The Role of Urban Forests in Federally Mandated CSO Abatement in Syracuse, NY

Transcription

1 04/15/11 1 The Role of Urban Forests in Federally Mandated CSO Abatement in Syracuse, NY Stephen Harris, City-County Arborist Syracuse Department of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs

2 Syracuse s Urban Forest 04/15/11 2

3 SYRACUSE S URBAN FOREST 04/15/11 3 Street Tree Population 1951 = 49, = 39, = 32, = 31,500 Loss of elm Labor Day Storm Planting=Removals Also, 10,000 Park Trees

4 Forestry Division 04/15/11 4 Staff: Arborist, 2 Trimmers, 1 Seasonal 1400 Inspections, plantings 500 Trims; 300 removals; 48% Service requests 25% Inter-departmental referrals 12% Day-time emergency or call out 7% Off-hours Emergency 3% +/- bucket truck used elsewhere

5 04/15/11 5 Hazard Tree Removal Backlog Average removal before 2005 = 459 tree Average removal rates since = 257 trees About 100 trees removed for sidewalks Hazard tree population ~800 trees About 200 are high priority removals

6 Top 7 Street Trees Ash 5% Silver 5% Sugar 5% 04/15/11 6 Linden 6% Crabapple 6% Honey locust 9% Norway maple 23% Other 41%

7 PERCENT Ash Are Middle Aged 2300 City-owned ash 04/15/ Diameter Class

8 Save the Rain Program Overview Joanne M. Mahoney, County Executive Amended Consent Judgment Combined Sewer Overflow Abatement Compliance Program for Onondaga Lake

9 What is a CSO?

10 1988 Atlantic States Legal Foundation files lawsuit against County 1989 Litigation settled Four Amended Consent Judgments (ACJ) 1998, 2006, & 2008 ACJs Reflects evolution in Gray Infrastructure Technology employed 4 th ACJ in 2009 authorized use of Gray & Green infrastructure History Onondaga Lake Facts 04/15/11 10 Watershed: 285 Square Miles 1 Mile Wide 4.6 Miles Long Average Depth: 35 feet Max Depth: 63 feet 1940 Swimming Banned 1970 Fishing Banned

11 Armory Square RTF Proposal Hundreds of Professionals Protested New County Executive - 11 th Hour Moratorium on RTFs 04/15/11 11 Midland RTF Contentious Relationship Between City & County RTF in Poor Neighborhood Hundreds of residents protested County Executive Saw Only ONE Solution - Treat and Release

12 04/15/11 12 Save the Rain Program: New RFP issued to develop a balanced Gray Green Infrastructure Program Firm with no connection to past chosen Regulatory Goals Capture & Treat 95% of the annual stormwater Community Impacts Added value of green

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14 04/15/ % Capture Via Green Infrastructure Reduce 250 MG/yr of CSO by 2018

15 What 6% capture looks like Target CSO Volume Reduction (gal) Target CSO Volume Reduction (%) 04/15/11 Streets 89,940,000 36% Parks & Open Space 13,992,000 6% Parking 12,184,000 5% Public Facilities 14,003,000 6% Roofs 3,201,000 1% Impervious Area Data 29,800,000 12% Voluntary 11,372,000 5% Green Improvement Fund (GIF) 11,372,000 5% Ordinance 46,257,000 19% Non GIF Incentive 11,372,000 5% TOTAL 247,000, % 15

16 Program Impervious Source Green Infra. Used Reduction Goal Roads Green Streets Highways Infiltration Trenches Streets Medians & Islands Bioretention 90,000,000 36% Sidewalks Porous Pavement Streets/ROW Street Trees 8,500 6%

17 Projects in Progress 17% of projected green capture is complete or in construction 22% additional capture from 2011 projects 35 projects Constructed 10 in Construction 24 in Design 70 Conceptual Designs 31 projects in Development 04/15/11 17

18 04/15/11 18 City-County Team Meetings Consulting Engineers County Water Environment Protection Engineering City DPW and Transportation Sewers & Streams Parks Arborist & Parks Planner Planning & Zoning Law

