Temecula's Urban Forest Future: Plans Underway

TEMECULA, CA — The city of Temecula is pursuing a vision to transform itself into a community someday shaded by a canopy of trees, and public input is sought about the plan.

On March 16, the city of Temecula will be hosting an Urban Forest Summit for residents and business owners. Encinitas-based environmental consulting firm Dudek will lead the event.

The collective citizen input will help create the overall strategy of the city's first Urban Forest Management Plan that centers around trees and how they will be managed over the next 40 years.

“An Urban Forest Management Plan is a roadmap that creates a shared vision for the future of a tree canopy," Mayor Matt Rahn said in a news release. "It’s a tailored strategy which guides City tree care professionals to proactively and effectively manage and provide for maximum, long-term benefits to the community."

Ryan Allen works as an urban forester and certified arborist with Dudek. His firm has helped other California cities — Beverly Hills, Downey, La Mesa, Los Angeles, San Jose — develop Urban Forest Management Plans.

Part of Temecula's plan will include looking at existing trees and identifying areas that have little to no tree canopy. The plan will also recommend planting areas and tree species that require low water and can adapt to climate change. Native species will be recommended where appropriate, Allen said.

The plan will also include recommendations on tree size.

"Big trees go in big places," Allen said.

Climate change is a driving force behind many cities' Urban Forest Management Plans.

"Climate change is real and happening. We need to prepare our cities for increased heat and drought," Allen told Patch. "Trees are really one of the best ways to keep cities resilient."

Like other cities, Temecula is receiving significant financial help in crafting its Urban Forest Management Plan. In 2018, the city submitted a grant application for the Cal Fire Urban and Community Forestry Program and was awarded $323,930 in Prop. 68 funds. The funding is designed to help develop sustainable urban and community forests in California.

"Trees provide energy conservation, reduction of storm-water runoff, extend the life of surface streets, improve local air, soil and water quality, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, improve public health, provide wildlife habitat and increase property values. In short, they improve the quality of life in our urban environments which, increasingly, are where Californians live, work, and play," according to Cal Fire's Urban & Community Forestry webpage.

The city is paying Dudek $278,870 to develop its Urban Forest Management Plan.

For those who dismiss climate change, Allen said it shouldn't make a difference because trees enhance quality of life for everyone.

"What it feels like to walk down a tree-lined street" is special, Allen said.

Rahn said one of his goals is to make sure every Temecula resident lives in a safe and healthy neighborhood.

"The value of trees is experienced every day in many ways," Rahn said. "Some experiences are physical and immediate like the relief of being in the refreshing shade of a large tree on a hot summer’s day. Others are less tangible but still present, like the clean air we breathe and positive impacts on our mental health. We need to make sure we continue to properly plan, plant and care for Temecula’s trees so that they may be enjoyed for all generations to come."

Temecula's Urban Forest Summit will be held from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. March 16 at Temecula City Hall's Conference Center, 41000 Main Street. The event is free and open to all. Spanish language translation will be available. There will also be locally catered food, refreshments, and gift giveaways.

The city asks that interested participants first register for the Summit at TemeculaTrees.org. The site also includes a quick survey about Temecula's trees, and it provides an interactive map of the city’s current tree inventory. Site visitors can pan and click on any individual tree for specific details about it.