Agenda Information Sheet
DEPARTMENT: Solid Waste & Recycling
CM/ACM: Jon Fortune
Date: April 5, 2016
SUBJECT
Title
Receive a report, hold a discussion, and give staff direction regarding a proposed citywide sample tree inventory and tree canopy analysis for Denton.
Body
BACKGROUND
City Council members and residents have recently expressed a desire for updated data on Denton's urban forest. As the City's key community partner for urban forestry programs, Keep Denton Beautiful has taken the lead in researching and presenting options for this update. Given that the timing of the project is dependent on seasonal elements (in other words, leaves must be on the trees), we have initiated a request for proposals to complete the project this summer. This presentation will provide a briefing on Keep Denton Beautiful's recommendations for the tree inventory/canopy analysis project, and request Council's support to bring forth winning project proposals for approval at a subsequent meeting.
The most recent urban forestry data on file for Denton comes from a 2010 study, when the City partnered with faculty and students from the Geography Department at the University of North Texas (UNT) to obtain an estimated percentage of canopy cover for the city, using aerial satellite imaging. The study, approximately $35,000, was funded out of the City's Tree Mitigation Fund. UNT's analysis of the aerial images found an estimated 19% canopy cover for Denton, or 17% cover when excluding the City's extra-territorial jurisdictions (ETJs). As outlined in the Denton 2030 Plan, regional comparisons of tree canopy cover show this number to be on the low end of the spectrum among neighboring municipalities. Arlington sits at 22.4% canopy cover, Dallas is at 29%, and Fort Worth has 25% cover. With rapid development and population growth in the years since this study was performed, Denton's canopy cover and other attributes of the city's urban forest have likely changed. Current data is...
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