HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Packet - PR 2023.04.20• City of Burlingame BURLINGAME CITY HALL
501 PRIMROSE ROAD
BURLINGAME BURLINGAME, CA 94010
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Meeting Agenda - Final
Parks & Recreation Commission
Thursday, April 20, 2023 7:00 PM Burlingame Community Center
850 Burlingame Avenue
Members of the public may view the meeting by logging into the Zoom meeting listed below. The
meeting video will be uploaded to the City's website after the meeting. Members of the public may
provide written comments by email tojhelley@burlingame.org.
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1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Approval of Minutes
a. The March Draft Minutes will be ready for approval at the May 18, 2023 regular meeting.
City of Burlingame Page 1 Printed on 411112023
Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Agenda - Final April 20, 2023
4. Presentation
a. Maintenance Program for City Trees - Informational
Attachments: Presentation - Tree Maintenance 2023
5. Correspondence
6. Public Comments
Speakers may address the Commission concerning any matter over which the Commission has
jurisdiction or of which it may take cognizance that is not on the agenda. Additional public comments
on agenda action items will be heard when the Commission takes up those items. The Ralph M. Brown
Act (the State local agency open meeting law) prohibits the Commission from acting on any matter that
is not on the agenda. Speakers are asked to fill out a "request to speak" card located on the table by
the door and hand it to staff, although provision of name, address or other identifying information is
optional. Speakers are limited to three minutes each, although the Commission may adjust the time
limit in light of the number of anticipated speakers.
7. Old Business
8. New Business
a. New Recreation Coordinator - Kevin Gresh
9. Staff and Commissioner Reports
10. Future Agenda Items
11. Adjournment
Next Meeting: Thursday, May 18, 2023
NOTICE: Any attendees wishing accommodations for disabilities should contact the Parks &
Recreation Department at (650) 558-7323 at least 24 hours before the meeting. A copy of the agenda
packet is available for review at the Recreation Center, 850 Burlingame Avenue, during normal office
hours. The agendas and minutes are also available on the City's website: www.burlingame.org.
City of Burlingame Page 2 Printed on 411112023
BURLINGAME STAFF REPORT
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To: Parks and Recreation Commission
Date: April 20, 2023
From: Richard Holtz, Parks Superintendent/City Arborist
Subject: Maintenance Program for City Trees — Informational
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Commission receive a report on the maintenance program for City
trees and City storm response. The staff report and presentation are to educate the community
about the maintenance of City trees.
BACKGROUND
Since late December 2022, the Burlingame community has experienced severe storm events of
unprecedented rain and wind. Several failures of public and private trees occurred during these
events. As a result, the community has expressed concern about how the City maintains its trees.
DISCUSSION
History
The City of Burlingame has long enjoyed a special relationship with trees. In fact, the City has
been designated a Tree City USA every year since 1979. At 43 years, Burlingame is tied with
Santa Rosa for the third -longest designation in California. However, tree maintenance and
preservation efforts began many decades before this designation. Different community organizing
and civic efforts were applied to develop tree preservation ordinances. The Burlingame
community recognized the environmental, aesthetic, and historical significance large trees could
provide to the public. Documentation of the City of Burlingame's commitment to maintaining a
healthy, mature urban forest can be traced back to 1908.
Maintenance Program
Over the years, tree maintenance has adapted to shifts in industry standards and the desires of
the community. In the mid-2000s, the City adopted a practice of inspecting each City tree at least
once every four years. This scheduled grid -pruning program followed industry -standard
preventative maintenance measures. Since its inception, instances of large branch and whole
tree failures have been reduced. Parks staff and contractors follow general International Society
of Arboriculture (ISA) pruning practices to maintain the longevity and stability of our trees.
1
Maintenance Program for City Trees April 20, 2023
Additionally, trees are found to have needs in between scheduled pruning cycles. In these
instances, the City Arborist or designee will inspect the tree and prescribe necessary work. Parks
staff and contractors complete this work and also respond to emergency situations.
The City of Burlingame owns over 17,000 trees. Most exist along City streets in front of private
property or on City lands such as parks and City facilities. Some large tree groves exist. These
are primarily Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) plantings (Exhibit A - Map of Groves). These groves
include the following as of March 30, 2023:
• Easton Drive — 34 large trees
• Jules Francard Grove (Between the railroad tracks and California Drive from North Lane
to Morrell) - 391 large trees
• Rollins Road Grove (Between private properties on Rollins Road and the railroad tracks
beginning at 1529 Rollins Road and Millbrae Bart station) - 403 large trees
• Skyline Blvd. - 273 large trees
• Oak Grove - 25 large trees
• Burlingame Ave. - 13 large trees
• Bayside Park - 181 large trees
Exhibit A -
Map of Groves
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These trees provide tremendous benefits to the community via carbon dioxide -oxygen exchange,
carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, aesthetics, stormwater holding capacity, and historical
significance. However, given their size, they also present greater consequences should they fail.
