LTC 246-2011 Tree City USA - 5-year Anniversary M
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER 2011 OCT -3 P11 12: 52
NO. LTC # 246 -2011 LE ERcJ J SSION
TO: Mayor Matti H. Bower and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager
DATE: September 28, 2011
SUBJECT: Tree City USA — 5 -year Anniversary
This letter to Commission is to notify you that certification as a Tree City USA for 2010
marked the fifth year that the City of Miami Beach has been awarded this designation. The
Tree City USA program is sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation
with the National Association of State Foresters and the USDA Forest Service. The Tree
City USA designation recognizes communities that have proven their commitment to a
healthy urban forest and an effective urban forestry program. It honors the efforts of the
elected officials, city staff and citizens who work to maintain and enhance the urban forest.
To qualify for Tree City USA a city must meet four standards:
1) A Tree Board or Department responsible for the care and management of the city's
trees. In Miami Beach, this responsibility resides in the Department of Parks &
Recreation, Greenspace Management Division, Urban Forestry Program. The
program is headed by Chris Latt Ph.D., an International Society of Arboriculture
certified arborist and a graduate of the Society of Municipal Arborists' Municipal
Forester Institute. Four other certified arborists in the Greenspace Management
Division assist with monitoring and managing the City's trees, among other duties.
Few other cities can claim such a wealth of tree management expertise.
2) A Tree Care Ordinance. In Miami Beach, Ordinance Number 2000 -3279 addresses
tree care, maintenance and protection.
3) A Community Forestry Program With An Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita.
Miami Beach easily exceeded this standard with tree planting under the
Reforestation Program, which the City Commission authorized in 2007, tree planting
as part of CIP projects, and funds expended for tree maintenance, including salaries
and equipment for a tree maintenance crew.
4) An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation. Each year the mayor proclaims a date
in April as Arbor Day in Miami Beach. The Arbor Day celebrations, which always
include tree planting, have usually been linked to larger events in order to bring our
tree - friendly message to bigger crowds. In recent years the Arbor Day celebration
has been associated with the Spring Eggstravaganza at North Shore Park, the
Captain Planet Carnival at Flamingo Park, and an ECOMB event at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas Park, where volunteers planted 23 trees provided by the City.
Trees are a vital part of the city infrastructure, providing numerous environmental, economic,
and social benefits. Among the identified benefits of trees are cleaner air, reduced energy
usage, Tess storm water runoff, amelioration of high urban temperatures, higher property
values, improved aesthetics, a greater sense of well- being, reduced anxiety levels, and
lower crime rates. Being designated as a Tree City USA projects a positive image of Miami
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Tree City USA
Beach, and tells visitors, convention organizers and prospective businesses that ours is a
community that cares about a healthy environment and the quality of life. The designation
rewards the various people who have worked so hard to ensure a vital urban forest, and
encourages residents to plant trees and properly care for those they have. The Tree City
USA designation also assists the city in obtaining grant money that is allocated for trees or
urban forestry programs. Despite declining funds for urban forestry grants, the Urban
Forestry program has been awarded three Urban & Community Forestry grants since 2006.
The grants assisted with tree planting, the removal and replacement of six hazardous
Australian pines, the purchase of a water tanker truck to promote better water use efficiency
and survival of newly planted trees, and the trimming of mature mahogany trees on Alton
Road.
We are pleased to report to you that the City's Urban Forestry Program will plant over 300
trees and palms this fiscal year and a total of 4,115 trees and palms since the inception of
the program in F.Y. 2006 -07, utilizing designated funds earmarked towards the Urban
Reforestation Program.
This past year has been an especially challenging one for our tree canopy. As you may
recall, you were previously informed of damage to the large Calophyllum trees lining
Meridian Avenue between 2nd Street and 16 Street. Numerous dead branches were
removed for public safety and tree health as the result of cold weather in January 2010. The
City's Urban Forester supervised the trimming program that began earlier this summer at
16 and Meridian moving south to 2 Street. Prior to initiating this work there was extensive
coordination with the residents of the Flamingo Park neighborhood and the Flamingo Park
HOA to ensure minimal impact on everyone. The feedback we are receiving indicates these
efforts were successful and the residents appreciate the healthy appearance of the trees
after trimming.
Please advise if you have additional questions or comments.
JMG /HMF /KS /CL
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