Tree Advisory Committee

Tree Advisory Committee — February 21, 2024

This was a regular meeting of the Tree Advisory Committee, held at Petaluma City Hall. Five of seven members were present; Taryn Obaid and Marianne Bertuccelli were absent. The session focused largely on planning the upcoming Arbor Day celebration and ongoing work to update the city's street tree list and urban forestry policies.

General Public Comment

Three written comments were submitted prior to the meeting from Marilyn Vallius, Frank Griffo, and ReLeaf Petaluma. During the meeting itself, Eric Leland, Wendy Jacobs, and Frank Griffo addressed the committee in person. The minutes do not detail the substance of the individual comments, though Committee Member Ewing later specifically acknowledged and appreciated Frank Griffo's remarks.

Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the January 17 and February 7, 2024 meetings were not acted upon and were moved to the next meeting.

Arbor Day Progress Update and Date Adoption

Committee Member Darren Racusen reported on the work of the Arbor Day Ad Hoc Committee. Planning ideas include holding the event at Prince Park, with food trucks, music, tree-related activities, and collaboration with community organizations ReLeaf Petaluma and Daily Acts. The event would run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The committee then voted to formally recommend April 27, 2024 as the Arbor Day celebration date, which will be submitted to the City Council for an official proclamation.

Vote: Moved by Racusen, seconded by Cover. Approved 5–0 (Obaid and Bertuccelli absent).

Street Tree Ad Hoc Committee Progress Update

Chair Howard Formby summarized a February 1 meeting focused on updating the city's accepted street tree species list. The committee reviewed which species to retain or remove, discussed public outreach, and reached a consensus not to add any new species to the list at this time. The goal is to have the revised list ready to submit alongside the updated Tree Ordinance to City Council. ReLeaf Petaluma's Wendy Jacobs offered public comment on this item. Several committee members also weighed in during committee discussion, though the minutes do not detail their specific remarks.

Communication and Outreach Ad Hoc Committee Progress Update

Committee Member Racusen recapped recent outreach activities. The committee met with representatives from the City of Chico's Tree Department/Public Works and the City of Pacific Grove — both of which have well-developed urban forestry programs. Key takeaways covered staffing models, tree maintenance practices, permitting processes, and software recommendations. The committee also met with Ken Eichstaedt from Petaluma's own Public Works & Utilities department to discuss forming a task force. Committee Member McErlane elaborated on lessons from Chico regarding staffing, maintenance, and tree canopy management. Public comments were offered by Wendy Jacobs of ReLeaf Petaluma and Frank Griffo.

Committee and Staff Comments

Committee Member McErlane and Racusen shared updates from the Planning Commission. Chair Formby raised a question about the status of updates to the Heritage Tree List — particularly in relation to the 6-inch diameter threshold discussed earlier — and Staff Liaison Chong agreed to follow up with the Planning Department and report back.

On the staff side, Parks and Recreation noted it has only reviewed the carbon blueprint document and had little to report. Staff reminded the committee that ReLeaf Petaluma had sent a document requesting feedback on upcoming projects, asking members to send comments directly to ReLeaf. Staff also shared updates on a grant, the Urban Forestry Management Plan, and suggested the committee review design standards recently presented to the City Council and weigh in if interested.

The meeting adjourned at 5:01 p.m.

Key Takeaways