For this reason, the City has engaged in numerous risk mitigation measures, including size
reduction, increased inspection, and maintenance frequency and removal. At times, the
inspection is performed by an independent arborist to offer an additional opinion to the City.
Risk
Despite best efforts, we are unable to predict with certainty when a tree might experience failure.
These living, breathing organisms are subject to decay, structural defects, pests, and genetic
2
Maintenance Program for City Trees April 20, 2023
variation. A preventative maintenance pruning program aims to identify concerns and correct
through structural pruning, chemical assistance, or removal per industry standards. This process
is proven to lessen the experience of failure. In addition, there are various rating systems to assist
in determining the appropriate mitigation measure. The City Arborist and Parks Supervisor are
trained in the ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) program (Matrix 1 & 2 - TRAQ
Rating Chart). This program is broken down as follows:
• Identify potential tree failure points
• Determine the likelihood of that failure occurring in a specified amount of time
• Determine the target and occupancy rate (likelihood of impact)
• Determine consequences
Matrix 1. Likelihood matrix.
Likelihood
of Failure
Likelihood of Impact
Very low
Low
Medium
High
Imminent
Unlikely
Somewhat likely
Likely
Very likely
Probable
Unlikely
Unlikely
Somewhat likely
Likely
Possible
Unlikely
Unlikely
Unlikely
1 Somewhat likely
Improbable
Unlikely
Unlikely
Unlikely
I Unlikely
Matrix 2. Risk rating matrix.
Likelihood of
Failure & Impact
Consequences of Failure
Negligible
Minor
Significant
Severe
Very likely
Low
Moderate
High
Extreme
Likely
Low
Moderate
High
High
Somewhat likely
Low
Low
Moderate
Moderate
Unlikely
Low
Low
Low
Low
When the Arborist believes that, despite risk mitigation measures, there is an increased likelihood
of potential failure, the tree is considered for removal. Trees considered to have a "Probable"
likelihood of failure are removed or, if suitable, receive pruning to reduce the likelihood of failure
to a lesser category.
2023 Winter Storm Response
The storms experienced in the winter of 2022-2023 ushered in wind and rain forces not seen in
modern history. These storms, as well as their unrelenting persistence over the course of three
months, expressed significant gusting and rainfall, causing a toppling event in several large trees.
A toppling event is one in which forces (gravity, impact, wind) exerted on the above -ground portion
of the tree (leaves, branches, trunk) exceed the root and soil's ability to keep the tree upright.
Toppling of large trees during these high -wind events occurred as follows:
January 4 — 2" of rain in 24 hours, winds in the upper 30's for six hours, gusts to 53 MPH
3
Maintenance Program for City Trees
April 20, 2023
• Eucalyptus tree at 990 Burlingame Ave.
• Two eucalyptus trees across railroad tracks
• Two eucalyptus trees removed due to active failure concerns (990 Burlingame Ave. and
3138 Rivera Drive)
February 21 - No rain, winds in the upper 40's for five hours, gusts to 62 MPH
• Redwood tree at Washington Park Ballfield
• Fir tree at Washington Park fell into a Redwood tree, causing both to fail
• Deodar Cedar tree at Washington Park
• Eucalyptus tree at 1812 Easton Drive
• Two eucalyptus trees across railroad tracks
• Five eucalyptus trees removed from Easton Drive due to active failure concern
• Four eucalyptus trees removed from Bayside Park due to active failure concern
March 14 - 0.74" rain in six hours, winds in the upper 40's for 7 hours, gusts to 74 MPH
• Eucalyptus tree fell at 250 Myrtle Road
• Eucalyptus tree fell at 930 Oak Grove Ave.
• Twenty eucalyptus trees fell at Bayside Park
• Ten eucalyptus trees fell across railroad tracks
• Catalpa tree fell at 1345 Balboa Ave.
• Spruce tree fell at Washington Park
• Six eucalyptus trees removed at Bayside Park due to active failure concern
• Eucalyptus tree at 1905 Easton Drive removed due to active failure concern
March 21 - 0.95" rain in 12 hours, winds in the upper 30's for four hours, gusts to 62 MPH
• Stone Pine tree fell at Hillside Fire station
• Eucalyptus at 930 Oak Grove Ave. removed due to active failure concerns
• Oak tree in Mills Canyon removed due to active failure concern
• Catalpa at 1433 Balboa Ave. removed due to active failure concern
The significant amount of rain over a short period of time and wind intensity contributed to these
toppling events. A toppling event due to soil saturation is considered a soil failure. Toppling due
to a lack of roots or root decay is considered a root failure. Evidence of both occurred in many
instances.
