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I DO WANT TO WELCOME EVERYBODY, UM, TELL[Parks, Trails & Environment Committee on September 3, 2024.]
YOU GOOD MORNING AND, UM, CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER AT 9 0 7.AND OUR FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS, AS ALWAYS IS TO APPROVE OUR PAST MINUTES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? FOR APPROVAL? SECOND.
LET ME JUST TAKE A MINUTE TO GIVE SOME CONTEXT FOR OUR MEETING TODAY.
OVER THE PAST YEAR, I HAVE SEEN AREAS OF OVERLAP BETWEEN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AND OEQS.
ONE OF THOSE AREAS IS OUR TREES.
THEY'RE IMPORTANT TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR PARKS, AND THEY'RE ALSO PROVIDING NECESSARY HELP IN BOTH COOLING OUR HEAT ISLANDS AND CLEANING OUR AIR.
MY FAMILY AND I LIVED FOR 20 YEARS, JUST HALF A BLOCK FROM FLAGPOLE HILL, AND WE NOTICED WHEN COMING HOME FROM WORK DURING THE SUMMER, WE COULD SEE THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE ON OUR CAR.
YOU KNOW, THERMOMETER DROPPED THREE TO FIVE DEGREES ONCE WE TURNED OFF NORTHWEST HIGHWAY ONTO THE LAU AND INTO WHAT WAS THE FLAG POOL, WHAT I CONSIDER THE FLAG POOL HILL PARK.
WE UNDERSTOOD, BEGAN TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF TREES FOR COOLING OUR ENVIRONMENT.
SO WE HAVE A LITTLE DIFFERENT APPROACH TODAY WITH OUR PRESENTATIONS.
ITEMS A, B, AND C WILL BE PRESENTED TOGETHER IN A PANEL FORMAT.
MY HOPE IS THAT WE WILL SEE HOW THESE AREAS OVERLAP AND PERHAPS GAIN SOME INSIGHT INTO WHAT WE AS COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN DO TO SUPPORT WORK IN THIS AREA.
SO I BELIEVE THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IS SCHEDULED TO BE OUR PRESENT, OUR FIRST PRESENTATION.
AND SO I WILL, UH, TURN IT OVER TO OUR ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATORS, AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE PRESENTING ON SOME URBAN HEAT STU STUDY RESULTS PERHAPS FROM BOTH AUGUST OF 23.
AND MAYBE WE DO HAVE SOME OF THE RESULTS FROM AUGUST OF 24.
I KNOW WE WERE CUTTING IT CLOSE THERE IN TIMING.
WELL, MORNING CHAIR STEWART AND MEMBERS OF THE PARK TRAILS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE.
I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL COORDINATOR THREE IN THE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY.
I AM FILLING IN FOR, UH,
AND THEN WITH ME IS MARI FIGI, UH, COORDINATOR, UH, CLIMATE COORDINATOR TWO.
TODAY WE WILL BE PROVIDING A BRIEFING ON THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND STUDY THAT OCCURRED IN 2023 AND 2024.
DURING THIS BRIEFING, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND STUDY.
RECAP THE 2023 STUDY, GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIELD ACTIVITIES OF THE 2024 STUDY AND TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.
THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY IS TO IDENTIFY, UH, WITH DATA HOTSPOTS IN OUR CITY, SEEK EQUITABLE WAYS TO IMPLEMENT COOLING SOLUTIONS ACROSS THE CITY.
LOOK AT WAYS TO TAKE ACTION TO REDUCE HEAT.
LOOK AT WAYS TO TAKE ACTIONS TO REDUCE THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF EXTREME HEAT, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR MOST VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND TO PREPARE FOR FUTURE EXTREME HEAT EVENTS.
THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND STUDY HELPS MEET THREE GOALS OF THE CCAP GOAL SIX, TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE OUR ECOSYSTEMS. GOAL SEVEN, TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH AND ALLEVIATE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.
AND GOAL EIGHT, THAT ALL OF DALLAS CAN BREATHE CLEAN AIR.
IN 2023, OEQS APPLIED FOR A GRANT WITH, UH, THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION TO BE PART OF THE 2023 URBAN HEAT ISLAND CO COHORT.
WE WERE AWARDED A GRANT TO MAP 103 SQUARE MILES OF THE CITY.
KAPPA STRATEGIES PROVIDED THE EQUIPMENT THAT COLLECTED THE DATA, AND ALSO CONDUCTED THE DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELING ON AUGUST 5TH, 2023.
SEPARATE ROUTES WERE DRIVEN THROUGHOUT THE STUDY AREA INDICATED ON THE MAP.
EACH ROUTE WAS DRIVEN BETWEEN SIX AND 7:00 AM THEN AGAIN BETWEEN 3:00 PM AND 4:00 PM AND LASTLY, BETWEEN 7:00 PM AND 8:00 PM SENSORS WERE ATTACHED TO CARS DRIVING EACH ROUTE, WHICH COLLECTED AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY, TIME, LOCATION, AND HEAT INDEX DATA.
THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY SHOWED THAT, UM, THE HOTTEST AREAS, UH, IN 2023.
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HERE YOU CAN SEE ON, ON THIS MAP, I'M SORRY, THAT, UM, SHOWS THE HOTTEST, UH, AREAS, UH, AND THOSE RIGHT THERE HAVE FULL-TIME, UH, DAYTIME EXPOSURE.THE RESULT OF A STUDY SHOWED THAT THE HOTTEST AREAS IN 2023 WERE LEFT FIELD UPTOWN, OAK LAWN, DOWNTOWN, DEEP EL, THE DESIGN DISTRICT, AND THE STEMMONS MARKET CENTER AREA, AS WELL AS THE MEDICAL DISTRICT, WEST DALLAS AND BISHOP ARTS, WHICH HAVE COMMUNITIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCERNS.
THE STUDY ALSO SHOWS, UH, THAT HOMOGENEOUS BUILDING LAYOUTS OF INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL AREAS CONCENTRATE HEAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
NEIGHBORHOODS WITH MATURE TREES REDUCE A PERSON'S EXPOSURE, UH, TO HIGH TEMPERATURES AND LARGE NATURAL AREAS SUCH AS THE GREAT TRINITY FOREST PLAY.
AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO KEEP OUR REGION COOL THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
AN INTERACTIVE MAP OF A STUDY CAN BE FOUND ON DALLAS CLIMATE ACTION.COM, WHERE ONE CAN CHOOSE TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT MAP LAYERS, DEPENDING IF THEY'RE INTERESTED IN TEMPERATURE DATA OR THE HEAT INDEX OR HUMIDITY DATA FOR THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
IN 2024, WE AGAIN PARTNERED WITH KAPPA STRATEGIES TO CONDUCT THE HEAT ISLAND STUDY ON THE 245 SQUARE MILES, NOT COVERED IN THE 2023 STUDY ON AUGUST 10TH, 21.
ROUTES WERE DRIVEN THROUGHOUT THIS AREA'S, UH, THIS YEAR'S STUDY AREA.
I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO MARI FIGI, UH, TO GIVE THE SUMMARY OF THIS YEAR'S URBAN HEAT ISLAND STUDY.
SO, UM, LIKE FREDDY SAID, ON AUGUST 10TH, WE COMPLETED THE SECOND PART OF THE STUDY AND VOLUNTEERS DID THE SAME THING THEY DID IN AUGUST, 2023, WHICH IS TO DRIVE PRE-DESIGNED ROUTES THREE TIMES A DAY FROM SIX TO 7:00 AM THREE TO 4:00 PM AND SEVEN TO 8:00 PM AND WHAT THEIR SENSORS MEASURED WAS AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE, HUMIDITY TIME, LOCATION BY GPS COORDINATES AND HEAT INDEX.
AND THIS WAS MEASURED EVERY SECOND FOR THE HOUR THAT WAS DRIVEN.
SO ON THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE AN IMAGE OF A ROUTE THAT WAS DESIGNED.
IT COVERS ABOUT 20 MILES AND IT TAKES ABOUT AN HOUR TO DRIVE.
AND IN THE MIDDLE YOU CAN SEE TWO VOLUNTEERS THAT PARTICIPATED BOTH IN 2023 AND 2024.
THEIR NAMES ARE RUSS AND STEPH FRIZZLE.
AND ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE SENSOR MOUNTED ON THE CAR.
SO THE TOP IS THE HEAD OF THE SENSOR, AND THAT IS WHAT MEASURES AND COLLECTS THE DATA.
WE PARTNERED WITH TWO ORGANIZATIONS FOR THIS STUDY.
FIRST IS THE TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION, AND THE SECOND IS THE SIERRA CLUB.
SO THE TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION, THEY HAD ABOUT 30 VOLUNTEERS THAT COLLECTED SURFACE TEMPERATURE READINGS.
SO THIS WAS DIFFERENT THAN OUR AMBIENT AIR DATA.
AND THEY COLLECTED READINGS ON PERMEABLE AND NONPERMEABLE SURFACES, INCLUDING DIFFERENT MATERIALS LIKE WOOD, CONCRETE, AND METALS.
