pickering-TRCA agreement 2 Study design, plot layout Landowner contact Vehicles and equipment, hire/train field crew Field data collection, quality check In-office data compilation Data input, data cleaning Initiate Report - Draft Structure Progress Report to Pickering Staff 3 Data analysis and interpretation Report Writing Draft I Study Report 4 Meeting with Pickering Staff 5 2010 Finalize Study Report 6 Assist Pickering in implementation M5 v/-Dy Table 3: Projected Budget PICKERING URBAN FOREST STUDY PROJECTED BUDGET UFORE Project Based on 200 Plot Sample Specifies Estimates Estimates with 10%Conti enc Wages - Project Manager (project oversight, budget, meetings, deliverables) 1 month $6,600 $7,260 Wages - Urban Forestry Technician (Field Program set up and admin, crew supervision, data management, analysis interpretation, draft study report writing) months 11,667 12,834 Project Set up (payment to USDA) 1 project $1,731 $1,731 Training Field Crews - 2.5 days 1 session $395 $395 Wages - Crew Leader ($160/da) 70 person days $11,200 $12,320 Wages - Field Assistant ($136/day) 70 person days $9,520 $10,472 Vehicle - rental small car ($800/mth) 1 for 3 months $2,400 $2,640 Vehicle - travel (100 km/day at $0.10/km) 70 days $700 $770 Vehicle - gasoline (16 km/liter at $1.40/1) 7000 km $625 $688 Other - equipment, cell hone $530 $583 Data analysis (USDA) basic analysis $3,450 $3,795 Finalization of report, meetings 2 months $10,000 $11,000 SUBTOTAL (1) $58,818 $64,487 Project Administration - 5% $2,941 $3,224 SUBTOTAL (2) S61,759 567, 712 GST - 5% $3,088 $3,386 TOTAL ESTLVATE COST'S $64,847 $71,097 7