The appropriation of $100,000, received from Free Cash

In response to the above council order the Department of Public Works hereby requests that the sum of $100,000 be appropriated from free cash to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures Account for planting and caring for additional trees to be planted in various parks and open spaces throughout the city during this fall and the spring and fall planting season of 2019.

At this time, the Urban Forestry division at Public Works expects to plant trees at the following parks throughout the City:

Green Rose Heritage Park on Harvard Street.

Gold Star Mothers Park on Gore Street.

Warren Pals Park on Jefferson Street.

Clarendon Street Park at Mass and Clarendon.

Dana Park on Magazine Street. and Danehy Park.

The park planting project will start this fall and will continue into the spring of 2019. www.CambridgeMA.gov/TheWorks facebook.com/CambridgeDPW @CambridgeDPW Mount Auburn Street at Star Market - 2007 and 2017 The Department of Public Works has also identified additional open space locations throughout the city where hard surfaces can be exposed, and additional tree planting can take place. This effort is similar to the work that has been done in the recent past at Star Market on Mount Auburn Street and at the Mount Auburn/Belmont Street intersection. The additional locations presently being considered are:

Hampshire and Plymouth Street, Pemberton Street Bricklayer Plaza, Massachusetts Avenue, Mary Conlon Park And Huron Avenue and Cushing Street Mount Auburn Street at Belmont Street -summer 2007 and fall 2017 This project will begin in the spring of 2019 and will continue through the fall of 2019.

As you know the City has continued to invest more financial resources in managing the City’s tree canopy over the last number of years. While as 5 years ago the city set aside $25,000 in its operating budget on an annual basis for tree planting, today that figure has increased significantly to a point where $100,000 is included in our operating budget and an additional $125,000 is provided for in the public investment funds towards tree planting. This figure is further supplemented by monies appropriated from the tree ordinance revenues which have amounted to an additional $450,000 over the past two years and participatory budget appropriation of $141,000 in FY19. All these monies are set aside for tree planting projects. Furthermore, the $50,000 that was recently appropriated as part of the Inman Square reconstruction project will also be used to regrow the canopy in the area immediately surrounding the square. These figures do not reflect the additional funding provided for tree planting in the various large utility and surface restoration projects, like the Western Avenue www.CambridgeMA.gov/TheWorks facebook.com/CambridgeDPW @CambridgeDPW project and the Huron Avenue/Concord Avenue project completed over the last number of years.

Finally, the expectation is that additional funding will be considered as we begin to prepare the FY20 budget so that we can continue to improve our investment in public trees across the city. ________________________________________________________________________________ Tree Care The city further recognizes the imperative of managing and sustaining the existing urban forest, most particularly in a time of greater risk to our trees, be it because of drought, new pests and disease or other factors associated with climate change or development. The City has been to the forefront in New England in treating our ash trees so that they can survive the spread of the emerald ash borer. The City has appropriated $400,000 in the past four years in treating our ash trees in advance of the emergence of the beetle in the city. The City has also revised its planting specifications, working with the Public Planting Committee over the last number of years and has continued to refine such to better provide a more conducive environment for vigorous tree growth. Part of that specification change is to provide watering for the tree for a period of at least two years after the tree is planted.

The City has also invested in the Cartagraph Asset Management system as it relates to public trees in the city. This software is used by all forestry and contractor staff and allows the city to develop a full history of every tree and every tree well and allows for a detailed management of the care of our trees across the city by both city crews and contractor crews, be it as it relates to planting, pruning watering or indeed the taking down of trees.

Urban Forestry Master Plan Finally, the Urban Forestry Master Planning (UFMP) effort has been ongoing for the past five months.

Monthly meetings have taken place with the eighteen-member (18) task force during that time together with the first of three community meetings. While a significant amount of time thus far has been spent establishing a baseline of information, the expectation is that over the next several months the taskforce and consultant team and staff will begin to address issues associated with the regulatory environment, design standards etc. with the expectation is that the consultants will produce a draft plan by the summer of 2019.