Community Services Department F-6150 December 5, New Quality Standard- Installation and Maintenance of Commemorative Trees

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1 ~Oshawa Report To: Community Services Committee Item: Date of Report: CS November 27, 2013 From: Jag Sharma, Commissioner File: Date of Meeting: Community Services Department F-6150 December 5, 2013 Subject: New Quality Standard- Installation and Maintenance of Commemorative Trees PUBLIC REPORT 1.0 PURPOSE The purpose of this report is to respond to Council direction of June 24, 2013 referring the following to staff: "Therefore be it resolved that staff investigate the possibility of creating a maintenance policy to maintain trees planted by the Commemorative Tree Program." 2.0 RECOMMENDATION That the Community Services Committee recommends to City Council: 1. That Report CS , New Quality Standard - Installation and Maintenance of Commemorative Trees, dated November 27, 2013 be approved, and; 2. That an increase in fees for a Commemorative Tree from $500 to $600, be included for approval in the next submission of the General Fees and Charges By-Law EXECUTIVE SUMMARY N/A 4.0 INPUT FROM OTHER SOURCES ~ Jurisdictional scan of 6 Ontario municipalities including: City of Pickering Town of Whitby Town of Ajax City of Toronto

2 Report to the Community Item: CS Services Committee (Continued) -2- Meeting Date: December 5, 2013 City of Guelph Town of Oakville 5.0 ANALYSIS 5.1 Background ;... The City of Oshawa has a Commemorative Tree and Bench Donation Program. ;... A quality standard for installation and maintenance of commemorative trees is required to support the program. ;... Currently, a commemorative tree costs $500, which includes the tree, plaque and ongoing maintenance. ;... The commemorative tree program is successful with demonstrated public interest and support for enhancing Oshawa's urban forest through donations. 5.2 Jurisdictional Scan of 6 Ontario Municipalities ;... A jurisdictional scan was completed to gather information from other Ontario municipalities concerning their commemorative tree programs. City of Pickering includes a 60mm tree and plaque at a cost of $600. Trees will be replaced two years after planting if they are damaged or die. Town of Whitby includes a 60mm tree and plaque at a cost of $ Trees will be replaced if they are damaged or die. Town of Ajax allows residents to donate a tree for $339. Plaques are not permitted. City of Toronto includes a 50mm tree and plaque at a cost of $642. Trees will be replaced up to five years after planting if they are damaged or die. City of Guelph includes a 50mm tree and plaque at a cost of $ Trees will be replaced up to 3 years after planting if they are damaged or die. Town of Oakville includes a tree and bronze plaque at a cost of $2,100. Trees will be replaced up to five years after planting, following which a cost of $500 applies for another five year contract. 5.3 Quality Standard - Installation and Maintenance of Commemorative Trees ;... A new quality standard, appended as Attachment 1 outlines the proposed procedure for the installation and maintenance of commemorative trees based on current and industry best practices. 1UJ

3 Report to the Community Item: CS Services Committee (Continued) -3- Meeting Date: December 5, 2013 ~ The quality standard outlines: A process for receiving and processing commemorative tree requests The scheduling of planting activities Responsibilities and standards for maintenance Selection of species and planting location Plaque supply and installation details ~ Currently, the donor must complete an application and pay $500 to the City of Oshawa at Service Oshawa. The $500 paid by the resident includes a tree and a plaque. If the tree or plaque is damaged in anyway, it will be replaced by the City. ~ Damage to donated trees and plaques that would require their replacement is rare. ~ Based on commemorative tree programs offered by other municipalities, particularly those in The Region of Durham, staff recommend increasing the cost to donate a commemorative tree in Oshawa from $500 to $ FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS ~ The average cost of a 60mm tree, planting and plaque is approximately $400 depending on species chosen. The balance of the donation will offset the cost of maintenance and replacement of the tree and plaque as necessary. 7.0 RELATIONSHIP TO THE OSHAWA STRATEGIC PLAN ~ The recommendations of this report support the following strategic goal of the Oshawa Strategic Plan: Social Equity Theme: An Active and Healthy Population Theme: A Safe Community Environmental Responsibility Theme: Proactive Environmental Management Theme: Cleaner Air and Water Brad Rosnak, Manager Parks Development and Technical Support ~, u