Prioritization
In emergency events, Parks staff prioritize work as follows:
• Preserve life/safety of the community
• Prevent property Damage
• Ensure public access
At times, Parks staff are prevented from following this prioritization due to dependence on other
agencies. In the March 14 storm, for example, two trees fell atop electrical conductors and blocked
City streets on Burlingame Ave. and Airport Blvd. Despite the availability of City staff and City
contractors to address the tree failures, the trees remained in place for 48 hours. Despite the best
.91
Maintenance Program for City Trees April 20, 2023
efforts of City staff, there was a delayed response by PGE and their contractors due to the
overwhelming demand for similar services in the region. We are required to have PGE confirm all
conductors are de -energized before work can safely commence on behalf of the City.
Systematic Approach
Despite our industry -leading grid pruning program, Burlingame experienced toppling events of
many large trees. Many other communities throughout the Bay Area experienced similar
challenges. Burlingame has long invested significant resources into preserving and maintaining
a mature urban forest. Thus far, we have spent 300% of our FY 22-23 budget. We anticipate
spending at least as much in FY 23-24 to manage the entire urban forest, with much of the budget
focusing on the mature groves.
In addition to storm response, the FY 22-23 budget included significant reduction pruning and
removals in the Jules Francard Grove, trees along Easton Drive, and half of Skyline Blvd. The FY
23-24 work program will include significant reduction pruning and removals of the Rollins Road
Grove, Burlingame Ave., and Oak Grove Ave. as well as additional work on Easton Drive and the
remaining half of Skyline Blvd. This work will represent greater efforts to reduce the likelihood of
failure. It is also in the spirit of a managed approach to retaining large trees in the urban forest.
Many resources are pooled to culminate in a decision that is best for the community as a whole.
Independent arborists have been consulted, and their opinions are utilized to assist in determining
the best way to balance the benefits large trees provide and the risk they can present.
Case Study. Easton Drive Eucalyptus Trees
The large eucalyptus trees along Easton Drive experienced significant effects from the windstorm
on February 21, 2023. Staff inspected the trees along the 1500-2000 blocks. Seven were found
to have movement in the soil during strong gusts. A tree at 1812 Easton failed and toppled. After
that occurrence, the homes near the trees that showed the greatest movement were evacuated,
and immediate removal was scheduled. Most of the remaining large trees received significant
reduction pruning. This prescription was to reduce the unprecedented wind -loading these large
trees were experiencing. It is staff's belief that this measure significantly reduced the immediate
risk of failure due to a toppling event. In the rain and wind storm of March 14, 2023, only the tree
at 1905 Easton Drive was at risk of failure. This tree had not yet received reduction pruning.
Public Sentiment
Concern regarding the management of these large trees is at an all-time high. The powerful storm
series that saw some trees fail has left residents with deep concerns about the risk that remains
regarding large trees near residences. The Parks and Recreation Department staff has engaged
with the public to educate about our maintenance program and how we prioritize our work. The
City does not have a policy that dictates removal of any particular species or size of tree. The City
only replants a Eucalyptus type (Corymbia citriodra), the Lemon Scented Gum, in a few locations,
including Easton Drive. A public meeting of the Burlingame Beautification Commission on June
28, 2007, discussed the rehabilitation of Easton Drive (Exhibit B - Long Range Reforestation for
Easton Drive). The 1500-2000 blocks of Easton Drive and 850-1000 blocks of Burlingame Ave.
were approved to have the Lemon Scented Gum as the only replacement for trees removed along
City streets in this area. This tree grows to a lesser height than the Blue Gum. It also doesn't
produce as much debris.
5
Maintenance Program for City Trees
April 20, 2023
For grove areas along City streets, replacements have frequently been selected from the
established street tree replacement list. These are the trees that are more suitable to prevent
infrastructure conflict. For trees along Skyline Blvd., Bayside Park, the Jules Francard Grove, and
Rollins Road Grove, replacements have not been planted due to a lack of available resources
(water and labor) and crowding of existing trees.
CONCLUSION
The Parks and Recreation team is well equipped to continue to maintain the urban forest in an
effective manner. The City Council has committed additional resources to assist in greater
attention to the large tree groves in our community. The current systematic approach to retention,
replacement, and reforestation throughout the urban forest is the most balanced approach to
maintain Burlingame's Urban Forest.
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