Willow Glen Resident

News

City wants to gather tree information to preserve urban forest

By Eli Segall

San Jose residents may soon be able to go online to learn about neighborhood trees.

City officials are discussing a program to gather detailed information on the size, species, health and pruning history of San Jose street trees, then make it available online as an interactive city map, said Kevin Briggs, who normally works in the San Jose Public Works Department but is on special assignment until September to coordinate the Tree Preservation Workplan.

San Jose has approximately 1 million trees, two-thirds of which are on the streets, one-third of which are in parks and trails. The trees ate scattered across 178 square miles of city property.

The city staff would need army volunteers to gather the data, and may hold classes to help residents find the information needed for the map, Briggs said. He points out that finding swaths of residents with a background in environmental science and the time to examine the trees is quite unlikely.

The program is one of many ideas under consideration as city staff work to revamp San Jose's tree ordinance. Briggs gave an update of their efforts to the city council's transportation and environment committee June 4.

Other ideas include streamlining the tree removal permit process and planting thousands of new trees.

Staff will also focus on bureaucracy. Currently, eight city agencies oversee trees, and residents often get lost figuring out the required permits for a trimming, pruning or removal, city officials say. One solution is to consolidate tree responsibilities into one department, Briggs said.

"We're hoping that through these efforts there will be a closer alignment to reduce some of the confusion with the public as far as who to call for a tree in San Jose," said city arborist Ralph Mize.

City staff still needs input on how to achieve this, and community meetings are tentatively scheduled for June 25 and 30 to garner neighborhood input.

The ordinance overhaul was launched after a Willow Glen couple in January illegally removed two sycamore trees from their front yard on Camino Ricardo without a permit. The illegal weekend tree removal sparked a neighborhood uproar and became the catalyst for addressing the city's tree ordinance policies, appropriate police response and department oversight.

The San Jose City Council on Feb. 6 asked city staff to strengthen its existing regulations; one week later, the council voted to require property owners to have tree removal permits on site when cutting down a tree.

Now, staff wants to bring policy recommendations to the transportation and environment committee in September, said Briggs. "It's a fairly ambitious schedule."

The Tree Preservation Workplace community meetings are tentatively scheduled for June 25, 6-8 p.m., at San Jose City Hall, Wing 120, 200 E. Santa Clara St.; and June 30,10 a.m. to noon., at the West Valley Branch Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Road.