4 Report to the Community Item: CS Services Committee (Continued) -4- Meeting Date: December 5, 2013 Jag Sharma, Commissioner Community Services Department Attachment 1 '! I lj /

5 ~Oshawa Item: CS Attachment 1 The Corporation of the City of Oshawa Community Services Department Quality Standards No: Department Community Services Page No: 1 of 1 Branch: Parks & Environmental Services Approved By Council: Program: Revised By Council: Activity: Commemorative Tree Installation and Maintenance Description of Revision: New Objective To establish a criteria and process for Installation and Maintenance of Commemorative Trees donated to the City. 1.0 COMMEMORATIVE TREE REQUESTS Tree planting requests will be received and forwarded to Parks Operations. Parks Operations will contact individuals wishing to make a commemorative tree donation. Parks Operations will be responsible to carry out the planting of commemorative trees in the spring and fall when weather and ground conditions permit. Tree planting locations and species will be reviewed by Parks Operations and if required an alternative location and species will be provided to the donor. The Manager, Parks Operations or approved designate shall be responsible for the final selection of tree species and location. Trees shall not be planted near any object that may impede their future growth and survival. 2.0 COMMEMORATIVE TREE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE To ensure the health and sustainability of commemorative trees the following maintenance practices will be implemented: Trees will be planted in the spring or fall as weather and ground conditions permit. Trees will be planted in accordance with City of Oshawa tree planting details and standards. Trees will be planted with a wood mulch ring at the base and a gator water bag for drip irrigation as required. The gator water bag will be filled as required for a period of 2 yrs. Commemorative tree donors will be encouraged to assist with maintaining the wood mulch and watering when possible. CMSA (,' 1 uo

6 ~ Donors that request to be on site during planting are required to follow all safety requirements and regulations. ~ The addition of decorations and ornaments to trees is not permitted. 3.0 TREE SELECTION Commemorative trees shall be 60mm caliper and be of a species with suitable hardiness and adaptability to soil conditions for Oshawa and shall be cultivars which display adequate environmental tolerance and disease resistance. The Manager, Parks Operations or approved designate shall be responsible for the final selection of tree species and location. Tree species recommended for use as commemorative trees in the City of Oshawa are included as Appendix A. A.ppen d" IX A Botanical Name Deciduous Trees Acer 'Autumn Blaze' Acer Rubrum Acer Saccharinum 'Silver Queen' Aesculus Hippocastanum 'Baumanii' Amelanchier Canadensis Ginkgo Biloba Glenditsia triacanthos var. inermis 'Skycole' Pyrus Calleryana 'Glen's Form' Quercus Alba Quercus Macrocarpa Quercus Robur Quercus Rubra Syringa Reticulata 'Ivory Silk' Tilia Cordata 'Greenspire' Coniferous Trees Abies Concolor Larix Laricina Picea Abies Picea Omorika Picea Pungens Pinus Nigra Pinus Sylvestris Common Name Autumn Blaze Maple Red Maple Silver Queen Maple Baumann Horse-Chestnut Shad blow Servcieberry/Juneberry Maidenhair Tree Skyline Honeylocust Chanticleer Ornamental Pear White Oak Burr Oak English Oak Red Oak Ivory Silk Tree Lilac Greenspire Linden White Fir American Larch Norway Spruce Serbian Spruce Colorado Spruce Austrian Pine Scots Pine 4.0 COMMEMORATIVE TREE PLAQUE The supply and installation of a plaque will be included in the cost of a tree donation. Each commemorative tree will be installed with a corian dusk plaque that is laser engraved with black wash inlay, cut corners and a routered edge. Plaque size shall be 6" x 4" x %". Unless

7 otherwise approved by the Manager, Parks Operations or approved designate, all tree plaques are to be of the same design in order to maintain consistency throughout the City. Plaques shall be mounted onto a concrete sill and inserted into the ground at the base of the tree. 5.0 COMMEMORATIVE TREE PERPECTUAL CARE All commemorative trees will be replaced if the tree dies or is vandalized such that future growth of the tree is impeded. Plaques will be replaced if damaged, stolen, or vandalized. iu