dw; WHY might you ask is a LA and a City Forester giving this presentation? Austin is a remarkable city that HAS regulations LOTS of regulations…and hence, lots of valuable lessons. This presentation defines both of our roles as designers – part therapists, negotiator, leaders and INNOVATORS. It hypothesizes that urban trees are vital infrastructure. This session cites three prominent case studies – illustrating different strategies, lessons learned and tricks of the trade. 1
km; Frame the context for AUSTIN – A population explosion...110 people per day 40,000 per year (and the occasional Brit) 2
km; Urban Austin is booming and the value proposition of our urban forest is being seriously stressed. 3
km; The urban core is growing equally fast. Austin is promoting growth ‐ Certainly the comp plan, Imagine Austin, DAP, Innovation District, Waller Creek District, Rainey, Greene – all measure AND aspire to be more compact and connected. So, with so much focus and intensity Daniel and I regularily ask if we using the right framework, motives and incentives to measure and VALUE the urban forest... AND, with all of this incentive to be dense and compact is the urban forest being set up to fail? 4
dw; SO, lets quickly see a show of hands – who loves trees in our cities? *Bonus round – where is this photo taken? Trees offer immeasurable environmental, physiological and cultural benefits BUT… 5
dw; On a daily basis Keith and I see this epic struggle of Godzilla vs Hydra (or urban trees and development / densification / urbanity). And HONESTLY we have to ask ourselves – are trees really valued or are they perceived as a nuisance in urban development? Sadly, in most cases we challenge that there is a serious problem where the urban forest is not considered (or valued) as vital…but we are making great progress. 6
km; [can't all be serious...] Rule #1 Within the Urban Forest Do not be so literal – all trees are not equal – all conditions are not the same. NOTHING in the urban forest is a “one size fits all”… So, lets draw that bridge…. 7
dw; Case Study #1 Start with a winner (from you guys)! 8
dw; Why should the APF have spent close to $500k saving this tree? Underutilized – stressed – AND a critical part of the history of Austin – a legacy tree. 9
dw; This example cites the ability and true merit and reward of collaboration. None of this project would have been possible without the trust and collaboration of the entire consultant and contractor team, APF, PARD and Urban Forestry The Auction oaks demonstrated the importance of adapting every rule and demonstrating the importance of excellence ‐ airspading ‐ custom structural decking ‐ very specialized working conditions 10
km; Lessons learned; It was not standard, not easy, not cheap but we demonstrated a clear and successful example of why we must invest in our city infrastructure to celebrate a huge civic asset. We can preserve and enhance ‐ we can demonstrate how we can work with the urban forest to celebrate "place". BUT it also demonstrated that code was not set up to promote this kind of excellence. 11
dw; Case study #2 Private tree Public benefits “the big developer sell” ‐ why should they save it? 12
dw; The role and importance of Heritage tree (and its stories – roys taxi…) An anchor for a new urban park An anchor for new retail and vibrancy The trick was to think like a bean counter, early on in the project – demonstrate heritage as a good “asset”… and then prove how to pull it off. 13
km; Communication, communication, communication Develop a clear, methodical set of graphics and illustratives that inform and instruct the process of approval AND the process of design. 14
dw; Lessons learned – Establish an early methodology with the contractor – no matter how good the intent if the contractor doesn’t believe in the process all of our lives get harder. Think in 4d. Vertical pilings, excavation, soil nails, cranes, staging – all have to be thought about to ensure success. Monitor, monitor, monitor Pre – during and post treatments – have an established long range plan on maintenance that includes rootRx, mulching, watering, pest management. 15
dw; Case study #3 Push [and challenge] the envelope The big move. 16
km; First and foremost – don’t trust the survey. Visual assessment What is a heritage tree? The “grey” area – communication Encouraging discussion, recommendations and ultimately compromise. 17
dw; Remember that all trees are not equal – lifespan, habit, tollerance of moving, relative mortality rates (risk) – consider testing, testing and retesting… Remember all sites are not equal – soils (or lacktherof), access, exposure, OHP? 18
dw; Never cut corners – literally or figuratively Hire the experts and heed their advice – in this instance prep time, conditioning, rootball diameter AND depth relative to condiiotns, soil type and tree species 19
dw; Success So we preserved an asset – helped preserve part of the character of Rainey street – BUT at what cost? 20
Assuming this tree lives a long a fruitful life 200k is a lot of money – is it worth it? 1. All trees are not equal but regulations and policy treats all trees as equal. 2. Should we have bought 1818 new trees? 3. What is we had planted 600 new trees and irrigation and put them in local parks? 4. In the urban environment is moving a tree the best policy? This is SO challenging – professional, policy perspective We have a fixed set of rules of engagement – transportation, utilities, finite space. AND current policy and code provide no ability to delineate between A+ solutions to D ‐ options so how do we measure good from bad? 21
So, have we set up the value of INFRASTUCTURE correctly? Regulatory perspective – these examples represent the upper echelon of what a city desires – great place – set the standards but EMPOWER innovation and ingenuity and don’t tie them down with red tape… BUT are we actually enabling the best policies to meaningfully enhance, preserve and promote our urban forest when the policies promote a Hammer approach – thou shall do… AND while the Current code DOES have options –it results in a lot of risk, time, cost and uncertainty and sadly few inviduals are willing to accept these in a blisteringly fast economy… 22
km; Flexibility is key – incentivize innovation and design solutions. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Quasi ‐ Density bonus? What do I get out of doing the right thing??? 23
km; We need to build to last Should we not be setting ourselves up for success? Building the next generation of heritage trees rather than designing a disposable system of trees? We must start implementing a viable restorative design plan that is holistic and not singular – looking at the tree fund, soil volumetrics and infrastructure and utilities in one package 24
dw; Leave our mark… Lets not just mitigate our urban forest but lets actually enhance it and create a positive environment f policies that enable and promote excellence and innovation 25
Thank you. 26
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