AND, UM, THEY HAVE PRESENTED SOME INITIAL FINDINGS, BUT SINCE THE DATA WAS JUST COLLECTED A FEW WEEKS AGO, UH, WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE FULL SET OF DATA AND ANALYSIS, BUT THEY HAVE SHARED THAT THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED WAS 150 DEGREES, ABOUT 150 DEGREES, AND THEIR DATA WAS COLLECTED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL DISTRICT AREA, WHITE ROCK, LAKE FAIR PARK, OAKLAND CEMETERY.
AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE AREAS THAT WE COVERED IN THE 2023 STUDY.
SO WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO COMPARE SOME OF THAT DATA BETWEEN AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AND UH, SURFACE TEMPERATURE DATA.
SO THEY MEASURED THIS WITH AN INFRARED DIGITAL THERMOMETER.
OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SIERRA CLUB IN DALLAS WAS THAT THEY DONATED $10 GIFT CARDS TO ALL VOLUN VOLUNTEERS EXCEPT CITY STAFF.
AND THIS WAS JUST AN INCENTIVE AND A THANK YOU MEASURE TO OUR VOLUNTEERS THAT HELPED OUT, WHICH WERE ABOUT A HUNDRED PEOPLE.
OUR NEXT STEPS OF PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION INCLUDE, UM, SHARING THE DATA.
SO THE DATA WILL BE AVAILABLE ABOUT 12 WEEKS FROM OUR STUDY DATE.
ALSO, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE EFFORTS.
SO WE USE THE EJ SCREEN TOOL TO IDENTIFY POINTS OF INTEREST TO DESIGN THE ROUTES, AND WE'RE HOPING THAT, UM, THIS DATA CAN ADD A LAYER TO THE EJ CONCERNS WITH, UM, BY IDENTIFYING HEAT EXPOSURE OF COMMUNITIES WEATHERIZATION TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY OF HOMES.
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LESS IMPACTS OF HEAT IN THOSE HOMES WITH URBANIZATION OR WITH WEATHERIZATION.WE'RE ALSO PART OF THE SMART SURFACES COALITION, UH, TO TRANSFORM URBAN SURFACES.
AND ONE EXAMPLE IS A COOL PAVEMENT PILOT PROJECT BY PUBLIC WORKS.
RECENTLY, WE ALSO HOPE TO IMPLEMENT A TREE PLANTING STRATEGY BY WORKING WITH THE TE TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION'S TREE EQUITY PLANTING MAP.
WE WOULD ALSO LIKE TO DEVELOP A HEAT ACTION PLAN WITH THE OFFICE OF, UH, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT BY IDENTIFYING COOLING SHELTERS FOR HIGH RISK GROUPS.
DEVELOP RESPONSE STRATEGIES TO HEAT PUBLIC AWARENESS, EXTREME HEAT PROTOCOLS FOR THE CITY, INCREASE RESILIENCE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS.
WE ALSO HAVE A JURISDICTIONAL SCAN PLAN FOR 2024, WHICH WILL ANALYZE ABOUT 30 DOCUMENTS THAT THE CITY HAS, INCLUDING THE CCAP URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN, STREET DESIGN MANUALS FOR DALLAS PLAN, RACIAL EQUITY PLAN, AND OTHERS.
AND SO WHAT THIS DOES IS SUM, UH, SUMMARIZE THE PLANS, CODES, POLICIES, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELEVANT TO HEAT RELATED PREPAREDNESS, MITIGATION, AND ADAPTATION.
AND THIS JURISDICTIONAL SCAN WILL SUMMARIZE GAPS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE BASE SOLUTIONS OF THE SCAN.
I'LL HAND IT OVER TO TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION.
UM, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE PRESENTATION ON URBAN HEAT TREE EQUITY AND A PROGRAM OVERVIEW FROM TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE JEANETTE MORES, UM, PRESIDENT AND CEO AS WELL AS ALYSSA IS MELIN CHIEF STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS OFFICER.
WANTED TO MAKE SURE I GOT YOUR TITLES CORRECT.
UH, WE ARE SO GLAD YOU GUYS ARE HERE TODAY AND WE WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
THANK YOU FOR INVITING US AT THE TABLE.
ALTHOUGH WE'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS SINCE 1982.
IF YOU REMEMBER, WE WERE THE DALLAS PARKS FOUNDATION WHEN WE WERE FOUNDED BY ROBERT DECKARD AND TRAMMELL CROW.
SO WE'VE BEEN INVESTING IN THE CITY OF DALLAS FOR MANY YEARS.
UM, AND THE MISSION IS REALLY TO PRESERVE AND BEAUTIFY NOT JUST JUST THE THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS, BUT ALL OF THE CITY OF DALLAS AS WE'RE WORKING.
WE ALSO, AS WE WERE TWO SLIDES PLEASE.
AS WE DO OUR WORK IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, WE REALLY SHARE OUR GOALS WITH YOU.
WE LOOK AT ALL OF THE ORDINANCES, WE LOOK AT ALL OF THE POLICIES.
WE LOOK AT ALL OF WHAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY OF DALLAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALIGNING THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING IN THE CITY, UM, WITH THE WORK, UM, THAT YOU'RE DOING NEXT.
I THINK ALSO ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER IS THAT WHEN WE LAUNCHED THIS STATE OF THE DALLAS URBAN FORESTRY REPORT IN 2015, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW WAS THAT, UM, THERE WAS DALLAS WAS AN URBAN HEAT ISLAND, WHICH LED US TO, TO DO THE SECOND IN THE COUNTRY, URBAN HEAT ISLAND STUDIES.
UM, WE DID IT WITH GEORGIA TECH.
SO THAT IS STILL RELEVANT STUDY OF AROUND THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND, AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN THAT, UM, YES, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN TO REDO IT THIS YEAR, UH, TO SEE WHAT THE CHANGES ARE.
BUT IT DID TELL US THAT AT THE TIME, THE CITY OF DALLAS WAS THE SECOND HOTTEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY NEXT TO PHOENIX AND PHOENIX CAME TO DALLAS TO VISIT WITH US AND TOOK OUR, OUR, OUR PROGRAMS BACK TO, TO PHOENIX AND HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTING PROGRAMS THERE.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF SYMBIOTIC IN WORKING WITH THEM.
NEXT STEP, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THE WORK WE DO, BECAUSE URBAN HEAT IS SO PREVALENT IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, IS ALL OUR WORK IS AROUND TREES AND HUMAN HEALTH BENEFITS.
IF YOU GET TREES AND HUMAN HEALTH BENEFITS, RIGHT, YOU'LL GET THE ECONOMIC BENEFITS, YOU'LL GET THE SOCIAL BENEFITS, YOU'LL GET THE ENVIRONMENTAL, YOU'LL GET ALL OF THE BENEFITS, RIGHT? BUT WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO WHAT WE LOOK AT IS WE LOOK AT HOW THE, THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING BRINGS DOWN THE, THE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS, CORTISOL LEVELS.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND HEALTH FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS? NEXT SLIDE.
THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND IN DALLAS
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IS, IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THROUGH ONE OF OUR PROGRAMS THIS SUMMER OR THE LAST TWO YEARS.AND THANKS TO, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, MORENO, UM, THE SOUTHWEST MEDICAL DISTRICT HAS BEEN DOING STUDIES AROUND URBAN HEAT.
AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WHAT WE'RE FINDING IN TERMS OF AMBIENT HEAT VERSUS SURFACE HEAT.
THERE IS A DIFFERENCE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A 2-YEAR-OLD WALKING ALONG THE STREET AS OPPOSED TO A SIX FOOT TALL FATHER.
AND SO WE WERE DELIGHTED, UH, TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THIS SUMMER TO WORK WITH OEQS, UM, ON THEIR STUDY AS MARITZA DESCRIBED.
AND REALLY, UM, WHAT YOU SEE IS EXACTLY WHAT JEANETTE IS DESCRIBING, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SURFACE TEMPERATURES AND AIR TEMPERATURES.
AND SO THE WORK THAT WE DID REALLY COMPLIMENTED, UH, THE CITY'S WORK IN STUDYING AIR TEMPERATURES.
SO I'LL QUICKLY TALK THROUGH THIS GRAPH FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT STATISTICALLY INCLINED.
UH, THE BLUE DOTS ON THE GRAPH ARE OF SHADED SURFACES.
SO SURFACE TEMPERATURES AT SHADED SURFACES AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY.
UH, THE RED DOTS OF THE GRAPH ARE ON UNSHADED SURFACES.
AND SO WHAT WE SEE IS A HUGE SPIKE IN HEAT ON THE UN SHADED SURFACES IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON, JUST LIKE YOU MIGHT EXPECT IF YOU WERE WALKING ACROSS THE CITY HALL PARKING LOT IN THE AFTERNOON.
UH, AND THAT'S THAT 150 DEGREE TEMPERATURE SPIKE THAT, UH, THAT MARITZA DESCRIBED.
