SAN ANTONIO TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE

SAN ANTONIO TREE PRESERVATION ORDINANCE

CONTENT I. Preservation Plan Basics I. Preservation Plan Options Tree Survey On-Ground Methodology Tree Stand Delineation II. How to Measure Trees

I. PRESERVATION PLAN BASICS Vicinity map Existing grades and proposed grades Location of property lines Dimensions of the project ROW & easements Delineation of the proposed limit of clearance/disturbance Project name Street address Legal description Date Scale North Arrow Names, addresses and telephone numbers of the person(s) preparing the plan Chinese Tallow Tree Triadica sebifera

I. PRESERVATION PLAN BASICS cont Environmental Features Approximate centerlines of existing watercourses Location of the 100-year floodplain Approximate location of significant drainage features Major topographical features i.e. environmentally sensitive areas such as steep slopes and riparian buffers with the applicable 60 or 30 foot preserve area.

I. PRESERVATION PLAN BASICS cont Infrastructure Location and width of existing and proposed: Streets and alleys Utility easements Driveways Parkways Sidewalks on or adjacent to the project

I. PRESERVATION PLAN BASICS cont Staging areas Location and dimensions of all staging areas and/or designated parking areas for the parking and maintenance of all vehicles, trailers, construction equipment, stockpile areas for the storage of construction supplies and materials, etc. Applications that require boring of utilities, show bore pit areas so that the minimum distance of the bore is outside the canopy of the trees or tree clusters and that the minimum depth of the bore shall be twenty-four (24) inches or greater. Pecan Carya illinoensis

II. PRESERVATION PLAN All plans must contain: A. Submittal Options 1. Tree Survey or 2. Tree Stand Delineation B. Tree Inventory C. Tree Protection Notes and Details Poison Ivy Toxicodendron radicans

A. SUBMITTAL OPTIONS Tree Survey Tree Stand Delineation Typically used if project area is less than 5 acres or in a residential subdivision Significant trees surveyed Heritage trees surveyed Understory vegetation not required to be preserved Typically used if project area is greater than 5 acres Delineate tree canopy on Aerial Descriptive Vegetation Information Only Heritage trees are surveyed Understory preservation required

TREE SURVEY Surveyed locations of each Significant or Heritage tree within the project area must be shown on the plan and their proximity to all improvements or work proposed. Each tree is to be given a unique number that cross-references or identifies the trees in the inventory with the summary table. Trees will be marked with permanently stamped, uniquely numbered metal tags.

TREE SURVEY Significant tree designations establish a threshold trunk size, measured in diameter at breast height (DBH), for various tree species: Trees are Significant at 6 DBH. However the species listed below are Significant at 10 DBH. One of the trunks must be equal or greater than 10 DBH for the following trees to count. Hackberry Celtis spp. Arizona Ash Fraxinus spp.

TREE SURVEY Significant tree designations establish a threshold trunk size, measured in diameter at breast height (DBH), for various tree species: The following species are Significant when the aggregate diameter reach 10 DBH. Ashe Juniper Juniperus ashei Huisache Acacia farnesiana Mesquite Proposis spp.

TREE SURVEY Following species are Significant at 5 DBH but only the value of the largest trunk counts: Texas Persimmon Texas Redbud Texas Mountain Laurel Possum-haw (floodplain) Crabapple (floodplain) Condalia Downy Hawthorne Bluewood Condalia Condalia hookeri

TREE SURVEY Heritage tree designations establish a threshold trunk size, measured in diameter at breast height (DBH), for various tree species; All trees are Heritage at 24 DBH except for the following small species trees: Texas Persimmon Diospyros texana Texas Redbud Cercis canadensis TX Mountain Laurel Sophora secundiflora Condalia Condalia hookeri Possum-haw (floodplain) Ilex decidua Please note heritage small species tree size is the value of the largest trunk that is equal to or greater than 12 DBH. Crabapple (floodplain) Downy Hawthorn Crataegus mollis Crataegus texana

TREE SURVEY Non-native invasive tree species: Chinese Pistache Chinaberry Chinese Tallow Tree Tree of Heaven Salt Cedar Japanese Ligustrum Pistachia chinesis Malia azedarach Triadica sebifera Ailanthus altissima Tamarix spp. Ligustsrum japonicum Survey for contractor reference Show in tree survey and inventory summary, however it should not be included in tree preservation calculations

TREE SURVEY Tree Inventory A summary table indicating the total number, diameter inches, and species of protected trees to be removed within the project area (please note: oak is not acceptable as a species description.) Calculate total diameter inches, inches preserved, and percent preservation on summary table. Indicate disposition of each tree and reason for tree removal (in comments column)

TREE SURVEY CIP Tree Inventory Summary

TREE SURVEY CIP TREE PERMIT APPLICATION Electronic copies of the Tree Permit Application available through your Program Project Manager.

EAP SUBMITTAL Ecological Assessment Protocol (EAP): Natural resources in the project area must be avoided during design if possible. Examples include: karst features, native prairies, steep slopes, heritage trees, etc. The environmental consultant assigned to each project produces an Ecological Resources Map (ERM) that depicts these natural resources. Heritage tree survey data needs to be forwarded to the environmental consultant ASAP since the ERM is part of the 40% submittal and ERM data should be used during detailed design of the project.