19 G. I. Technologies 04/15/11 19

20 04/15/11 20

21 Silva Cell and Structural Soil

22 Greening Sewer 04/15/11 22 Separation Projects

23 Porous Parking Lots

24 Green Roofs 04/15/11 24

25 Treatment Wetland

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27 Green Streets

28 Combine Green Streets with other improvements including bike lanes, improved cross walks and upgraded sidewalks

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30 04/15/11 30 Tree Space Design Guidelines Casey Trees Design Guidelines ft 3 of rooting volume/tree Rooting volumes posted on all plans

31 04/15/11 31 Street Tree Planting Program 8,500 trees in 8 years Where Urban & Community Forestry and Engineers Collide

32 Tree Planting Program Goals 04/15/11 32 Basin 314 ft 2 canopy/tree (20 ) = 1,440 gallon reduction $400 per tree Tree Planting Goal Assumed CSO Reduction (MG/yr) Estimated Cost Estimated Cost per Gallon Clinton 3, ,400,000 $0.028 Midland 2, ,000 $0.028 Harbor Brook 3, ,200,000 $0.028 TOTAL 8, ,400,000 $0.028

33 04/15/11 33 If you had 3.4 million dollars to plant trees.? What would you do?

34 04/15/11 34 Implementation Attitudes Engineers Contract out, be quick Water Dept concerned about capacity & effectiveness of community-based efforts County Legislature Sewer treatment plant Community Forestry? What s That? Complicated is OK but Complex they avoid

35 04/15/11 35 How do we get decision makers to embrace community forestry? The sell had to be about capture

36 04/15/11 36 GOAL Canopy Creation = Volume Capture

37 Relationship Between Canopy Creation and Tree Mortality 04/15/11 37 Reducing mortality increases canopy Two phases of tree mortality 1.Establishment period: ~ ½ losses occur in first 4 years 2.Post-establishment: Rates stabilize

38 Factors Affecting Mortality RATE HIGH 7 9% MED 5 7% LOW 3 5% FACTORS No community; poor contractor monitoring; untrained volunteers; poor stock quality; poor site selection Community involved; good contractor monitoring; trained volunteers; high quality sites and stock Community involved; good contractor monitoring; trained volunteers; high quality sites and stock; After-care J. Bond Davey Resource Group. Urban Tree Canopy Cover Inclusion in State Implementation Plans

39 Planting Rates , , , , , ,050

40 Projected Tree Mortality to 2030 Annual Rates 8,000 7,000 6,000 5,000 4, , ,000 1,

41 3,000,000 Projected Canopy Creation Creation to 2030 to ,500,000 2,000,000 Okay, you can do what you want. Leave us alone now! 1,500,000 1,000, ,

42 Program Budget * Project Phase Cost % of total Planning (Inventory) $ 120,000 3% Community Planting $ 950,000 29% Contract Planting $1,390,000 41% Community Maintenance $ 520,000 15% Additional Staffing $ 420,000 12% Total Project Cost $3,400, % *Program costs include 2% annual increase 04/15/11 42

43 Planting Phase 04/15/11 43 Contractors Plant 4500 trees - 53% 2 caliper balled & burlap Community Planting 4000 trees 47% caliper trees (bare-root, container) Youth and young adult employment program

44 Maintenance Phase 04/15/ Prune three Ds in years 1 and 2 2. Maintain weed-free mulch ring 3. Water once a week in absence of rain 4. First structural prune in year 4 5. Youth & young adult employment program

45 Annual Maintenance Needs Year Trees Per Year , , , , , ,800 04/15/11 45

46 04/15/11 46 Species Diversity and Scale Neighborhood Level Diversity Species List impacted by Stock type Volunteer versus contract Season of planting Quality of planting site

47 04/15/11 47 Species and Stock Type 1.5 Bare-Root Volunteer Planting in Fall Parks, Streets 1 bare-root, container spring and fall Wealthier neighborhoods, larger lawns 2 B&B Spring and Fall Largest stock Neighborhoods with high rentals

48 Small Stock 04/15/11 48 Lower unit cost Easier to transplant Rapid establishment Need to pick the right sites

49 How to Diversify Pallette 04/15/11 49 CONDITION OF PLANTING SITES WITH NO OVERHEAD UTILITIES Strip Width Good Fair Poor 5 to to Proven performers go here Diversity starts here

50 The End 04/15/11 50