BUT WHAT'S FASCINATING IS THAT ACROSS THE DAY, EVEN WHEN YOU AVERAGE OUT TEMPERATURES EARLY EVENING OR EARLY MORNING AND LATE IN THE EVENING, THERE'S A 13 DEGREE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE SHADED SURFACES AND THE UNSHADED SURFACES.
AND SO THIS IS REALLY INDICATING ONE OF THE MAJOR BENEFITS OF TREES AND PROVIDING SHADE AND COOLING OUR ENVIRONMENT.
SO WITH THIS Y IN MIND, UH, WE'LL TRANSITION TO THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING TO BRING THE BENEFITS OF TREES TO DALLAS.
AND THIS IS A, UH, A VISUALIZATION OF OUR PROGRAM PORTFOLIO, WHICH REALLY LOOKS AT HOW WE CONNECT PEOPLE, EVERYDAY PEOPLE, TO THE BENEFITS THAT TREES PROVIDE.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THIS SPECTRUM, YOU'LL SEE, UH, PROGRAMS THAT ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON TRAINING INDIVIDUALS IN THE CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF THE URBAN FOREST.
AND ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, WE SEE PROGRAMS THAT ARE FOCUSED ON TRANSFORMING PLACES THROUGH TREES AND NATURE TO BE HEALTHIER FOR PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES.
SO WE'LL FOCUS ON THOSE FOR THE REST OF THE PRESENTATION.
BUT JUST A QUICK MENTION OF TWO PROGRAMS ON THE LEFT.
UM, FIRST, OUR WORKFORCE PROGRAM, WHICH WE LAUNCHED IN EARNEST THIS YEAR, UH, WHICH TAKES OUT OF WORK ADULTS OR ADULTS FACING BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINS THEM IN GREEN CAREERS, LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE AND OUR BORA CULTURE.
THESE ARE VERY IN DEMAND, UM, WELL-PAYING POSITIONS, AND WE ARE FACING A HUGE GAP IN THESE CAPABILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE'RE SO EXCITED TO BE WORKING WITH CITY STAFF TO LOOK AT HOW THIS PROGRAM, THIS TRAINING WE HAVE, CAN BEGIN TO FILL SOME OF THE FRONTLINE, UH, WORKFORCE NEEDS WITHIN THE CITY OVER TIME.
UH, MOVING ON TO OUR CONSULTING PROGRAM, JUST ONE TO THE RIGHT.
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, AS JEANETTE DESCRIBED, IS ROOTED IN RESEARCH AND PLANNING, AND THAT REALLY DIRECTS WHERE TREE PLANTING AND WHERE OUR ACTIVITIES WILL HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT, UM, THE GREATEST HEALTH BENEFITS TO COMMUNITIES.
SO YOU'LL HEAR FROM THE CITY LEADERSHIP TEAM IN A MOMENT ABOUT THE STATE OF THE URBAN FOREST, UH, REPORT THAT WE DID IN 2015, BUT ALSO THE URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN COMPLETED IN 2021.
AND THIS IS THE TEAM LEADING IT.
AND WE'RE NOW DELIGHTED TO BE WORKING ACROSS THE STATE IN 64 COMMUNITIES THAT ARE ALL CLIMATE JUSTICE COMMUNITIES, UM, HELPING EACH OF THEM FIGURE OUT WHERE TO PLANT TREES FOR THE HIGHEST HEALTH IMPACT FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES.
YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND SO WE'RE OF COURSE BEST KNOWN FOR OUR COMMUNITY-BASED VOLUNTEER TREE PLANTINGS.
IF ANY OF YOU HAVE BEEN OUT TO VISIT WITH US ON A WEEKEND, THAT'S PROBABLY WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
UH, LIKE THESE FOLKS HERE ON THE LEFT, THEY'RE A LOT OF FUN.
SO I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.
UM, SINCE 2022, THE APPROACH THAT HAS UNDERPINNED THESE PLANTINGS IS OUR TREE EQUITY PLANTING MAP, WHICH I HAVE HERE, BUT IS ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, AND THIS LOOKS AT A COMBINATION OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY TO SHOW WHERE PLANTING TREES IS GONNA HAVE THAT HIGHEST HEALTH IMPACT.
UM, WE USE THIS ANALYSIS IN COMBINATION WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO SELECT OUR PLANTING SITES THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE MAP ON THE RIGHT, WE DO PLANT TREES AND INVEST IN EVERY DISTRICT THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, A COUPLE THINGS I'LL POINT OUT ON THIS MAP.
SO FIRST, THE FILLED GREEN DOTS, IF YOU SQUINT, UH, THOSE ARE RECENTLY COMPLETED PROJECTS WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE PLANTED 620 SOMETHING TREES ALREADY THIS YEAR WITH MORE TO COME THIS FALL.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE HOLLOWED OUT DOTS, UM, THESE ARE OUR PLANNED PLANTING LOCATIONS FOR THE FALL OF 2024 AND SPRING OF 2025.
AND IF YOU KNOW A SITE THAT NEEDS TREES THAT'S NOT ON THIS MAP, PLEASE COME TALK TO US.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE'RE HERE.
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UM, SO BOTH JEANETTE AND I WILL BE AVAILABLE AND OUR CONTACT INFORMATION IS ON OUR WEBSITE.AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE HOLLOW DOTS THAT LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE A LION'S MANE OR A SUN'S RAISE, UH, THAT IS THE BRANCHING OUT PROGRAM THAT IS LED BY THE CITY OF DALLAS AND WHICH WE PROUDLY SUPPORT.
UM, AND SO THOSE, UH, PLANTING PROJECTS IN CITY PARKS ARE ALSO TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, TOGETHER, THE IMPACT OF ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS IS THOUSANDS OF TREES A YEAR, RIGHT? MEETING THE CITY'S CCAP GOALS OR BEGINNING TO MEET THE CITY'S CCAP GOALS.
UM, SO JEANETTE, AND I'LL NOW TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO TALK ABOUT, UM, SOME OF OUR MORE CAPITAL INTENSIVE PROGRAMS THAT ARE REALLY DIRECTLY FOCUSED ON URBAN HEAT.
UH, THE FIRST OF THESE IS OUR COOL SCHOOLS PROGRAM, WHICH IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN TEXAS TREES, THE CITY OF DALLAS AND DISD.
UM, THIS COLLABORATION WAS REALLY DRIVEN BY URBAN HEAT, NOTICING THAT, UM, IN OUR URBAN HEAT STUDY IN 2015 SCHOOL CAMPUSES WERE AMONG THE HOTTEST AND MOST TREELESS PLACES IN OUR CITY WITH AN AVERAGE CANOPY COVER OF ABOUT 7%, WHEREAS THE CITY IS LOOKING TO GET TO 32% OR MORE.
AND SO ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THIS IS WHERE OUR CHILDREN ARE SPENDING THEIR TIME IN THE HEAT, UH, WE WORK TOGETHER TO TRANSFORM 25 SCHOOL CAMPUSES.
TO DATE, WE HAVE FIVE MORE THAT WILL OPEN THIS YEAR, AND, UM, ANOTHER 15 IN THE WORKS.
AND SO FOR EACH OF THESE CAMPUSES, WHAT WE ARE PROVIDING IS ENVIRONMENTAL LEARNING FOR ALL OF THE STUDENTS, UH, REALLY GEARED AT TREES AND URBAN FORESTRY, UM, TREE PLANTINGS OF A HUNDRED OR MORE TREES LOOKING TO GET THE CANOPY AT EACH SCHOOL NORTH OF 30% SO THAT THERE'S HEALTHY SHADE FOR CHILDREN TO PLAY IN.
AND THEN FINALLY, UH, CAMPUS TRANSFORMATION WORKING WITH PARKS, UM, TO CREATE PUBLIC PARKS AND PLAY SPACES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE TO THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.
AND AS OF NOW, THE 25 SCHOOLS COMPLETED SERVE 110,000 RESIDENTS WITHIN A 10 MINUTE WALK.
SO THIS IS REALLY HELPING THE CITY MEET ITS PARK SCHOOL GOALS.
UM, THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM THAT HAS OUTSIZED HEALTH AND LEARNING IMPACTS FOR THE TREES PLANTED BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT'S TARGETED RIGHT TO THESE HIGH NEED POPULATIONS AND IN PLACES THAT ARE GETTING A LOT OF USE.
UM, NEXT TALK ABOUT OUR SOUTH DALLAS GREENING INITIATIVE.
THIS IS, UH, A STRATEGIC HOLISTIC EFFORT, UM, TO IMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN SOUTH DALLAS AND ITS ADJACENT COMMUNITIES, SO INCLUDING MILL CITY, QUEEN CITY, UH, FAIR PARK, UM, JUBILEE AND OTHER ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, THIS STRATEGY REALLY LOOKS AT, UH, ADDRESSING THE URBAN HEAT ISLAND AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH FACTORS IN THESE NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGH TREES.
