NEW IDEAS FOR SIDEWALK MANAGEMENT IN LOS ANGELES

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NEW IDEAS FOR SIDEWALK MANAGEMENT IN
LOS ANGELES
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HOW BIG IS LOS ANGELES?
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6,500 Miles of Streets
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680,000 Street Trees
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10,750 Miles of Sidewalks
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4,620 Miles of Damaged Sidewalks
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History of Sidewalk Repair in the City of Los
Angeles
1911 - State of California Improvement Act,
property owners are required to maintain
sidewalks adjacent to their property.
1974 City ordinance exempts homeowners
responsibility for repairs to sidewalks caused by
tree growth. City assumes cost.
1976 to 1978 The City institutes a pilot
sidewalk repair program to repair sidewalks at no
cost to residents.
1979 All funds are exhausted and the City is
without a sidewalk repair program and reinstates
the 1911 Sidewalk Policy.
1998 - The City Council proposes Proposition JJ,
which would provide 550 million over 20 years
for the repair of City sidewalks. The measure
fails.
1990 - The American with Disabilities Act (ADA)
expands Civil Rights protection of persons with
disabilities.
1999 - City funds 7 million from tobacco
settlement monies to be used for the Sidewalk
Repair Program.
1974
1976
1979
1990
1998
1999
1911
1940
1960
1980
2000
1900
1920
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Program Objectives

• To provide a safe, acceptable walking surface for
  pedestrians.
• To decrease the Citys exposure to liability.
• To maintain a healthy, safe and sustainable urban
  forest.

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Program Goals

• To retain as many large mature desirable trees,
  as possible, while repairing damaged sidewalks
  and streets.
• Ensure potential alternative options have been
  explored prior to tree removal.
• Modify planting site to provide the largest
  rooting area feasible.
• On streets where many trees will be removed,
  implement tree removal in phases to enable
  continued canopy coverage.

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Program Goals

• Replant those street tree sites where existing
  trees cannot be safely retained.
• Plant in all surrounding vacant planting sites.
• To ensure that all trees planted are the largest
  species appropriate for the site.
• Include the residents in the review process of
  alternative options/tree removals.
• Promote urban forest education and foster
  neighborhood involvement.

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Program Overview
107 Staff Personnel Dedicated to the Sidewalk
Repair Program
4 Production Crews 4 Root Prune Crews 4
Inspectors

• 52 Street Tree Division Support

55 Street Services Support
11 Concrete Crews
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Program Overview

• Completed 324 miles of sidewalk.
• Approximately 20,600 trees were impacted.
• Approximately 11,600 trees were root pruned.
• Alternatives sidewalk repair options were used
  adjacent to about 9,000 trees.
• Approximately 910 trees were removed.
• Approximately 7,500 trees were planted.

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Benefits of Preserving the Urban Forests

• Psychological and physical benefits
• Recreation
• Wildlife habitat
• Aesthetics
• Increase neighborhood pride
• Creates a sense of place
• Reduces noise levels
• Energy Conservation
• Environmental
• Economic

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Energy Conservation Benefits
Environmental Benefits
Improved Air Quality
Reduce summer cooling by as much as 30
percent. (U.S Forest Service)
Shade
Trees trap particulate matter.
Carbon Sequestration
Reduce heating bills by blocking winter winds.
Wind Screens
Trees help to fight smog.
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Improves Water Quality

• Filter water entering waterways/aquifers.

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Improves Water Quality

• Stormwater Control

Reduce soil erosion and run-off by intercepting
and absorbing stormwater.
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• Increase Property Values

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As your landscape matures, property value may
increase 15 to 25 percent. (ICMA)
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• Trees Revitalize Business Districts.

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Trees beautify and add a sense of place to the
neighborhood.
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Trees are the only infrastructure element that
increases in value over time.
For every 1 invested in Urban Forest Management,
1.89 in benefits is returned to residents.
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Psychological Benefits
Trees have a restorative effect that can improve
psychological well being.
Trees make people feel good!
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YEAH BUT

• I HAVE A TREE PROBLEM!!!

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Tree Evaluation

• Grade all trees into one of five classes

A Exceptional B Good C Fair D Poor F
Dead
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TREE EVALUATION FORM
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• Healthy trees that have exceptional historical,
  aesthetic and/or environmental qualities and are
  structurally stable.

A
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B

• Tree is healthy, structurally stable and has a
  useful lifespan over of 5 years.

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C

• Tree is declining, is creating extensive
  structural damage, improper species/size for the
  site.

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D

• Tree is declining, is structurally unsound, has
  a high failure potential and is senescent.

