Fairfax City could establish a new urban forestry division in the next one to five years to promote tree preservation.
A draft of the city’s new Urban Forest Master Plan, which will be presented to the planning commission today (Dec. 8), envisions two new technicians, an urban forester, and part-time administrative support dedicated to helping implement stronger conservation practices and expand its tree canopy. There would also be a shared GIS technician/analyst.
These new staffers would help the city develop response plans for pests, disease and emergencies, staff told city council members at a work session on Dec. 2. They would implement a dedicated management plan for forested areas, and provide short-term tree care. Additionally, staff would give input on how city policy and enforcement could support the urban forest.
But the city does not need to wait for new staff or budget updates to begin implementing the 20-year plan, said Garrett Wolf, senior planner and director of ecosystem restoration and coastal resilience services with consultant Marstel-Day.
“These positions do not need to be hired all at once in order for implementation of the plan,” he told council members. “They can be brought on as funding becomes available.”
Wolf said that the City of Fairfax has fewer dedicated forestry staff than peer cities — including the Town of Vienna, which has five, and the City of Falls Church, which has four.
The plan notes that the city has 2.9 full-time positions currently “dedicated to direct urban forestry activities” in addition to its urban forest manager, who “is primarily focused on trees on private property.” Fairfax also has three employees in the public works and streets division, and parks and recs department, who are arborists.
The plan notes that:
“Fairfax’s current approach to tree care is primarily reactive, driven by resident service requests or observations made during staff windshield surveys. Pruning activity has averaged 624 trees per year. At this pace, it would take approximately 18 years to complete a single pruning cycle for the roughly 11,000 publicly managed trees inventoried across the city.”
Best practices call for a five- to seven-year pruning cycle, according to the document.
But the 148-page plan also calls for greater involvement from residents, not just staff, in maintaining the city’s natural resources. It envisions public-private partnerships, such as young trees being maintained in partnership with schools, workforce development programs, and volunteers.
A final draft of the master plan will be presented to the city council in January.
Councilmember Thomas Peterson expressed support for the plan, and said that he would like to see a calendar of actions that the city council could take.
“I would like to make sure this is an action-based plan and not a shelf document,” he said.