AND SO IT'S A FIVE YEAR EFFORT TO INCREASE THE TREE CANOPY FROM 14% TODAY TO MORE THAN TWICE THAT 37%.
UM, IT'S SUPPORTED BY, UH, THE US FOREST SERVICE THROUGH AN IRA GRANT, WHICH MEANS NO COST TO THE CITY, UM, IN OUR ABILITY TO BRING THOUSANDS OF NEW TREES TO THIS COMMUNITY.
WE ARE IN THE VERY EARLY STAGES OF THIS PROJECT, LIKE FEW MONTHS, UH, INTO FIVE YEARS.
AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO WORK TOGETHER, UM, COLLABORATING TO ALIGN CITY OF DALLAS ACTIVITIES, TEXAS TREES, ACTIVITIES, AND COMMUNITY NEEDS AND DIRECTION SO THAT THESE TREES CAN HAVE THE HIGHEST IMPACT.
THIS IS THE ABOUT THE SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL DISTRICT.
AND, UH, TO PUT IN CONTEXT, TAKE A LOOK AT THE MAP THERE.
AND THE LIGHT GRAY IS URBAN HEAT THAT'S TELLING YOU THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST AREAS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IT'S A BOOKEND BY LOVE FIELD IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS.
SOUTHWEST MEDICAL DISTRICT HAS THREE ADJACENT COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY ARLINGTON PARK, WHICH WE'VE MADE OVER A HALF A MILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT IN OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS.
THIS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL DISTRICT IS THE SECOND HIGHEST EMPLOYMENT AREA IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
IT'S ONE OF THE HOTTEST IN AND UNHEALTHIEST AREAS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS BEYOND THE FOOTPRINT OF THE BUILDINGS.
UM, THERE ARE ACTUALLY 42,000 EMPLOYEES NOW IN THIS AREA, AND WE'RE WORKING, UM, ALONG THIS AREA.
IN 2016, IF YOU REMEMBER, WE DID A MASTER PLAN FOR THE AREA.
THE CITY, UM, HAS BEEN WORKING WITH US NOW TO, UH, CONTINUE TO LOOK AT ONE OF THE SECTIONS OF THE AREA IN THE DISTRICT TO MAKE IT COOLER, GREENER, CLEANER, AND HEALTHIER.
THIS IS A PROJECT THAT, UM, THERE IS NONE BEING DONE THAT WE KNOW OF LIKE THIS ONE, IT'S BASED IN ONE HEALTH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, THE PHYSICAL HEALTH, THE SOCIAL HEALTH, AND THE MENTAL WELLBEING OF PEOPLE THAT USE THE DISTRICT.
AND IT IS A MODEL THAT WE ARE SHARING ACROSS THE WORLD.
WE JUST PRESENTED THIS PRESENT, UH, THIS MODEL
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AT A, A CONFERENCE, AN INTERNATIONAL CONFIDENT CONFERENCE IN AUSTRALIA.AND WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF INTEREST AND A LOT OF, UM, OF QUESTIONS ABOUT THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING BECAUSE IT'S PINNED IN, IN RESEARCH AROUND URBAN HEAT.
AND THE URBAN HEAT IN THIS AREA, AS IN OTHER AREAS AROUND THE CITY OF DALLAS, IS INSTRUMENTAL IN OFFSETTING, UM, SOME OF THE GOOD THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN TERMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL DISTRICT, YOU'VE ALL BEEN DOWN HARRY HINES, IT'S PRETTY BLEAK AND IT'S DANGEROUS.
AND IF WE'RE LOOKING AT URBAN HEAT, THIS IS NOT WHAT WE ARE WANTING TO SEE.
SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFORMING THIS DISTRICT WITH, UH, FIELD OPERATIONS.
UH, THEY DID THE NEW YORK HIGH LINE AND THEY, UH, EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE DOING, WE'RE DOING BASED IN RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE-BASED DESIGN.
THE RESEARCH IS COMING FROM PHA, WHICH IS A COMPANY OUT OF, UM, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, AND THEY'VE BEEN WORKING IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY AS WELL.
THE RESEARCH THAT WE'RE FINDING HERE IS, IS, IS GETS DOWN TO NOT JUST URBAN HEAT, BUT HOW URBAN HEAT EXACERBATES PARTICULATE MATTER AND HOW THE WIND THAT ACTUALLY GOES THROUGH THIS DISTRICT AND THROUGH THE AREAS THAT WE'RE, UH, DESIGNING AFFECTS, UM, THE URBAN HEAT IMPACT ON HEALTH AND HUMANS.
UM, THE SOUTHWEST MEDICAL DISTRICT, WE FOCUSED ON HARRY HINES, WHICH IS FROM MARKET CENTER BOULEVARD ALL THE WAY TO MOCKINGBIRD.
UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS THE INTERSECTION OF HARRY HINES AND INWOOD, UH, WILL BE A NEW PARK.
IT IS NOT A, UH, A PARK THAT IS GOING TO BE AN ACTIVATED PARK LIKE, UH, LIKE CLYDE WARREN OR EVEN SOUTHERN GATEWAY.
IT IS A HEALTH AND HEALING PARK WHERE THE HOSPITALS CAN BRING OUT THERAPY AND, UH, DOCTORS CAN BRING OUT INTERNS TO, TO DO TEACHING IN THERE.
IT IS A PARK THAT IS GOING TO BE QUIET.
AND WHAT I ASKED WHEN WE WERE DESIGNING THE PARK IS THAT IF SOMEBODY COMES OUT OF THE BUILDING AND THEY'VE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH THE TERMINAL ILLNESS, WHERE SHOULD THEY LAND? AND IF THEY COME OUT OF THE BUILDING AND THEY'VE BEEN CLEARED OF ALL OF THEIR TERMINAL ILLNESS, WHERE SHOULD THEY LAND? AND IT SHOULD BE IN A PLACE WITH NATURE AND NATURE BRINGS HEALING.
AND, AND THIS WAS, THIS WAS PERSONAL BECAUSE WHEN I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, UH, BREAST CANCER, I WALKED OUT INTO A PARKING LOT AND I WAS DISORIENTED AND I WAS CONFUSED.
NOBODY SHOULD WALK OUT INTO ANYTHING BUT NATURE WHEN THEY NEED HEALING.
THE PARK IS THE BIGGEST PART OF THE PROJECT, AND IT IS, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS IS WHAT'S THERE NOW.
UM, IT HAS A BRIDGE THAT GOES OVER INWOOD AND, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE CONNECTOR, THE UT SOUTHWESTERN CONNECTOR.
UM, AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CAPPING OVER THIS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, TO MAKE A 10 ACRE PARK.
UM, THIS PARK IS GOING TO HAVE MORE THAN THE, THIS PROJECT IS GONNA HAVE MORE THAN 3,500 TREES CLOSE TO, COULD BE CLOSE TO 6,000 TREES.
IT'LL DEPEND UPON THE FINAL DESIGN THAT WE CHOOSE.
BUT THIS IS ALL AROUND, IT'S CONNECTED TO O'DONNELL GROVE AND IT'S CONNECTED TO THE BIRD SANCTUARY.
SO THIS IS THE KIND OF CONNECTIVITY THAT YOU GET THAT BRINGS DOWN AMBIENT AIR AS WELL AS THE SHADING FOR, UM, THE, UM, THE STREETSCAPE.
I BELIEVE THAT THE PARK IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BUT I THINK THAT STREETSCAPE IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF URBAN HEAT AND HOW WE MITIGATE THAT IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
THIS IS HOW THE PARK WILL LOOK WHEN WE'RE FINISHED.
UM, IT WILL, UM, THE, THE CONNECTOR WILL BE MOVED, UM, AND IT WILL HAVE SECTIONS THAT ARE IN, UM, THE PARK ITSELF FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF USE.
SO THE, THE MEDICAL DISTRICT TO ME IS A BIG DISTRICT, IS A BIG PROJECT.
WE WILL GO TO PHASE ONE AT THE BEGINNING OF 2026, WHICH IS FROM BUTLER STREET DOWN TO MARKET CENTER BOULEVARD.
AND THE SECOND PHASE WILL BE THE PARK, WHICH WILL COME RIGHT AFTER THAT.
[00:30:01]
DOVETAILS INTO THE NEW CHILDREN'S PROJECT, THE NEW CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL THAT IS BEING BUILT.AND IT WILL TRANS, THIS WHOLE PROJECT WILL TRANSFORM THE MEDICAL DISTRICT FROM GREEN, FROM GRADE TO GREEN.
AND, UM, IT WILL BRING HEALTH AND HEALING TO THE, THE PEOPLE THAT USE THIS DISTRICT.
AND SO WE'LL JUST CLOSE REALLY QUICKLY WITH, YOU KNOW, TRANSFORMATION AT THIS SCALE IS REALLY ONLY POSSIBLE, UM, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY.
AND SO THANKS TO EACH OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND STAFF WHO ARE HERE TODAY IN MAKING THIS POSSIBLE.
