Queen City Canopy:Growing Charlotte's Urban Forest Through Community Engagement
November 5, 2014
Part I: A City in a Forest
Donald McSween, City Arborist
The Legacy Starts
• Dilworth – John Nolen
• Myers Park – Olmsted Brothers
• Eastover – Earl Sumner Draper
Trees are part of the Legacy
Charlotte Tree Advisory Commission
• Arbor Day• Advice to
City Manager and City Council
• Appeals • Tree
Ordinance
Land Development – Urban Forestry
• Tree Ordinance Private Property
• Requires tree preservation and planting
• Commercial sites• Multi-Family sites• Single Family sub-
divisions
Engineering and Property Management
Engineering ServicesConstructionStorm Water ServicesLandscape Design/MaintenanceCATS Landscape ManagementReal Estate
Planning Commission
CATS
Dept. of Transportation
City Attorney’s Office
Engineering and Property ManagementLandscape Management
• Tree Management• Maintenance of
Right of Ways• Landscape
Maintenance• CATS Maintenance
& Development• Capital
Improvement Design
• Cemeteries
Street Tree MaintenanceIn-House Crews
• Work Order Pruning• In-House Crews – 5 crews –
14 people• 3 Bucket Trucks• 2 Conventional Trucks• 16-1800 Work Requests
Annually• 10 week delays in spring
and summer
Street Tree MaintenanceIn-House Crews
• Pruning dead limbs out of street trees
• Clearing street lights, traffic signals, traffic signs
• Clearing sight distance hazards
• Removals• Emergency On-Call
Street Tree MaintenancePrivate Contractors
• Systematic Pruning street by street
• Large Tree Removals
Street Tree Maintenance
• Removal of 300+ large Street trees annually
Street Tree Planting
• Replacement Planting of street trees
• 1100 street trees planted annually by Tree Management
• Purchased from Private Nurseries
• Planted by Private Landscape Contractors
Street Tree ProtectionPrivate Development
• Private Development Projects
• Review plans• Site visits• Urban Design team
meetings• Documentation• Construction
Inspections• Single Family and
Duplex are not reviewed due to staffing
Street Tree Inventory
• 163,000 street trees inventoried (91%)
• 180,000 estimated street trees
Species Mix
• Highest single species is Crape Myrtle
• Second highest is Willow Oak
• Third highest is Red Maple
• Largest majority are diversified species
• 234 species
Condition of Street TreesFall Cankerworm
• Native moth• Wingless female• Defoliates trees in
the early spring• Repeated
defoliation leads to high mortality
Fall Cankerworm
• 90 females/trap is high infestation
• 3,000 females in some traps in 2014
• Current counts in the hundreds
Changing Numbers
Control Measures
• Trapping or Banding• Ground sprays by
private arborists• Aerial Sprays
– Aerial spray in 2008 of 65,000 acres cost $1.5M
– Used Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis)
Annual Losses
• Root Rot• Heart Rot• Structural
Weakness• Lightning• Mankind
Tree Management BudgetSummary
• Total $ 3,300,000
• 70% of work to private industry
• $ 4.28 per capita• $18.34 per Street Tree
Queen City Canopy:Growing Charlotte's Urban Forest Through Community Engagement
November 5, 2014
Part II: An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
David Meachum, P.E. MBAEngineering Services Division Manager
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Limited Partnership
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Poor Tree Preservation& Protection Practices
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Disappointing Tree-Planting Practices
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
3 Keys of Charlotte’s Successful Partnership
• Educate Each Other
• Build Strong Relationships
• Hold a “Tree Seat” At The Project Design Table
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Educate Each Other About Tree Assessment
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Educate Each Other About Tree Preservation
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Educate Each Other About Utility Impacts
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Educate Each Other About Tree Planting Practices
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
We build and maintain strong relationshipsLandscape design in-house
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
We build and maintain strong relationships
Landscape procurementin-house
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
We build and maintain strong relationships Landscape installation inspection in-house
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
We hold a “Tree Seat” at the project design tableProject Team Member
Core Team Members: (generally need to attend all project team meetings)
Project Manager: Leslie BingProgram Manager: Tim GreeneClient: CDOT (James Shapard)CDOT (Tom Sorrentino)SWS (Susan Tolan)CMU (Bill Deal)Landscape Management (Chris Trotter)Planning (Jaya Dhindaw)Consultant: Michael Baker, Inc. (Bill Hood, Jason Breda)
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
We hold a “Tree Seat” at the project design tableProject Service Provider
Johnson And Wales Way/4th St/Trade St
Project Goals:
• Improve pedestrian safety with special attention to localized pedestrian environments and needs• Improve/increase multi-modal (bike/ped) performance and connectivity• Identify opportunities for landscaping• Identify opportunities for urban spaces
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
Sign-off Authority On Project Construction Plans
We hold a “Tree Seat” at the project design table
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
• Digital location of documents– Plant Palette
• CharMeck.org/Landscape Management/Recommended Plants for Roadway Landscapes
– Tree Standards• CharMeck.org/Engineering & Property
Management/Permitting and Plan Review/Standards Manual (CLDSM)/Section 4000 Tree Standards
– Green Zone, Urban Street Design Guidelines• CharMeck.org/Transportation/Plans and
Programs/Urban Street Design Guidelines
We hold a “Tree Seat” at the project design table
An Arborist and Engineer Partnership
• David Meachum, P.E., MBA Engineering Services Division Manager
– 704-336-4122
Queen City Canopy:Growing Charlotte's Urban Forest Through Community Engagement
November 5, 2014
Part III: TreesCharlotteDave Cable, Executive Director
Community Engagement Is Our Heart & Soul
Queen City Canopy: Part III
Dave Cable, Executive Director
41
Elements of a strong program
Charlotte’s quality urban forest
Committed leadership
Comprehensive street tree program
Effective tree ordinance
Tree culture embedded across depts.
