REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL April 28, 2021 FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department BY: MIGUEL RAMIREZ, Community Coordinator Public Works Department, Landscape Maintenance Division SUBJECT ..Title Approve Consultant Services Contract with West Coast Arborists, Inc, in an amount not to exceed $120,000 to complete the remaining Tree Inventory Data Collection ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends City Council approve Consultant Services Contract with West Coast Arborists, Inc., (WCA) in an amount not to exceed $120,000 to complete the remaining Tree Inventory Data Collection. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The tree inventory data collection is part of a CalFire Grant the City of Fresno (City) received in 2016-2017. The goal of the project is to provide an inventory of the existing trees the City maintains, including street trees, trees located in Special Landscape Districts, as well as trees in parks. Over 133,000 trees have been inventoried within the public right of way across approximately 111 square miles within City limits. The inventory data includes the following information: mapping coordinates, block sides, right of way locations, species, diameters, stems, conditions, maintenance needs, clearance requirements, hardscape damages, overhead utilities, grow spaces, and space sizes. Following the completion of the tree inventory, the City will incorporate this data into the 40-year Urban Forest Management Plan through another CalFire Grant that will provide short and long terms goals for the City's Urban Forest. BACKGROUND The tree inventory is part of the CalFire Urban & Community Forestry Program (UCF) that is authorized by the California Urban Forestry Act of 1978 (Public Resources Code, �� 4799.06 - 4799.12) and funded through the California Climate Investments Program, or Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF). Auction proceeds from California's Emissions Trading Program, commonly referred to as Cap-and-Trade, pass through the GGRF as they are appropriated to grant programs by the state budgeting process. The purpose of the UCF Program is to promote expansion and better management of urban forests to help improve the quality of urban environments and the quality of life of urban residents. A net reduction in GHG emissions must be demonstrated for projects to be eligible for the program. The Department of Public Works operates asset management software with tree asset management capabilities; however, funding has not been available to archive historical information and comprehensively update the system. Although maintenance recordkeeping currently occurs, the last time a comprehensive inventory of trees in the City was conducted was in 1989. A comprehensive inventory is essential to the long-term health and maintenance of urban forest assets. Once completed, the Department of Public Works will have a long-term management tool established to monitor and effectively maintain the City's urban forest resources. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS Pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378, this is not a project as defined by CEQA. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference was not implemented because WCA was deemed uniquely qualified and is a local business. WCA does maintain an office in Fresno. FISCAL IMPACT There will be no impact to the General Fund. All funding needed for the completion of the urban forest tree inventory has been appropriated in the adopted FY2021 operating budget of the Public Works Department. Attachments: Memo Consultant Agreement