UM, EACH OF THE MAJOR PROJECTS THAT WE DESCRIBED, UH, REQUIRES ITS OWN APPROACH TO COLLABORATION.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE PARK THAT JEANETTE DESCRIBED REQUIRES PARK DEDICATION AND COLLABORATION WITH THE PARKS TEAM AND PARK BOARD.
UM, WE ALSO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A PART OF THIS CONVERSATION ON HOW WE MEET THIS MOMENT, WORKING TOGETHER, UH, TO ADDRESS URBAN HEAT AND HOW EACH OF OUR EFFORTS LINE UP, UM, TOWARDS THE CITY'S BEST INTEREST AND NEED.
AND SO WITH THAT, WE WILL PASS TO THE PARKS TEAM.
SO NOW WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UM, MS. RENEE JOHNSON HAS GOT HER PRESENTATION.
AND LET ME MAKE SURE I'VE GOT THIS RIGHT.
UH, IT'S THE BIANNUAL URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
WELL, I'LL LET YOU MAYBE INTRODUCE YOUR COLLEAGUES THERE AND JUMP IN.
GOOD MORNING, MADAM CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
I HAVE MY COLLEAGUES, TINA RICHARDSON, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION, OR TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
I KNOW WE HAVE SOME NEW NAMES AROUND THE CITY.
AND I ALSO HAVE EDUARDO VALERIO, WHO IS, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH, UH, DALLAS WATER UTILITIES.
AND WE'RE HERE TO, UH, UPDATE YOU ON OUR MASTER PLAN URBAN FOREST EFFORTS.
UH, JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, I ALSO HAVE SOME VERY, SOME OTHER IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WHO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN ON A DAILY BASIS, AND THAT IS THE FORESTRY TECH TEAM.
THEY'RE ALL SITTING BEHIND US, AND IF YOU HAVE SOME HIGHLY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, THESE HIGHLY CREDENTIALED INDIVIDUALS WILL BE ANSWERING THOSE.
UH, SO JUST TO GO OVER OUR AGENDA FOR TODAY, UM, WE WILL PROVIDE YOU SOME UPDATES AND WE'LL TELL YOU ABOUT UPCOMING EVENTS AND NEXT STEPS.
SO WHAT WE WILL LET YOU KNOW IS THAT OUR PROGRESS IS ALL INCLUSIVE.
UH, IT'S HOLISTIC IN THE WAY THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE HAVE SO MANY PARTNERS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, OF COURSE, UH, TEXAS TREES, BUT WE HAVE AN ARRAY OF PARTNERS, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, UH, THAT WE MEET WITH THAT WILL HELP US WITH OUR URBAN CANOPY.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED YOU TO KNOW HOW MANY GROUPS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, AND WE'RE GONNA COVER THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT.
SO, OUR MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS, OF COURSE, DO DALLAS WATER, PUBLIC WORKS, TRANSPORTATION, AND THEN THE PARK DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE WE MOSTLY MA UH, MANAGE AND MAINTAIN, UM, THE TREES IN PUBLIC AREAS.
AND SO WE'RE THE MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS, BUT WE ALSO WORK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE LISTED HERE BELOW, UH, WITH DALLAS FIRE AND FIRE PREVENTION AND ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
UH, WILDFIRES, UH, AVIATION, OEQ, OF COURSE, SANITATION.
SO THERE'S SO MANY GROUPS THAT ACTUALLY TOUCH, UH, THE CANOPY, UH, FOR OUR PUBLIC SPACES.
AND SO WE'VE TRIED TO CREATE A SPACE WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN GO AND SEE, UH, WHAT'S GOING ON WITH OUR URBAN CANOPY AND OUR MANAGEMENT.
SO WE HAVE THE WEBSITE OF THE CITY OF DALLAS PARTNERS, AND YOU CAN UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT'S, WHAT'S COMING UP, WHAT'S HAPPENING, UH, WITH THE CITY, WHAT WE'RE GETTING ACCOMPLISHED, UH, ON A DAILY BASIS.
SO OUR PUBLIC PARTNERS, UM, UH, THESE INDIVIDUALS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
WE'RE INCONSISTENT COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AS IT RELATES TO ANNOUNCEMENTS.
OF COURSE, YOU'VE SEEN, UH, MEMOS THAT COME OUT TO COUNCIL, UH, THAT WE'RE PROVIDING INFORMATION AND UPDATES.
AND SO, UH, JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ALL KNEW, UH, SOME OF THE GROUPS, UH, THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, NORTH TEXAS COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, DALLAS COUNTY, UH, AND WHAT WE'RE HAVING THESE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS EVERY QUARTER.
A LOT OF THESE GROUPS ARE PROVIDING UPDATES AS TO WHAT'S HAPPENING.
SO THIS HELPS US WITH OUR COMMUNICATION, UH, AS IT RELATES TO THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH URBAN CAN, CANOPY AND CANOPIES ACROSS, UH, THE STATE.
SO OUR PUBLIC AND OUR NON-PROFIT PARTNERS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
AND JUST TO SEE A LIST OF THOSE.
THE TEXAS TREES FOUNDATION, OF COURSE, GREEN SPACE, THE LOOP.
AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE LOOP, UH, THE PARK DEPARTMENT, WE HAD A RECENT FIELD TRIP, UH, TO, UH, FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS.
AND SO WE WANTED TO SEE THIS, UH, BEAUTIFUL TRAIL UP THERE.
UH, WE WENT UP THERE AND WE REALLY WANNA CONCENTRATE AS WE CONTIN CONTINUE TO DESIGN, UH, THESE TRAILS, OF COURSE, OF WHICH THE COUNCIL IS DEFINITELY ALWAYS MAKING AN INVESTMENT IN HOW CAN
[00:35:01]
WE KEEP THEM COOL.SO WE WANNA CREATE SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS.
AND SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED, UH, WITH THE LOOP WHEN WE WENT ON THAT FIELD TRIP.
SO EVERYONE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN PARTNERSHIP, EVERYONE HAS A VESTED INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY, WE ARE KEEPING COOL SPACES AND CREATING COOL SPACES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
AND YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE PARTNERS AND WHAT THEIR MISSIONS ARE.
ALL OF THEM ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH, UH, WITH THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO WE HAVE A LOT TO COVER, OF COURSE, UM, THE CITY, UH, WE APPROXIMATELY MANAGE ABOUT 35,000 ACRES OF PUBLIC OPEN SPACE, WHICH IS REALLY WONDERFUL IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.
UM, WE HAVE DIRECT, YOU KNOW, OVERSIGHT.
UH, WE WORK ON, UH, PRE PRESERVATION AND MITIGATION EFFORTS, OF COURSE, AND THIS IS THAT WEBSITE THAT I WANTED TO MAKE SURE ALL OF YOU CAN U UTILIZE, AND PLEASE MAKE SURE TO PUSH IT OUT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS SO THAT THEY KNOW WHERE THEY CAN FIND OUT INFORMATION IN REGARD TO THE URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
SO, OUR FORESTRY TEAM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING AT STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT EFFORTS.
UH, OUR INVESTMENTS, UH, OF COURSE WE'RE COMING TO THE COUNCIL, UH, LATER THIS MONTH.
THE INVENTORY IS A MUST IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MANAGE OUR URBAN CANOPY.
AND SO WE'LL BE MAKING THAT REQUEST COMING UP SOON.
AND, AND TINA, THEY'LL TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THEN, OF COURSE, WITH ALL OF THESE GROUPS, ALL OF THESE CIVIC LEADERS, OUR GOAL IS TO ENGAGE RESIDENTS AND PRIVATE BUSINESSES AND PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS SO THAT THEY KNOW HOW THEY SHOULD MAKE INVESTMENTS AS WELL, UH, IN THE URBAN, UH, TREE SYSTEM IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO TINA RICHARDSON.
SHE'S GONNA TALK ABOUT OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE URBAN FORESTRY PLAN.
OUR FIRST RECOMMENDATION IS TO COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE TREE INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT OF ALL RIGHT OF WAY AND PARKWAY TREES.
WE, THIS IS AN ONGOING EFFORT, AND THROUGHOUT THE PRESENTATION YOU WILL SEE THAT SEVERAL OF THE ITEMS ARE ONGOING AND THEY, THEY ARE USUALLY COMPLETED IN, IN A YEAR ANNUALLY.
UPCOMING ACTIONS, UM, YOU WILL SEE A COUNCIL FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION, A FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT FOR INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT FOR PUBLIC TREES, WHICH IS FUNDED WITH, UH, OH, SORRY, FEDERAL GRANT, STORM WATER AND GENERAL FUND ALLOCATIONS NOT TO EXCEED $6.29 MILLION.
THIS TREE INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT IS A TOOL TO ADDRESS PUBLIC PROPERTY TREE COUNT AND CONDITION ASSESSMENT.
IT CREATES A WORK ORDER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO BETTER MANAGEMENT NEEDS OF THE URBAN CANOP TREE CANOPY.
MOST OF THESE TREES ARE THE ASH TREES, WHICH WERE INVENTORY FOR THE EAB ACTION PLAN, AND THOSE WERE INVENTORIED BY STAFF.
