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Tree Advisory Committee

Tree Advisory Committee

Wed, January 21, 2026

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Meeting summaryAI-generated

Tree Advisory Committee — January 21, 2026


This was a regular meeting of Petaluma's Tree Advisory Committee, held at City Hall. Six of seven members were present; Marianne Bertuccelli was absent.


Approval of Minutes — October 15, 2025


The minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting were approved without discussion.


Urban Forest Management Plan — Working Group Update


Kelaine Ravdin of Urban Ecos, the city's Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) consultant, presented an update on draft goals and strategies developed by the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group. The goals and strategies are intended to guide the broader UFMP, which aims to maintain, expand, and sustain a healthy urban forest in Petaluma.


Following the presentation, all six committee members — Schildt, Sanchez, Cover, Racusen, Obaid, and Gentile — offered questions and comments, though the specific content of those remarks is not detailed in the minutes.


Four members of the public also spoke during this item: John Shribbs, Patrick Carter, Charles Little, and Wendy Jacobs. The substance of their comments is not recorded in the minutes.


*Note: Because the minutes do not capture the specific discussion points or any formal direction given to staff, the nature of committee input cannot be further detailed here.*


Arbor Day / Tree Fest Celebration — Date Recommendation


The committee took up the question of which Arbor Day date to use for a city celebration — the National/Federal date (last Friday in April) or the California state date (March 7). Discussion ran short on time, and no decision was reached. Members also floated the idea of holding more than one event and potentially collaborating with other community groups. The committee was asked to continue thinking about the options and bring a recommendation to the next meeting.


Staff Comments


Kat Reisinger, filling in for staff liaison Drew Halter, shared two notable updates: the city has submitted its Tree City USA application, a national recognition program administered by the Arbor Day Foundation, and a new Superintendent of Parks & Open Spaces position has been filled.


Key Takeaways


The Urban Forest Management Plan is actively in development, with a consultant-led working group producing draft goals and strategies — public and committee input is being gathered at this stage.
No decision was made on the Arbor Day celebration date (National vs. California); the committee will revisit the question at its next meeting, with a possible multi-event approach under consideration.
Petaluma has applied for Tree City USA designation, signaling a step toward formal national recognition of its urban forestry efforts.
A new Superintendent of Parks & Open Spaces has been hired, potentially bringing additional capacity to tree and parks management.

AI-generated summary from voice-to-text transcript. Not the official record. Verify important details with the source documents linked above.

What happened at this meeting

Approval of Minutes for the meeting of October 15, 2025

The minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting were presented for approval. No public comment or member discussion was noted. The minutes were deemed as approved.

Urban Forestry Plan Working Group – An update regarding the draft goals and strategies discussed by the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group to inform the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). Receive the update and provide input on the subsequent action items aimed at maintaining, expanding, and sustaining a healthy urban forest – Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos and UFMP Consultant.

Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos and UFMP Consultant, presented an update on draft goals and strategies from the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group to inform the Urban Forest Management Plan. Committee members Schildt, Sanchez, Cover, Racusen, Obaid, and Gentile shared questions and comments, and public comment was received from John Shribbs, Patrick Carter, Charles Little, and Wendy Jacobs.

Recommendation for Arbor Day/Tree Fest Celebration Adoption

The committee discussed which date to prefer for Arbor Day Celebration (State or National) and explored the possibility of conducting more than one event in collaboration with other groups. Time was cut short, and members were asked to consider this matter and discuss it further at the next meeting.

Agenda items (3)

Procedural (1)
1ProceduralApproval of Minutes for the meeting of October 15, 2025
The city council will review and approve the official record of what was discussed and decided at the October 15, 2025 meeting.

What happened

The minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting were presented for approval. No public comment or member discussion was noted. The minutes were deemed as approved.
Public Hearing
2Public HearingUrban Forestry Plan Working Group – An update regarding the draft goals and strategies discussed by the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group to inform the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). Receive the update and provide input on the subsequent action items aimed at maintaining, expanding, and sustaining a healthy urban forest – Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos and UFMP Consultant.
Residents will hear an update on draft plans to improve Petaluma's urban forest, including goals for planting, maintaining, and caring for trees throughout the city, and will have a chance to provide feedback on next steps.

What happened

Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos and UFMP Consultant, presented an update on draft goals and strategies from the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group to inform the Urban Forest Management Plan. Committee members Schildt, Sanchez, Cover, Racusen, Obaid, and Gentile shared questions and comments, and public comment was received from John Shribbs, Patrick Carter, Charles Little, and Wendy Jacobs.
3Public HearingRecommendation for Arbor Day/Tree Fest Celebration Adoption
The city is considering adopting a celebration event for Arbor Day and Tree Fest to promote tree planting and environmental awareness in the community.

What happened

The committee discussed which date to prefer for Arbor Day Celebration (State or National) and explored the possibility of conducting more than one event in collaboration with other groups. Time was cut short, and members were asked to consider this matter and discuss it further at the next meeting.

Verbatim transcript available

2 transcript segments indexed

CITY OF PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA REGULAR MEETING OF THE TREE ADVISORY COMMITTEE City Hall Council Chamber 11 English Street Petaluma, CA 94952 MINUTES Wednesday, January 21, 2026 CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL PRESENT: Bill Cover, Diane Gentile, Taryn Obaid, Darren Racusen, Stephanie Sanchez, Keith Schildt ABSENT: Marianne Bertuccelli GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT During General Public Comment, the public is invited to make comments on items of public interest that are within the City Council’s subject matter jurisdiction and that are not listed on the current agenda. Public comments are limited up to three minutes per person. Depending on the number of persons wishing to address the Council, time will be allocated in equal shares totaling no more than twenty minutes, subject to the Council’s discretion (Cal. Gov’t. Code §54954.3(a), Petaluma City Council Rules, Policies and Procedures, III). Eve O’Rourke APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of Minutes for the meeting of October 15, 2025 Minutes were deemed as approved. PUBLIC HEARINGS AND MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION 2. Urban Forestry Plan Working Group – An update regarding the draft goals and strategies discussed by the Urban Forestry Plan Working Group to inform the Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP). Receive the update and provide input on the subsequent action items aimed at maintaining, expanding, and sustaining a healthy urban forest – Kelaine Ravdin, Urban Ecos and UFMP Consultant. Kelaine shared her presentation and opened it up for discussion with the committee. Committee shared questions and comments.
Committee Comment Schildt Sanchez Cover Racusen Obaid Gentile Public Comment Opened John Shribbs Patrick Carter Charles Little Wendy Jacobs Public Comment Closed 3. Recommendation for Arbor Day/Tree Fest Celebration Adoption Which date do the members prefer for Arbor Day Celebration (State or National) – Time was cut short; however, committee was asked to decide whether they should go with Federal/National or California date and discussed possibility of doing more than one event (collaborate with other groups). Members were asked to think about this and discuss it at next meeting. COMMITTEE COMMENT - No additional comments. STAFF COMMENT Kat Reisinger (subbing for Drew Halter) shared update regarding Tree City USA Application being submitted and a new position, Superintendent of Parks & Open Spaces position was accepted. ADJOURNMENT – 5:02 p.m.