11-24-14 Handout- Commissioner Mark rt. ce
CONSULTING ARBORISTS - URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY PHONE: 850.570.5963 FAX: 850.668.8329
A R B O R I S T 3712B DONOVAN DRIVE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32309
SERVICES
November 21 , 2014
Potential Urban Forestry Projects and Assistance for the City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
iTree Canopy Analysis : This is a basic analysis of the current condition of your city tree canopy, as well as
some of the ecosystem services the canopy provides to the residents of your community. The city as a whole
can be analyzed, or it can be divided in any way the city chooses. The process involves the analysis of selected
digital images using software that calculates the canopy coverage percentages of the various cover types and the
extent to which the trees absorb various types of air pollution. The analysis can be completed in 1 -2 days.
Tree Canopy Assessment: This is a much more detailed, accurate, and expensive analysis using infrared aerial
imagery and Lidar software to evaluate the canopy. Since the base cost is high, but additional units not so much,
it would be more cost-effective to share the expense with neighboring communities. LAS could help the city
prepare a grant application to secure funding for a project like this (around $40,000 total would be needed), as
well as locate vendors who perform these types of analysis. These links are for Manatee County' s report and an
accompanying powerpoint that explains the report in layman' s terms . http ://manateebeautiful . com/wp-
content/u . loads/Manatee-Co-Urban-Forest-Cann -Anal sis-2004-and-2009 . . d£
http :1/manatee . ifas.ufl .edullawn and garden/FFL/pdfs/Manatee%20Co%20Urban%20Forestry%20Canopy%20
Analysis .pdf.
Tree Ordinance Revision: I would be happy to review for free your current ordinances and codes related to trees
if you send me the appropriate links. For a nominal charge, I can draft proposed revisions. If you would like my
help in actually implementing these revisions, that would involve an hourly rate for subsequent revisions,
attendance at public meetings, etc. The strategy in your case would depend on the perspective of your citizens
and leaders, as well as your in-house capability to enforce whatever new provisions we proposed to enact.
Tree Inventory: This would involve having experienced arborists on the ground record the location (lat/lon or
street address), species, size, condition, infrastructure conflicts, and other parameters for the trees within either
the entire city or a defined area of the city. The defined areas could include specific neighborhoods, planning
zones, voting districts, neighborhoods, primary evacuation routes, parks, or any other area desired by the city.
The city would receive a report detailing overall parameters such as distribution of species and size, as well as
condition. The locations of trees that require the most immediate maintenance would also be detailed. The
deliverables could include a GIS "tree layer" to incorporate into the city geodatabase. This information would
help the city to formulate a plan for improving and maintaining their urban forest over the next several years,
and budget for the necessary equipment, personnel, or contractor funds . The city could keep the inventory
updated, or hire LAS to do so on a periodic basis.
If the city preferred to emphasize overall parameters as opposed to information on specific trees, or they just
wanted to start on a smaller scale, they could inventory enough street segments to make up [for instance] five
percent of their total street mileage. From this data, they could extrapolate to get a birds-eye view of the
condition of their urban forest. They could also use the iTree Streets program to derive a value for the
ecosystem services that the city trees provide. For more information on iTree http ://www. itreetools . org/.
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CONSULTING ARBORISTS - URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY PHONE: 850.570.5963 FAX: 850.668.8329
A R B O R I ST 3712B DONOVAN DRIVE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32309
SERVICES
Urban Forestry Management Plan: Once you have completed either an inventory or canopy assessment, those
studies will be much more useful if you have a plan in place for how to use the information they provide. The
inventory or canopy analysis would be the basis for the management plan, around which you would define
vision and goals, a plan of work to achieve the goals, and methods for implementing the plan of work. Emphasis
would be on planting, pruning, and promoting the program . Typically, a plan is revised every ten years . The
plan for the City of Largo http : //www.largo .com/egov/documents/ 1201013386 844769 .pdf. and the City of
Bradenton http ://www. cityofbradenton. com/vertical/Sites/%7B2D1C3C91 - 8605 -4ACC- 86B6-
6CFA76381D46%7D/u ' loads/Bradenton UFMP KHA Sest 2011 _web view. df. provide good examples
which you may want to peruse.