Sources (1) Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, April 2010. (2) Urban Ecosystem Analysis Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, NC, April 2010. (3) US Census Quick Facts
MeckCounty, NC
Nashville, TN
Charlotte, NC
Dallas, TX
St. Louis, MO
Seattle, WA
Milwaukee, WI
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
-10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Charlotte’s Goal Is 50% Tree Canopy
by Year 2050
47%
43
Widening beyond the public realm
Holistic view of the urban forest
Broad community engagement Appreciation of trees as a community value
Volunteerism
Tree care & preservation
Tap private capital
TreeMasters
57
Performance Summary
4,065
7,111
10,000
0
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
FY13 FY14 FY15 Est
Trees Planted
1,156
2,074
3,000
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
FY13 FY14 FY15 Est
Volunteers
12,000 tree in 2+ years
Stewardship programs
Raised $1,400,000Action SummitsHonorary tree
programEducation
programs
58
The A-Team – Carolinas HealthCare System
Critical Success Factors
#1 - Clear Community Goal
Sources (1) Metropolitan Nashville and Davidson County, April 2010. (2) Urban Ecosystem Analysis Mecklenburg County and the City of Charlotte, NC, April 2010. (3) US Census Quick Facts
MeckCounty, NC
Nashville, TN
Charlotte, NC
Dallas, TX
St. Louis, MO
Seattle, WA
Milwaukee, WI
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
-10% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Charlotte’s Goal Is 50% Tree Canopy
by Year 2050
47%
#2 - Collaborative DNA
City of Charlotte
• Aerial canopy analysis – April 2010• Increased tree funding – June 2010• Council adopts 50% by 2050 – June 2011• Study commissioned – November 2011• Unanimous Council endorsement – July 2012
Knight Foundation Canopy Committee
• Canopy Committee convenes – June 2010• Workgroup drafts plan – Fall 2010• TreesCharlotte plan ratified – February 2010• Study commissioned – November 2011• Branding committee creates logo – April 2012• Knight Foundation leadership gift – July 2012
TreesCharlotte collaborative is
born at May 2012 Action Summit I.
Foundation For The Carolinas
endorses plan. City partnership & commitment
formed for TreesCharlotte
61
62
#3 - Effective Core Collaborative
Healthy &
expansive
urban forest
for generations
City of CharlotteTechnical
expertise & support
TreesCharlottePrivate capital for trees; education
& community engagement
Community Partners
Orgs, volunteers, neighborhood
groups
63
#4 - Board Strength
Bank of America, COO
Carolinas HealthCare Systems, CEO
Charlotte Observer, Former Publisher
Charlotte Pipe & Foundry, CEO
City Manager, Charlotte
Lincoln Harris, CEO
Lowes Corporation, Director Community Relations
National Gypsum, CEO
Piedmont Natural Gas, CEO
Wells Fargo, Head of Wealth & Brokerage
64
#5 – Commitment to Guiding Principles
FUN!!!
Continuous improvement
Bias toward action
Service culture
Strengthening community
Tree – people connections
Non-adversarial, positive messaging
And…..
65
#5 – Guiding Principles, cont’d
Guided by science
Professional greenprints
Always right tree, right place
Diversification of canopy
Tight & high tree specifications
Planting and tree care protocols
Tree care education
66
#6 – Partnerships, starting with growers
67
#6 – Partnerships, Community
City of Charlotte
Largest hospital
Community Foundation
District Rotary & Clubs
Local land trust
Housing Authority
School System
North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Assoc.
And many others….
#7 – Meeting neighborhoods where they are
NeighborWoods TreeDays NeighborWoods TreeStoresHigher Planting Capacity Lower Planting Capacity
68
69
Arborist and Engineer Partnerships Effective Street Tree Program
Regulatory Functions
Comprehensive UrbanForestry Platform
Community engagement & private capital