Res 2024-145 approving a Subaward Grant Agreement with Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Inc., providing grant funding to the city in the amount of $299,722.00 for the city to conduct a tree inventory

Home Browse Search

Docusign Envelope ID:1009E573-1ACF-4913-8247-790D900060D6 FORESTRY INITIATIVE SUBRECIPIENT AGRE EMENT Web-based management tools and databases will be utilized to capture and retain tree data,develop plan as well as inform/educate key stakeholders and the public. This will help promote community forestry literacy and support significant tree programs. Proposal activities that meet the State Forest Action Plan are also aligned to the National 10-year Forest Management Plan. Through the activities of both the Steering Committee and Workgroup,the City will promote expanded collaboration and training and communication within the Urban Forestry field. The City will target underserved populations in areas that have been identified as disadvantaged utilizing the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool(CJEST). The City will lead a public awareness and education campaign explaining the Forest Management plan. The City will develop and adopt a Public Tree Ordinance with related policies and procedures that align with integrating urban forestry in creating long term plans. This proposal and its related products will also help leverage additional funding to support urban forestry. Lastly,the proposal will be strongly aligned to the Justice 40 initiative,including representatives from historically disadvantaged communities and spaces throughout the entire project. The community education piece will target areas and populations designated as disadvantaged. Voices and ideas from these communities will be integrated into the development,planning and implementation of the City's Forest Strategic plan. 2. Implementation Strategy/Methodology/Timeline: Provide a detailed explanation of the proposed approach,methodology,operations strategies,project schedule/timeline with goals/milestones,expected accomplishments or measurable outcomes,and project assessment/evaluation methods. The City of San Marcos is proposing to secure an Urban Forestry consultant or firm through a formal bid process to manage the development of the Forest Strategic Plan,Tree Inventory,Canopy Study,and other related products. The selected firm will have the discretion to manage and adapt as they see fit. However,the City expects the firm to assume a resource management approach to this project,as recommended by the Sustainable Urban Forest Guide, meaning they will assess and detennine adequacy of available resources needed to develop a written management plan. The associated methodology and operations strategies will include 4 primary parts and related actions: 1)Identijying and collecting information to analyze. Project Staff will collect baseline information from both quantitative(tree canopy study and tree inventory)and qualitative sources,e.g.,other plans,practices,programs, policies as well as interviews and/or focus groups. 2) Constructing the Community)Framework Project Staff will also"set the stage"for both community engagement and community education to occur by outlining specific strategies aimed at ensuring appropriate inclusion and representation of the community and key stakeholders and partners in discussions and decision-malting throughout the project cycle. This will include but may not be limited to the development of a steering committee,interviews,focus groups and targeted awareness campaign. 3) Analysis /Evaluation. Following the prescribed process and components above,the City will evaluate its current state of urban forestry to be able to gauge where it is now,where it'd like to be in the future and what it needs to achieve that goal. Staff will review and analyze the information they get from these sources and efforts to draft a plan. 4)Developing the Plan. Once a draft has been produced,it will be shared with the Parks Board,Executive Management(City Managers' Office)as well as the Council to receive additional input and considerations. Feedback received from these bodies will help set specific Urban Forestry Goals,Objectives,and Outcomes that address climate change,natural disasters,pests,financing,etc. The areas to be included in the plan and assigned target goals for accomplishments or outcomes will be those that address the i)natural resources(trees and forest), 37