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER TWO IS THE CENTRALIZED THE CITY OF DALLAS URBAN FORESTRY PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES.
AND WE HAVE DONE THAT THROUGH THE CITY OF DALLAS FOR, UH, FORESTRY TASK FORCE AND THAT FORESTRY TASK FORCE.
THE PRIMARY, UM, DEPARTMENTS ARE DALLAS WATER, UTILITY PARK AND RECREATION PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
WE ALSO HAVE COLLABORATION, AS RENEE STATED WITH OTHER CITY OF DALLAS DEPARTMENTS SUCH AS THE FIRE AND RESCUE, UH, CODE COMPLIANCE, OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENT, QUALITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY AND SANITATION.
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER THREE, DEVELOP A STORM RESPONSE AND RECOVERY PLAN.
THIS IS 50% COMPLETED AND WE ANTICIPATE A FULL COMPLETION IN FY 25.
EACH CITY OF DALLAS DEPARTMENT HAS THEIR, HAS ESTABLISHED THEIR OWN STORM RESPONSE PLAN, AND THESE PLANS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW IN ORDER TO COMBINE A COMPREHENSIVE CITYWIDE PLAN.
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FOUR IS TO STRENGTHEN AND SUPPORT EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERS.
UH, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED ONGOING STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, PARTNERSHIP TRAININGS, UM, WITH MULTIPLE CIVIC GROUPS AND NON-PROFITS.
UM, OUR NEXT STAKEHOLDER MEETING WILL BE SEPTEMBER 13TH.
UPCOMING PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS INCLUDE FALL TREE PLANTINGS, AND THOSE ARE WITH SOME OF OUR PARTNERS, UM, LISTED HERE.
YOU CAN SEE TEXAS AND AND FORESTRY SERVICE, DALLAS WALL UTILITIES, TEXAS TREES PARK AND REC TRINITY BLACK LANDS URBAN FORESTRY COUNCIL AND PEPSICO.
AND WE'RE, UM, DEVELOPING A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER PARTNERS.
[00:40:01]
THAT DON'T, DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT UNDERWAY.RECOMMENDATION NUMBER FIVE WORKS TOWARD DEVELOPMENT OF A CITY URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN.
AND THIS WILL REQUIRE TREE INVENTORY AND FUNDING.
OF COURSE, THIS INCLUDES INCORPORATION OF EXISTENCE, MAINTENANCE AND PLANNING PROGRAMS. AND WE'LL INCORPORATE TREE INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT DATA AS COMPLETED EACH.
UM, THE ANNUAL PLANTING PLAN IS A HUNDRED PERCENT IS COMPLETED PRIOR TO EACH, EACH PLANTING SEASON.
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER SIX INCLUDE DALLAS REGULATIONS.
BEST BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES.
GUIDELINES ARE IN PLACE TO SUPPORT TREE CANOPY, GROWTH, PROTECTION, AND PRESERVATION.
UM, ITEMS OF NOTE, UM, COMPLETED LANDSCAPE AND TREE MANUAL REVIEW AND UPDATES FOR THE ASH TREE, EMERALD ASH BORE CODE AMENDMENTS.
UM,
UM, ITEMS OF NOTE, THE CITYWIDE FORESTRY TASK FORCE GUIDES ANNUAL WORK PLANS, COLLABORATION, RESOURCE PLANNING WITH GRANTS FOR FY TREE INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENTS.
THIS IS A CONTINUAL PARTNER PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS.
RECOMMENDATION NUMBER EIGHT IS CREATE A PLAN TO STRATEGICALLY PLAN AND CARE FOR TREES TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO TREE CANOPY ACROSS DALLAS.
THIS IS ONGOING AND IT IS COMPLETED ANNUALLY.
THE PLANNING PLAN DEVELOPED ANNUALLY IS BASED ON NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WITH THE, WITH THE CITY PUBLIC ON THE CITY'S PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS, ALL PLANNING PARTNERS WITH ALL PLANTINGS, PARTNER WITH VOLUNTEER CIVIC AND NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS.
I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO EDUARDO MALARIA.
I WILL CONTINUE WITH THIS PRESENTATION ON RECOMMENDATION NUMBER NINE, UH, WHICH IS TO CREATE AND IMPLEMENT A MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO MONITOR AND ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO DALLAS URBAN FOREST.
WE ARE MANAGING CURRENT THREATS AND CONSTANTLY MONITORING FOR FUTURE THREATS AS WELL.
SO PART OF THESE EFFORTS INCLUDE THE EAB ACTION PLAN, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN IN MORE DETAIL IN THE FOLLOWING SLIDES AND FEDERAL HEART TRAPPING.
WE HAVE TRAPS INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND PRI STORE INVASIVE REMOVAL AS WELL.
WE ARE WORKING ON A THIRD PARTY CONTRACT FOR ALTERNATIVE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT EFFORTS.
ON RECOMMENDATION, UH, NUMBER 10 TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PLAN.
WE HAVE OUR FOREST, UH, FORESTRY MARKETING PROGRAM.
UH, WE INITIATED IN 2023, AND IT'S STILL GROWING.
UH, THE FORESTRY WEBPAGE HAS BEEN RENOVATED AND IT'S FULLY ACTIVE, UM, EAB AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ONGOING IN CONJUNCTION WITH COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE EAB PRESENTATIONS.
OUR TECHNICAL TEAM, UH, HAS DONE APPROXIMATELY 60 ENGAGEMENT EVENTS.
UH, THEY TAKE, YOU KNOW, EVERY OPPORTUNITIES THEY HAVE TO VISIT, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO GET THE INFORMATION OUT.
RECOMMENDATION, UH, NUMBER 11, FORMULATE A STRATEGY TO MANAGE WOOD WASTE AND IDENTIFY THE HIGHEST AND BEST USE OF WOOD FROM TREES REMOVED BY THE CITY.
WE HAVE A WOOD RECYCLING PILOT PROGRAM.
UH, IT'S, UH, IS, IT IS DRIVEN AT A SMALL SCALE AND A STRICTLY CONTROL, AND THE GOAL IS TO MOVE TO INTERNAL GROUPS UTILIZING THIS PROGRAM.
RECOMMENDATION 12, STRENGTHEN WORKING RELATIONSHIPS AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH PRIVATE UTILITIES ORGANIZATIONS AND CONTRACTORS WHOSE ACTIVITIES IMPACT TREES BY INSTITUTING REGULAR DIALOGUE AND PROJECT COORDINATION.
I THINK WE HAVE, UH, WE MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS PRESENTATION THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEM.
AND WE HAVE OUR QUARTERLY STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, AND WE'VE DONE A FEW OF THOSE, AND WE HAVE OUR NEXT ONE ON SEPTEMBER 13TH.
RECOMMENDATION 13, TO ENHANCE AND DEVELOP PROGRAMS THAT ENCOURAGE AND SUPPORT ACTIVE PARTICIPATION BY RESIDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS IN THE PLANTING AND CARE OF DALLAS URBAN
[00:45:01]
FOREST.THIS TASK IS ONGOING AND COMPLETED ANNUALLY.
UH, WE'LL CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THROUGH EXISTING PROGRAMS SUCH AS THE COMMUNITY FORESTERS.
WE HAVE THE BRANCHING OUT BRANCH OUT DALLAS, UH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EXTERNALS AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.
WE DO ABOUT 3000 TREES PER YEAR, UH, ON THE BRANCH OUT DALLAS.
AND IN FISCAL YEAR 25, WE ESTIMATE THAT WE ARE GONNA PURCHASE ABOUT 3,500 TREES, UH, AND WILL BE PLANTED ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PROPERTIES.
UH, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY AS THIS WILL, UH, BE ADDING TO THE TREE CANOPY AND CONSEQUENTLY, YOU KNOW, BE, UH, PROVIDING SUPPORT ON THE, UH, REDUCING, UH, TEMPERATURES AND, UM, WORKING IN THOSE EFFORTS.
AND BY THE WAY, THE, UH, BRANCH OUT ONLINE REGISTRATION STARTS TODAY.
SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH OUR MARKETING, UH, OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM TO GET ALL THAT INFORMATION OUT SO THAT WE CAN START THE REGISTRATION AT BEGINNING TODAY.
RECOMMENDATION 14 TO REVIEW AND UPDATE THE GRADE TRINITY FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.
I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS LAND IS DIFFERENT FROM THE REST OF THE CITY.
PROPERTY AT IS ESSENTIALLY A FOREST AND IS NOT, UM, EASILY ACCESSIBLE AND IS REGULATED BY THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
SO WE HAVE, UH, A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM TO, UH, AS WE WORK THROUGH ALL THESE PROGRAMS THAT WE WORK HAND ON HAND WITH THEM.
UM, WE ARE SCHEDULED TO HAVE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MEETINGS IN THE FALL SO THAT WE CAN, UH, GET THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AS WELL.
ON THE EAB UPDATE, UH, AS YOU KNOW, EAB CONTINUES TO BE OF A CONCERN TO HEALTHY ASHRY POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE US.