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F

• Tree is dead.

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Three Options for Dealing with the Trees

• Tree Preservation
• Minimize the impact on the trees growing
  environment.
• Do not cut roots
• Do not compact soils
• Do not change drainage or grade within tree root
  zone.
• Tree Retention
• Limit the amount of root pruning.
• Implement sidewalk construction options.
• 3. Tree Removal
• Last Resort

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Prior to Root Pruning

• Trees are pruned to provide
• Crown Cleaning
• Crown Thinning
• Crown Raising
• Crown Reduction

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• Root pruning is the most common mitigation method.

• Straight root pruning is done on one quadrant of
  the root zone.

• Hand saws and chain saws with carbide blades are
  used for selective and directional root pruning.

• The Root Prune Evaluation form is used as a guide
  to determined whether root pruning is an option.

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Most root pruning occurs in a straight line
through one quadrant of the root zone.
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Directional root pruning.
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Root Pruning Comes at a Price

• Trees may experience branch dieback.
• Potential for instability.
• May impact future growth rate.
• May increase root regrowth.
• Trees may be more susceptible to drought
  conditions/insect and disease/decay or
  environmental stress.

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Post Root Prune Evaluation

• Root pruned trees are re-evaluated at
• 6 months
• 18 months
• 40 months
• 78 months
• (Depending on available funds)

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• Grind Sidewalk
• Sidewalk Ramping
• Enlarged Tree Well
• Reduce Sidewalk Width

• Meander Sidewalks
• Rubberized Pavers
• Poured-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk

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Sidewalk Grinding
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Meandering Sidewalk
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Enlarged Tree Well
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Reduced Sidewalk
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Reduced Sidewalk
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Ramped sidewalks over the roots
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Ramped sidewalks
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Ramped and minimized sidewalks
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Rubberized Pavers
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Rubberized Pavers
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Poured-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk
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Poured-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk
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Poured-in-Place Rubberized Sidewalk
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Standard Specifications

• Standard specifications for the various sidewalk
  repair options currently do not exist in the
  industry.
• The City of Los Angeles has developed its own
  standard specifications to efficiently implement
  sidewalk repair options.

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Tree Removal

• All tree removals must be approved by the Board
  of Public Works.
• Trees are posted for at least 30 days.
• Tree removals may be challenged at public
  hearings.

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Tree Hazard Evaluation

• Perform tree evaluation utilizing the
  International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Tree
  Hazard Evaluation Form to assess the trees
  failure potential.

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Tree Removal

• To avoid drastic canopy loss on neighborhood
  streets, the goal is to remove no more than 20
  percent of the trees in one year.
• Avoid removing trees from three consecutive
  residences in one year.

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Tree Planting
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Plant all available tree sites in the
neighborhood with the largest tree appropriate
size.
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Case Study Coeur D Alene Avenue
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Black-Crowned Night-Heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax)
Roosts and/or nests in groups of up to 50 birds.
Nocturnal and loud screeching at night.
Defecates profusely causing visual blight, a
slipping hazard and an unpleasant odor.
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Groups Opposed to Tree Removal

• Audubon Society
• Western Field Ornithologists
• Sierra Club
• Heal the Bay
• Friends of the Los Angeles River

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Regulatory Groups

• California Fish and Game
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• California Coastal Commission

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Laws Protecting the Birds

• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
• Categorically exempt, repair, maintenance or
  alteration to existing highway, street or
  sidewalk.

California Coastal Act Defines Environmentally
Sensitive Habitat Area (ESHA)
Migratory Bird Treaty Act Prohibits the (taking)
of nests and prohibits the removal of birds and
eggs from nests. All birds are protected except
Pigeons, Starlings and English Sparrow by the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
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Case Study Hyde Park Sidewalk Repair Program
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Before
After
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Conclusions

• Protect your Citys investment in its Urban
  Forest.

Redesign sidewalks with trees in mind.
Trees and sidewalks can coexist!
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For Further Information
Western Arborist Fall 2003 Edition
Expanding Street Tree Canopy
Cover and Repairing Sidewalks in the City of
Los Angeles (E.
Gregory McPherson, George Gonzalez,
Greg Monfette, and Ronald Lorenzen)
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For Further Information
WCISA Publication A Compendium of
Strategies to Reduce Hardscape Damage from Tree
Roots (Costello and Jones, 2003)
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Presented By
George Gonzalez, Chief Forester 600 South Spring
Street, 10th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90014 (213)
485-5675 Email ggonzale_at_bss.lacity.org Website
www.lacity.org/boss/StreetTree