General
• Grant Application Preparation: LAS arborists are intimately familiar with the Florida Forest Service' s annual
Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program. These funds provide matching grants to help communities
enhance the effectiveness of their local urban forestry programs. The RFP' s are usually released in late January,
with a due date in mid-March. LAS can prepare these grant applications on behalf of the city for a nominal
charge. North Florida applicants tend to have. a better chance of receiving funding than South Florida applicants,
since not that many applications come from the northern part of the state. More information
http ://www. freshfromflorida . com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/For-Communities/Urban-
Forestiy/Florida-Urban-and-Community-Forest y-Grant-Program . LAS can also prepare applications for other
tree related grant programs, with the charge depending on the complexity.
• Tree City USA Program: This program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, provides recognition to
communities who have active urban forestry programs. There are over 160 certified in Florida, including
Jacksonville, JAX Beach, St Augustine, Orange Park, and a number of cities in Putnam County. LAS can help the
city to complete the paperwork to qualify as a Tree City USA. For more information,
htt . ://www. arborda . or,, • ro6rams/treeci usa/.
• Utility Pruning: All utility pruning should be done according to the ANSI A300 standards.
http ://tcia. org/business/ansi-a300-standards/part- 1 . Although these standards are voluntary, utility
companies nationwide often mandate them in their contracts with vendors and in the way that they
conduct their operations with in-house crews. I would address your concerns to Joe Anderson of JEA,
who can be contacted at 904-738-2391 .
• Nursery: If you have the land, water source, and personnel available to grow your own trees for future
outplanting, this is an excellent idea. For "been there-done that" advice on growing your own trees,
contact Mariellen Calabro in Deland at 386-626-7178 or Wade Collum in Pompano Beach at 954-786-
4926 .
• Tree Giveaways : Also a good way to achieve community engagement in your tree program, as well as
increase your city tree canopy. You could partner with the local garden club or similar group to carry out
this event. An educational program for tree recipients is essential if you want these trees to survive and
thrive. This would include selecting the planting site, preparation, timing, depth, water, post-care, etc.
Larry Figart with Duval Cooperative Extension Service may be able to help you with this. He can be
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x ' CONSULTING ARBORISTS — URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY_.a
A PHONE: 850.570.5963 FAX: 850.668.8329
A R B ® R I ST 3712B DONOVAN DRIVE, TALLAHASSEE, FL 32309
SERVICES
contacted at (904)255 -7450. If he is not available to help you with this project, LAS could do so for a
nominal fee . Tree sizes of 3 gallon to 15 gallon (about as big as an average man can carry without assistance)
are good. Make sure your stock comes from a reliable source and the roots are not pot-bound.
0 Future Plantings :
o Sizes — Smaller trees ( 1 . 5 — 2 " caliper) are easier to handle, water, and achieve initial survival.
You do have to be more patient than you would with larger trees to get shade, however. If you
use larger trees, make sure you have the equipment and personnel to properly move and set them,
as well as dig the holes, stake, and sufficiently water. I would not plant anything larger than 4-6
inch caliper.
o Species — You can include a species palette in your urban forest management plan, or develop
one as a separate project. LAS can assist with this if requested. Please don't plant any more
sycamores in the future. They grow fast, but they break easily. Yellow poplars are much better if
you would like that type of tree.
o Right Tree/Right Place — Avoiding overhead and underground utilities is important. Even more
so is ensuring adequate rooting space for the species. Some spaces can support live oaks, while
others may be restricted to crape myrtles .
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CONSULTING ARBORISTS - URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY PHONE: 850.570-5963 FAX: 850.668. 8329
A R B O R I S T 3712 B Donovan Drive Tallahassee, FL 32309
SERVICES
PROPOSAL
AR-14-311-UF
NOVEMBER 21 , 2014
To : The City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
From: Legacy Arborist Services
Subject: iTree Canopy Analysis
Legacy Arborist Services hereby proposes to provide the following urban forestry services to the City of Atlantic Beach:
ITree Canopy Analysis
Determine the current and past percentage of tree canopy cover within the city limits of Atlantic Beach as follows:
O Conduct a tree canopy analysis using iTree Canopy software with both current digital aerial imagery and one
imagery set taken between 1998 and 2003 (as recent as possible within that time interval) .
