Florida Urban Forestry Council 2017 Issue Four
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CouncilThe Quarterly Quarterly Newsletter of the Florida Urban Forestry Council 2017 Issue Four The Council Quarterly newsletter is published quarterly by the Florida Urban Forestry Council and is intended as an educational benefit to our members. Information may be reprinted if credit is given to the author(s) and this newsletter. All pictures, articles, advertisements, and other data are in no way to be construed as an endorsement of the author, products, services, or techniques. Likewise, the statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not represent the view of the Florida Urban Forestry Council or its Executive Committee. This newsletter is made possible by the generous support of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Florida Forest Service, Adam H. Putnam Commissioner. ADAPTIVE URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CATASTROPHIC WEATHER EVENTS: A CASE STUDY FROM EUGENE, OREGON Submitted by Scott Altenhoff and Eric Cariaga, City of Eugene, Oregon It seems our “new normal” is far There is, however, an upside to this story. and improvements through the frequent from normal; it’s time to expect the We have learned how to better address feedback. In the lines to follow, we’ll briefly catastrophic events. We use to plan and share the story of how Eugene made the unexpected and to do our best in base our work by looking back at past shift towards AM and how this shift made preparing for an uncertain future. models and tendencies. Now we practice a positive difference in both our storm a forward-looking approach. This new response and our overall operations. We’ll direction is based on Adaptive Management then provide some “how-to” recommenda- (AM) principles that emphasize the need tions when adopting a similar AM approach. to stay flexible and change with current environmental trends. We continuously Our 2014 Ice Storm: learn from current data and experimenta- tion, as opposed to stubbornly clinging In terms of their impact and severity, onto the past. The preeminent Ecologist, Eugene’s two recent ice storms were very C.S. Holling, an Emeritus Professor at the similar. Completely different, however, University of Florida and early proponent of was our agency’s response between the Adaptive Management, once defined AM as two. The first event caught us completely “natural resource management conducted off-guard and unprepared. We didn’t have a solid plan or system in place for prioritizing Background: in a manner that purposely and explicitly aims at increasing knowledge and reducing work, especially on such a large scale. Our Eugene, Oregon is a medium-sized com- uncertainty” (Holling 1978). In a nutshell, continues on pg. 2 munity situated about 100 miles south of the AM approach involves: increased Portland, OR. Historically, extreme high understanding of complex situations; being wind events have been rather infrequent highly proactive instead of reactive; a (once a decade). Severe cold spells and commitment to structured experimentation; INSIDE: heavy snow/ice storms have been rare. However, many of our longstanding weather Adaptive Urban Forest Management and Catastropic patterns are no longer standing the test of Weather Events: A Case Study from Eugene, Oregon ..........1 - 3 time. Climatic conditions are shifting. Since President’s Message ...........................................................2 2014, Eugene has had two FEMA-declared weather disasters, one in February of Hurrican Irma Culls the Urban Forests of Florida ............... 5 & 6 2014 and one in December of 2016. Both Stump the Forester ............................................................7 events involved catastrophic ice storms that contributed to an estimated loss of Tree of the Quarter ...................................................... 8 & 9 about 2% of its urban tree canopy (UTC). Avoid the Crash ...................................................... 11 & 12 This translates to tens of thousands of trees Request for Articles ..........................................................15 damaged or destroyed throughout the city. 1 continued from pg. 1 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE work was largely driven by service request and calls from the public (more or less in Hello FUFC members! the order they were received) instead of following a structured system based on Best On September 10th and 11th, Hurricane Management Practices (BMPs). Field crews Irma blew through Florida, leaving a path were coordinated and dispatched directly of destruction throughout the state. My through our Emergency Command Center thoughts and prayers go out to our Florida families and friends who suffered loss due (ECC). This proved to be a significant bottle to the storm. neck. Just fielding and sorting through the thousands of service calls was overwhelm- Though it took less than 2 days for the ing. Much of the information received was hurricane to travel across our state, storm incomplete, inaccurate, duplicated, and out- In addition to a lack of internal support, it preparations started weeks earlier and