[CANUFNET] Compensation for removal of municipally-owned trees

Mon Feb 2 14:17:17 EST 2015

Hi Alex,

At the City of Surrey, we review developer tree removal requests on a regular basis. As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, addressing new and in-fill lot developments have become a commonplace within our delivery.

On May 26, 2010, our Department GM approved a Tree Removal Policy which outlines a general course of action with respect to tree removal requests on City land.  As per the Policy, permission may be given by the City when "Other ways and means to avoid the removal of the tree have been fully and reasonable considered for implementation". If so, then if "it prevents development and construction", permission may be given. I should note here that we have two types of trees along our streets on City land (Engineering road allowance or right of ways).

1.       Remnant trees (non-inventoried)

-          Trees planted by a third party such as a home owner or past developer but were not approved by the City.

-          Volunteers, self-seeded trees.

-          Indigenous trees that were retained during development.

2.       City trees (inventoried)

-          Trees installed by the City or representative as part of a planting plan.

Note: While our Policy refers to "trees located on City lands" we usually will only review remnant trees for removal. It is very rare we will permit the removal of a City inventoried tree to accommodate construction. City trees are usually suitable species planted in an appropriate location compared to remnant trees and have been and are maintained as part of a preventative maintenance (PM) program, therefore representing a greater investment and value to the City. Requests such as air spading, hydro-vaccing, horizontal drilling and tree transplanting are common suggestions from staff before considering the removal of a City tree.

When determining compensation for lost canopy, we generally seek full value of the tree by using the CTLA TFM. To ensure we provide consistency with our evaluations, only ISA certified staff with Arboriculture Canada's Tree Appraisal Qualification are eligible to provide this service. If the tree is undersized,  then a 1:1 or 2:1 compensation is implemented. The amount requested is based on an average wholesale purchase cost of a 5cm tree, installation and 2 years of maintenance. Once we have received the requested funds, we then provide a letter of authorization to remove the tree at the requestor's expense. The letter states the requirements (qualifications and insurance) needed for a contractor to remove a tree from City land.

We are 100% successful in receiving requested compensation funds from developers primarily due to our relationship with the City's Building Division's - Trees and Landscape Section. Since all proponents require inspections to proceed through a development process, we can hold off on issuing a letter of authorization or in cases where a tree may have been removed of damaged without the City's permission, we can place a 'stop inspection' until the funds have been secured.

Interestingly, our greatest challenge is not so much with the trees requested for removal but rather those deemed for retention. While we do have guidelines in place to ensure trees are protected during construction, we still see a number of declining and stressed trees following construction. We recognized this in a recent planning meeting and hope to improve this deficiency this year.

I hope this helps.

ROB RENY | COORDINATOR, URBAN FORESTRY

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From: CANUFNET [mailto:canufnet-bounces at list.web.net] On Behalf Of Alex Satel
Sent: January-22-15 6:56 AM
To: canufnet at list.web.net
Subject: [CANUFNET] Compensation for removal of municipally-owned trees

Hello fellow CANUFNET members,

I am looking to compile some basic information about municipalities which currently request compensation for the removal of municipally-owned trees (such as street trees), particularly in relation to development on private lands.

I would greatly appreciate any input from CANUFNET members in response to some or all of the following questions. Any level of detail would be great, and if you don't feel comfortable broadcasting to the list (although that's encouraged so we can all share the information), feel free to email me directly.

Questions:

1.       Does your municipality seek compensation for municipally-owned trees removed through development on private lands?

2.       If so, do you seek (A) to cover removal/replacement costs, (B) amenity value, (C) both amenity and removal/replacement, or (D) other?

3.       If your municipality seeks to recover (B or C) amenity value, do you determine amenity value using (A) the Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers (CTLA) Trunk Formula Method (TFM), or (B) an alternate method?

4.       Can you provide some more details about the method you use (e.g., TFM by-the-book, TFM with modifications, negotiated value, etc.)?

5.       Can you provide any comments about the successes/challenges in seeking compensation for the removal of municipally-owned trees?

Thank you all kindly in advance, and kudos to everyone for continuing to use CANUFNET! I always enjoy seeing everyone's contributions and think it really helps to connect the UF community.

--Alex Satel

Alex Satel, MFC
ISA Certified Arborist ON-1353A
Urban Forest Innovations, Inc.
1248 Minnewaska Trail
Mississauga, ON L5G 3S5
P: (905) 274-1022
asatel at ufis.ca<mailto:asatel at ufis.ca>
urbanforestinnovations.com<http://www.urbanforestinnovations.com/>
[UFI new logo very small]

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