TREE STAND DELINEATION Current aerial, satellite, photographic, or digital imagery and stored and analyzed by computer generated software such as but not limited to ArcView or AutoCAD with a minimum resolution of six-inch pixels with a scale of one inch equals four hundred feet (1" = 400'). Overlay the project on the aerial

TREE STAND DELINEATION Descriptive information regarding the native vegetation type(s) that are within the existing tree area(s) and within those areas that are to be preserved. Outline of the tree area(s) and the tree area(s) and understory that are to be preserved to meet the requirements. Calculation of final tree canopy cover (delineated by upland, floodplain buffer, and floodplain) and tree preservation credits (including new tree canopy, seeding with natives etc.) Tree Preservation Credits are still under discussion with COSA, Program will provide further information as it becomes available

TREE STAND DELINEATION Heritage Trees Surveyed location of each Heritage Tree. Each Heritage tree is to be given a unique number that cross-references or identifies the trees in the inventory with the summary table. Trees will be marked with permanently stamped, uniquely numbered metal tags. A summary table indicating the total number, diameter inches, and species of Heritage trees to be removed within the project area. Calculate total diameter inches, inches preserved, and percent preservation of Heritage trees. Disposition of each Heritage tree and reason for tree removal.

TREE STAND DELINEATION

TREE STAND DELINEATION

TREE STAND DELINEATION CIP TREE PERMIT APPLICATION Electronic copies of the Tree Permit Application available through your Program Project Manager.

PRESERVATION PLAN NOTES & DETAILS The plan requires specifications denoting the criteria for methods and materials used for tree protection; i.e. how each tree will be preserved during construction. Required information on Tree and understory preservation notes, specifications, and details of acceptable and non-acceptable activities can be found at the following links: http://epay.sanantonio.gov/dsddocumentc entral/upload/3139l1.pdf http://epay.sanantonio.gov/dsddocumentc entral/upload/tree%20protection%20n OTES.pdf

III. How to Measure Trees Definition Diameter Breast Height (DBH) or diameter inches: The average cross-sectional measurement of the trunk of an existing tree at four and onehalf (4 1/2) feet above grade. If the tree is on a slope, it shall be measured from the high side of the slope. Newly planted trees shall be measured six (6) inches above grade. For multi-trunk species, this measurement will be based on the measured diameter of the main trunk taken four and one-half (4 1 2) feet above grade together with onehalf (1 2) of the diameter of the remaining trunks measured at the same height.

DEFINITIONS cont Multi-trunk tree A tree having two (2) or more main trunks arising from the root collar and measured for DBH by adding the entire DBH of the largest trunk to the sum of the remaining trunks at one half of their DBH (aggregate method). Where no trunk is greater than one inch DBH, the tree will not be protected regardless of the sum of DBH inches. 22 + (20 /2) = 32 DBH Live Oak

DEFINITIONS cont Root collar or root flares An encircling structure of swollen tissue or a marked color change (from the tree bark) located at the highest part of the root system joining into the trunk of a tree at or slightly below the surrounding soil line.

III. MEASURING TREES If the tree is on a slope, it shall be measured from the high side of the slope.

MEASURING IRREGULAR TREES Note: When measuring trees with swellings, bumps, and branches at 4.5 feet above the ground, tree diameters are usually taken just below the irregularity.

MEASURING IRREGULAR TREES Note: If a tree forks immediately above DBH, it is measured below the swell resulting from the double stem.

MEASURING IRREGULAR TREES At times it may be necessary to notate trees that have fallen on the ground, these trees can be measured at 4.5 feet from the root collar. Trees that are dead, dying or dangerous are exempt and should not be calculated in the tree summary.

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES Trunks or stems that fork below DBH require multiple measurements. The diameter of the largest stem added to half the diameter of each smaller stem(s) OR measure once under the fork.

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES 1. Species identification Quercus fusiformis 2. Measurement of trunks at DBH Orange 9, Pink 6, Green 5 3. Largest trunk plus sum of remaining trunks at ½ DBH 9 + (6/2) + (5/2) = 14.5 DBH (Or measure once under the fork)

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES These trunks may appear to be two separate trees but they are joined at the root collar and should be measured as a multitrunk Live Oak.

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES Ignore cut, missing, or dead stems of multi-trunk trees

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES 1. Measurement of largest trunk, or aggregate value of trunks, equal to or greater than 10 DBH? Orange tag: 13 2. Measure remaining trunks Pink tags: 5.5, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 7.5, 3.5, 5.0 Green tags (dead trunks): 3.0, 2.0, 2.5 3. Largest trunk plus sum of remaining trunks at ½ DBH: 13 + (5.5/2) + (3.5/2)+(4/2)+(4.5/2)+(5/2)+(7.5/2)+(3.5/ 2)+(5/2) = 32.25 DBH or 32 Heritage Ashe Juniper (true for huisache and mesquite as well). OR measure at the root collar for Ashe Juniper, huisache and mesquite.

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES 1. Measurement of trunks at DBH: Orange tag: 5 Pink tag: 4 2. Largest trunk plus sum of remaining trunk(s) at ½ DBH: 5 + (4/2) or 5 DBH Significant small species Texas Redbud

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES 1. Measurement of largest trunk equal to or greater than 10 DBH : Orange tag: 15 Pink tag: 8 Third trunk- dead 2. Largest trunk plus sum of remaining trunk(s) at ½ DBH: 15 + (8/2) or 19 DBH Significant hackberry (also true for ash)

MEASURING MULTI-TRUNK TREES 1. Measurement of trunks at DBH: Orange tag: 8 Pink tag: 4 Purple tag: 10 2. Largest trunk plus sum of remaining trunk(s) at ½ DBH: 8 + (4/2)= 8 DBH NOT a Significant hackberry HOWEVER, per CoSA, this is a 10 Hackberry (purple tag).