dated. Some job sites were visited multiple was difficult to solicit private contractors the cleanup will continue months after times, even after the work had been com- during such a large scale event - and for the storm. Irma’s tree work was swift, pleted. Conversely, some sites with serious so long a duration. One of our greatest but incomplete. She left behind heaps tree hazards went unresolved for months. frustrations was the loss of many precious of debris for us to clean up. Counties The status of each situation could only be hours trying to coordinate with our and municipalities set in motion debris determined by sending staff out to check in local utility company, when dealing with management contracts to deal with the person. Although our Urban Forestry team potential electrical hazards regarding down cleanup - some for the first time ever. is part of the Eugene Parks and Open Space power lines. Prioritizing, coordinating, and keeping Division, which is in turn part of the larger The significant damage and the complexity trucks and crews operating became a Eugene Public Works Department, our routine exercise for stewards of the urban of work was certainly challenging and team was largely left on its own for the first forests. Utility foresters were busy restoring depressing. Most demoralizing though, few weeks. Other PW work units weren’t power and managing out-of-state crews. was a lack of organization, significant adequately trained, or equipped to deal with Fielding calls, addressing complaints, inefficiencies, and lack of good information technical and advanced tree problems. We and keeping the public informed about the for planning. We vowed to use this painful had a serious shortage of inspectors and progress was also a vital, daily task. Though experience to learn, to improve, and to field crews to help. Cleanup efforts dragged we prepare for hurricanes in advance, there utilize information to our advantage rather on for months. are always unforeseen issues and hidden than being overwhelmed by it. Our staff hurdles that must be overcome. spent dozens of hours debriefing, processing feedback and observations, and absorbing To all who have worked those long hours to open roads, to restore power, to remove the many lessons. We then crafted flexible debris, and to inform and aid customers, I and adjustable plans that could be applied to thank you with all my heart. The job is not information updates and rapidly changing easy and the challenges many, but I know conditions. our state has the best urban foresters, utility arborists, and tree-minded people needed to Our 2016 Ice Storm: get the job done. When the second ice storm hit in 2016, FUFC will be hosting the 2018 Urban thanks to the AM initiative, we were Forest Institute on February 5–7 in in much better shape to deal with the Wimauma at the Gulf Coast Research and challenge. A primary difference was our Education Center. This year’s theme is very organization’s general attitude and our appropriate, ‘Natural Disaster Preparation overall expectations. We had learned that we and Response Conference.’ What a great could get through an event like this, but that opportunity to discuss the challenges you encountered and to share stories of success and achievement with your peers and colleagues. You can find more information NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING ANNUAL rates: on this great event on our website (FUFC. • • • org) or Facebook page. We look forward to you attending the conference! Business-card size advertisement: $75 Quarter page advertisement: $115 Yours Truly, Half-page advertisement: $225 Linda Seufert Full page advertisement: $450 Linda Seufert • • • 2017 FUFC President To place an advertisement in The Council Quarterly, please contact Sandy Temple, FUFC Executive Director (407-872-1738). 2 it was going to be a protracted effort. We expensive. They just need to cover the needed to stay flexible and seek out internal important details. This can all be accom- and external support wherever we could. We plished in a hybrid “operational plan” would have to temper our expectations and document of roughly 30 pages which pace ourselves for a marathon--not a sprint. covers pertinent elements of an urban This time we had an Emergency Storm forest management plan, a maintenance Response contract in place. Now we had a plan, and a storm response plan. These national line-clearance-contractor available plans should be a “living” document - within 72 hours of a request for assistance. dynamic and constantly evolving. Additionally, in this second disaster, all our Public Works teams pulled together to 2) Establish a storm response contract operations. Our GIS tools greatly enhance with a private, large-scale, tree company create an “all hands on deck” expectation the ability to prioritize situations, document from beginning to end. Another important who can provide assistance in the event work, and coordinate with other agencies. of a catastrophic storm. Establish a development was that we now had Digital queries can pin down timeframes, several new urban forestry plans in place: commit when providing the right equip- budgets, and staffing/equipment needs.