UH, CITY STAFF ARE TAGGING ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT ASH TREES, AND WE'VE DONE OVER 200 TREES THAT HAVE BEEN TREATED SO FAR.
AND THEN TREATMENT IS SCHEDULED, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 25.
AS YOU CAN SEE THE MAP ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE A REPRESENTATION OF THE, UH, INVENTORY ALONG WITH THE, UH, THE DOTS IN YELLOW REPRESENTING THE AREAS OF TREATMENT.
AS FAR AS THE EAB TREATMENT, UH, OUR CRITERIA IS TO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, TARGET THOSE TREES AT LEAST 15 INCHES IN DIAMETER, GOOD OR BETTER CONDITION, AND LESS THAN 30% CANOPY COVER LOSS.
THE PRODUCT, AS YOU CAN SEE THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT OF THE SCREEN, UH, IT'S, IT'S A CLOSE INJECTION SYSTEM.
AND THE, UH, APPROXIMATELY COST FOR A 15 INCH TREE IS $217.
AND THE AVERAGE, UH, COST PER ASH STREET IS $300.
SO SOMETHING TO HIGHLIGHT ON THIS PROCESS IS THAT WE, UH, MUST RETREAT EVERY TWO, THREE YEARS.
AS FAR AS A EAB MONITORING, WE CONTINUE WITH THE, UH, INSTALLATION OF, UH, UH, TRAPS.
WE HAVE 16 LOCATIONS, AND THEN WE, UH, REPORT FINDINGS TO THE TEXAS A AND M FORD SERVICE.
UH, THE PICTURE ON THE LEFT, YOU CAN SEE A PHOTO OF THE TRAP AND THE SCREENSHOT ON THE RIGHT, YOU SEE EAB POSITIVE TRAP LOCATIONS.
AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN, WE HAVE SOUTHWEST, NORTHEAST, AND ONE ON THE SOUTHEAST AS WELL.
SO FOR NEXT STEPS, WE HAVE A CONS, CONS CONSIDERATION FOR A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT FOR TREE INVENTORY ON SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2024.
THIS IS A CRITICAL ITEM FOR OUR TEAM SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE WITH THOSE EFFORTS.
AND, UH, SO WE REQUEST YOUR, YOUR SUPPORT, UH, FOR APPROVAL.
AND HERE WE JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THE NEXT, UH, THE, UH, THE UPCOMING FALL EVENTS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE FALL.
AND WITH THIS WE CONCLUDE OUR PRESENTATION AND WE'RE UP FOR QUESTIONS.
UM, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE AND PRESENTING.
I'M GONNA OPEN IT UP FOR QUESTIONS FROM COLLEAGUES.
AND THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS, UM, THREE GREAT PRESENTATIONS BEFORE US.
UM, I WANT TO THANK ALL OUR PARTNERS,
[00:50:01]
THE SIERRA CLUB, DWU, PARK DEPARTMENT, CITY OF DALLAS, UH, BUT IN PARTICULAR JEANETTE AND THE TEXAS TREE FOUNDATION.THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO, NOT ONLY FOR DISTRICT TWO, BUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF DALLAS.
YOU'VE COMMITTED YOUR ENTIRE LIFE TO MAKING DALLAS, UH, COOLER MORE GREEN AND, AND ADDING SHADES.
I JUST WANNA THANK YOU FOR, FOR WHAT YOU DO.
UM, I WANNA START OFF ON PAGE, UM, FOUR OF THE FIRST PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK WE ALL HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE ARE A HEAT ISLAND AND THAT WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF MORE TREES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF DALLAS.
AND THEY'RE NOT ONLY TREES FOR TO SAY HOW BEAUTIFUL TREES ARE, BUT, BUT THEY PLAY SUCH A DETERMIN OR THEY, UH, GO AGAINST ALL THE DETRIMENTAL EFFECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING WITH WITH WATER RUNOFF.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST THING IS THAT WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT WE DO NEED MORE TREES IN THE CITY OF DALLAS.
SO I THINK WHAT WE'RE THERE, I, ON PAGE SEVEN, THE HIGHLIGHTED NEIGHBORHOODS ARE TYPICALLY TO ME WHERE, WHERE I'M LOOKING AT 'EM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE DENSE AREAS, THEY'RE, UH, NOT RESIDENTIAL AREAS.
SO CAN YOU HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THESE AREAS IN PARTICULAR ARE IN NEED OF MORE TREES? JUST A QUICK CLARIFICATION.
I THINK IT'S PAGE SEVEN OF THE OEQS OH PRESENTATION.
SO IT'S THE HOTTEST AREAS OF 2023.
JUST TRYING TO, BECAUSE I, I SEE EVERYBODY FLIPPING THROUGH, LIKE, WHERE AM I GOING?
I GUESS MY, WHAT MY QUESTION IS, THESE PARTICULAR IDENTIFIED NEIGHBORHOODS ARE DENSE, HIGHLY DENSITY, UH, DENSIFIED AREAS, UH, NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS.
SO HELP ME UNDERSTAND WHY THESE AREAS IN PARTICULAR ARE THE HOTTEST AREAS.
WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT FROM A SINGLE FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD? ONE REASON IS THAT, UM, THERE'S NOT MANY TREES.
THERE'S A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT, UM, A LOT OF CONCRETE INDUSTRIAL AREAS AND FOR SOME REASON, UH, TREES, PARKS ARE, ARE FOUND LESS IN THOSE AREAS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN ONES, RIGHT? AND WITH ALL THE CONCRETE THERE IN IMPERIAL SERVICES, THEY HOLD ONTO THE HEAT THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT SO THAT IN TURN IN THE MORNING STILL HAVE THAT, THE HEAT ON THERE AND IT'S JUST RADIATES OUT FROM THERE TO THE OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS.
JEANETTE, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING? HEAT IS REALLY ABOUT, ABOUT WHERE THERE ARE TREES WHERE THERE ARE NOT TREES AND WHERE THERE ARE IS MORE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE.
THAT'S REALLY THE BOTTOM LINE TO URBAN HEAT.
UM, WE KNOW THROUGH RESEARCH THAT UNDER INVESTED COMMUNITIES HAVE FEWER TREES AND THEY HAVE HIGHER RATES OF, SO WE KNOW THERE'S A CORRELATION.
BUT AS WE'VE LOOKED IN THE, UM, IN THE EQUITY TREE PLANTING MAP IN WHICH THIS WAS INTERESTING BECAUSE WE DID THIS MAP NOT KNOWING THAT AMERICAN FOREST WAS DOING ONE FOR SEVERAL CITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY.
WHAT WAS INTERESTING IS THAT, UM, OUR TWO STUDIES CAME OUT THE SAME.
OURS WAS MUCH MORE DETAILED IN TERMS OF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING BECAUSE WE WERE LOOKING AT SOCIOECONOMIC, WE WERE LOOKING AT HEALTH, WE WERE LOOKING AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVEN'T LOOKED AT.
SO WHERE THERE IS A HIGHER PERCENT OF TREES, THERE IS A LOWER PERCENT OF HEAT ISLAND.
UM, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE THERE'S PARKING LOTS, THAT'S A PROBLEM.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE ME MEDICAL DISTRICT, YOU HAVE DOWNTOWN DALLAS, WHICH IS REALLY HOT, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE AIRPORT, WHICH IS REALLY HOT.
AND SO IT, THAT AMBIENT AIR TEMPERATURE WHERE YOUR URBAN HEAT ISLANDS ARE, IT RADIATES OUT EVEN INTO THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THEY HAVE TREES.
SO IT REALLY DOES CONTINUE TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURES.
UM, IN OUR PLANNING AND URBAN DESIGN, DO WE HAVE ANY SORT OF CALCULATION ON AMOUNT OF ACRES ON, AND THEN HOW MANY TREES SHOULD BE ON THAT ACRE? IS THERE ANY SORT OF MATH? UH, ANYONE CAN JUMP IN THERE.
UH, MAYBE WE DON'T, I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT.
THERE HAS BEEN, UM, I HAVE BEEN WATCHING, UM, THEIR NEW, THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING ON THE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, UM, WHICH IS, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF POLICY
[00:55:01]
AROUND THAT BECAUSE THE MORE IMPERVIOUS SURFACE YOU HAVE, THE HOTTER WE ARE.THE OTHER THING, THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS A LOT OF SIX LANE HIGHWAYS GOING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND, UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT, AT, UM, PLAN ZERO AND TRYING TO BRING DOWN THE, THE IMPACT, NOT OF JUST HEALTH, UH, AND URBAN HEAT, BUT THE, THE IMPACT OF ACCIDENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND HAPPENING.
WE KNOW THAT TREES ALONG THESE KINDS OF STREETS, UM, BRING DOWN, UH, THE, THE AIR TEMPERATURE.
THEY LOWER AND THEY SHADE, BUT THEY ALSO, WHENEVER YOU ENTER A STREET THAT HAS MORE TREES, YOU ACTUALLY DECELERATE.