O Identify the land cover type on a sufficient number of random sample points on each imagery set to determine the
tree canopy cover percentage to within a maximum standard error of plus or minus five percent ( + /- 5 %) .
® At least 500 sample points will be taken from each imagery set to determine this percentage .
O Cover percentages for the following land cover types will be determined:
o Trees/Forest.
o Open areas such as grass or bare soil where trees could potentially be planted.
o Impervious services (roads , buildings, pavement, etc) where trees cannot be planted .
o Marshland, open water, beach, etc unsuitable for tree planting .
® Deliverables will include the following :
o The standard two page report generated by the iTree Canopy program, which includes a summary of cover
percentages for each cover type listed above and a summary of the annual ecological benefits provided by
the city' s tree canopy.
o A brief narrative describing the implications of the information provided and recommended strategies for
management of the city' s tree canopy based on this analysis .
FEES :
The fee to provide the above services shall be: $ 1 , 500. 00 . This fee is limited to the services described herein. Any
additional services as may be needed shall be agreed upon in a separate Professional Services Agreement.
NRPS , Inc . carries liability , workman' s compensation and automobile insurance . Proof of insurance is available for
any of these policies upon request.
Respectfully Submitted,
Charles R. Marcus
Professional Forester/ISA Certified Arborist
For: Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc. , d/b/a Legacy Forestry Services
T - S
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CONSULTING ARBORISTS — URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY PHONE: 850.570-5963 FAX: 850.668.8329
A R B O R I S T 3712 B Donovan Drive Tallahassee, FL 32309
SERVICES
PROFESSIONAL URBAN FORESTRY SERVICES AGREEMENT
AR-14-311-UF
THIS AGREEMENT is made between Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc, d/b/a Legacy
Arborist Services, P.O. Box 564 San Antonio, Fl. 33576 and the City of Atlantic Beach, FL 800 Seminole
Road Atlantic Beach, FL 32233, hereinafter known as "Client"; for the purpose of defining the professional
urban forestry services to be provided by Legacy Arborist Services within the city limits of Atlantic Beach.
Within 21 calendar days of the execution of this agreement, with mutually agreeable provisions for an extension,
Legacy Arborist Services will provide the following urban forestry services:
ITree Canopy Analysis
Determine the current and past percentage of tree canopy cover within the city limits of Atlantic Beach as
follows:
• Conduct a tree canopy analysis using iTree Canopy software with both current digital aerial imagery and
one imagery set taken between 1998 and 2003 (as recent as possible within that time interval).
• Identify the land cover type on a sufficient number of random sample points on each imagery set to
determine the tree canopy cover percentage to within a maximum standard error of plus or minus five
percent(+/- 5%).
• At least 500 sample points will be taken from each imagery set to determine this percentage.
• Cover percentages for the following land cover types will be determined:
o Trees/Forest.
o Open areas such as grass or bare soil where trees could potentially be planted.
o Impervious services (roads, buildings, pavement, etc) where trees cannot be planted.
o Marshland, open water, beach, etc unsuitable for tree planting.
• Deliverables will include the following:
o The standard two page report generated by the iTree Canopy program, which includes a summary
of cover percentages for each cover type listed above and a summary of the annual ecological
benefits provided by the city's tree canopy.
o A brief narrative describing the implications of the information provided and recommended
strategies for management of the city's tree canopy based on this analysis.
FEES:
The fee to provide the above services shall be: $1,500.00. This fee is limited to the services described
herein. Any additional services as may be needed shall be agreed upon in a separate Professional Services
Agreement.
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CONSULTING ARBORISTS — URBAN FORESTRY SPECIALISTS
LEGACY PHONE: 850.570-5963 FAX: 850.668.8329
A R B O R I S T 3712 B Donovan Drive Tallahassee, FL 32309
SERVICES
NRPS, Inc. carries liability, workman's compensation and automobile insurance. Proof of insurance is
available for any of these policies upon request.
Sincerely,
Charles R. Marcus
Professional Forester/ISA Certified Arborist
For: Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc., d/b/a Legacy Forestry Services
Date:
Charles R. Marcus, Natural Resources Planning Services, Inc.
For: Client
Date:
City of Atlantic Beach, Florida
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