IT'S JUST A WAY THAT YOUR BRAIN THINKS.
SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT URBAN HEAT, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPERVIOUS SURFACE, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT.
AND I'VE BEEN TRACKING THAT IMPERVIOUS SURFACE STUDY, BUT I I DON'T THINK IT'S GOTTEN TO A FINAL REPORT YET.
WELL, WELL THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND, AND THAT, THAT'S KIND OF MY POINT OF THIS IS A GREAT THREE PRESENTATIONS, BUT IT TALKS A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO ON CITY OWNED PROPERTY, BUT I'M NOT SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO ON PRIVATE PROPERTIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU TALK ABOUT, YES, THE NUMBER OF LANES AND IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THESE COOL STREET PROJECTS TO, UH, PAINT THOSE STREETS, BUT I WANT TO SEE MORE THAN THAT.
I WANT TO ACTUALLY SEE THAT CONCRETE BEING TORN OUT AND REDUCING THE NUMBER OF LANES RATHER THAN SIMPLY PAINTING OVER LANES.
I DO WANT TO THANK, UH, ANOTHER PARTNER, DDI AND THEIR COMMITMENT TO PLANTING 500 TREES IN THE DOWNTOWN, UH, CORRIDOR.
UH, BUT I, I DO WANT TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES, AND I KNOW YOU FOLLOW THE TREE, UH, ORDINANCES ACROSS THE COUNTRIES AND WE'RE AT A GOOD PLACE NOW, BUT IT CAN BE A LOT STRONGER.
UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S SOME, UH, SUGGESTIONS IN HERE AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO GO OVER, UH, THOSE DEVELOPERS THAT COME IN OVERNIGHT AROUND THE WEEKENDS AND TAKE OUT THESE MAJESTIC TREES AND THEN REPLACE THEM OR, OR GO THROUGH THE PROCESS.
AND IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT THING TO GO FROM A A ONE INCH CALIBER, UH, MATCHING TO A TREE THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR, FOR GENERATIONS.
THE THESE TREES IN THE LONG RUN WILL COME IN AND, AND, UH, PROVIDE THAT SHADE AND THE, AND THOSE HEALTH BENEFITS.
UH, BUT, BUT I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO REALLY TRULY LOOK AT OUR TREE ORDINANCE AND, AND OPEN THAT BACK UP AND, AND MAKING IT MORE FAVORABLE TO, TO OUR RESIDENTS AND TO THE CITY OF DALLAS.
UM, THANK YOU, UH, MADAM CHAIR.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UM, MR. IRWIN, YOU COULD GIVE US A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO PLAY A BIT OF MUSICAL CHAIRS.
I'M PHIL IRWIN, CHIEF ARBORIST PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY CALCULATIONS ON WHAT SHOULD BE THE CANOPY COVER FOR PER ACRE OR SUCH.
UH, WE DO HAVE A, A GOOD TREE ORDINANCE LANDSCAPE REGULATIONS THEY WORK TOGETHER WITH IN THE DEVELOPMENT FIELD TO BE ABLE TO TRY TO MANAGE WHAT WE HAVE.
I THINK THE MAIN ISSUE IS THAT WE SEE A LARGE AMOUNT OF TREES REMOVED FOR DEVELOPMENT AND TRY TO DETERMINE HOW WE CAN PLANT THOSE TREES BACK IN THERE.
UH, AND SO WE, YOU HAVE CALCULATIONS AT HOW MANY TREE SITE TREES YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE AT ONE PER 4,000 SQUARE FEET OF LOT AREA.
THAT'D BE ABOUT 11 TREES AN ACRE, BUT THAT'S JUST THE GENERAL NUMBER THAT WE USE BY REGULATION.
MAY I ADD SOMETHING TO THIS? SURE.
UM, I THINK THAT, THAT WHEN WE'RE WORKING IN THE CITY, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN WE'RE WORKING ON THE URBAN FRINGE IN NEW CITIES AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH MORE INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND SO WORKING WITH BUILDERS AND DEVELOPERS IN DALLAS IS GONNA BE WORK DIFFERENT THAN WORKING ON THE URBAN FRINGE OR IN, IN, UH, NEW CITIES THAT ARE JUST STARTING TO, TO COME TO KIND OF COME TO LIFE.
I THINK THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I SEE IS THAT IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S ABOUT PUBLIC PROPERTY, BUT IT'S ALSO ABOUT PRIVATE PROPERTY.
AND WE HAVE TO DO BETTER I THINK AT PUBLIC EDUCATION.
SO WE HAVE ENTERED INTO A PARTNERSHIP WITH HINZ DEVELOPMENT.
WE'RE WORKING ON AN URBAN FRINGE PROJECT.
BUT I THINK THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH DEVELOPERS WITHIN THE CITY, 'CAUSE WE DO WANT DEVELOPMENT, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE A LOT OF TREES THAT DON'T NEED TO BE LOST.
AND WE DO NEED TO PLANT LARGER TREES RATHER THAN ONE AND A HALF INCH CALIPER FOR THE VERY REASON YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THEY'RE MUCH MORE BENE, THE LARGER TREES
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ARE MUCH MORE BENEFICIAL.UM, AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN DO MORE WORK FASTER.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA GO ON TO, UH, CHAIR NEEVA.
UM, AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE.
AND WE GO A LONG WAY BACK SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THE COUNCIL.
SO, UM, HEARING YOU TALK ABOUT THE TREE ORDINANCE, LIKE AS A FLASHBACK TO MY FIRST TERM, WORKING WITH THE HONORABLE SANDY GRAYSON TO UPDATE THAT AND YOU KNOW, WHAT IT TOOK FOR US TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, I, IT'S LIKE I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID, IT'S LIKE, WOW, THIS GOES BEFORE I WAS EVEN ON COUNCIL.
SO, UM, THE FIRST THING I WANNA START WITH IS, UM, SOMEBODY MENTIONED, SO I I MIGHT'VE MISHEARD, BUT DID YOU SAY THAT PHOENIX IS, WE'RE THE SECOND HOTTEST CITY BEHIND PHOENIX? WHEN WE DID THE STUDY IN 2017, THE CITY OF DALLAS WAS THE SECOND CITY IN THE COUNTRY HEATING UP THE FASTEST BEHIND PHOENIX.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE, 'CAUSE I WAS WALKING IN, I WAS LISTENING TO IT ON MY PHONE AND LISTENING AND THEN WALKING IN AND THEN I GOT THE RADIO ECHO, SO I MISSED THAT PART.
SO THANK YOU FOR CLEARING THAT UP FOR ME.
AND THEN, UM, IT WAS MENTIONED THAT, UM, LOVE FIELD IS THE HOTTEST AREA IN DALLAS OR IT'S THE BIGGEST ISLAND.
IS THAT WHAT WHAT WAS SAID AS WELL? SO ONE OF THE LARGEST, UH, HEAT ISLANDS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS IS UM, UP 35 TO 6 35 IN THAT AREA AND DOWN THROUGH CITY OF DALLAS.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THAT 35 CORRIDOR, THAT'S ONE OF THE HOTTEST.
AND THE REASON IT'S THE HOTTEST, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF, OF CONCRETE REALLY.
AND IT'S, IT IS AN INDUSTRIAL AREA.
SO EVEN AS WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE DESIGNING INDUSTRIAL AREAS IN THIS CITY, LIKE, UM, INLAND PORT, INLAND PORT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE THAT THERE'S NO TREES, BUT IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN AND IT'LL BE AN URBAN HEAT ISLAND IF WE DON'T KIND OF START LOOKING AT THOSE KINDS OF PROJECTS IN THE CITY.
SO WE DON'T END UP WITH SOMETHING LIKE WE HAVE IN 35 ON THE 35 QUARTER.
AND YOU ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS, I WAS GONNA SOFTBALL PITCH YOU ALL OF THAT AND YOU JUST, YOU DID IT AND I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO THROW THE PITCH.
UM, YEAH, IT'S NOT YOUR FIRST RODEO, YOU JUST SAID YOU'VE DONE THIS BEFORE.
UM, AND THAT, YOU KNOW, SINCE I REPRESENT THAT AREA, I CAN TELL YOU IT'S JUST NO TREE, IT'S JUST PARKING LOT AFTER PARKING LOT AFTER PARKING LOT.
AND UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE TRYING TO WORK ON AS A CITY, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THOSE LARGE PARKING LOTS WHERE DART IS WHERE WE CAN, YOU KNOW, DO A PUBLIC PARTNER PARTNERSHIP.
AND I'M GONNA LET MR. WEST TALK MORE ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THAT'LL HELP SOME OF THAT HEAT ISLAND BY ACTUALLY PUTTING RESIDENTIAL AND, YOU KNOW, SOME GREEN SPACE IN PARKS.
SO THAT'LL HELP US AS WELL IN SOME OF THESE INDUSTRIAL AREAS.
AND IT MAKES SENSE NEXT TO, UM, MASS TRANSIT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, MAKES SENSE TO GET PEOPLE, UM, NOT