The City of Delta has issued a request for proposals for an experienced and certified firm to supply and install 390 trees and 216 shrubs at various locations in the municipality this fall.
The trees and shrubs of various types and sizes will have to be watered and maintained by the successful proponent for a full year from installation.
The city, in its request for proposals, notes its preference is that its plans be followed exactly, however, given the nature of tree supply, proposals are permitted, with preference given to those that most closely reflect the city’s vision.
The trees and shrubs were carefully chosen for their size, height, hardiness and aesthetic value. In some cases, the trees are being planted adjacent to overhead lines, so siting is a key consideration, the city notes.
City council this summer endorsed an engineering department recommendation to give away 500 suitable trees to residents this year. The trees will be delivered to people’s homes with instructions on planting and then how to care for the tree. To ensure the trees are not later resold, the city will collect a deposit on each tree, then return that once the tree has been planted.
The program is similar to a program earlier this year when the city offered 100 free trees under its Urban Forest Strategy.
Approved by council a couple of years ago, the strategy identifies a short-to medium-term plan (2020-2030) for “achieving a robust and sustainable urban forest in Delta.”
The strategy, part of a package of tree enhancement and protection measures, lays out an action plan with specific targets to increase the number of trees in urban areas and along major roadways.
“The proposed actions in this strategy represent a significant increase in tree planting in the City. The number of specimen trees planted annually is expected to triple compared to current planting efforts,” the strategy document explains. “It also has to be recognized that no tree policy can resolve the mistakes of the past. There are many locations in which trees were either planted or grew naturally where, as they mature, may conflict with other valuable infrastructure. Such conflicts needs to be managed and, in some cases, trees have to be removed to avoid costly damage to existing infrastructure,” the document also notes.
According to the plan, where new trees are contemplated, the benefit of picking the right size of tree is important. In general, tree nurseries provide transplant stock that has a caliper of around five-to-seven centimetres and a total height of 2.5 meters from the top of the root ball, although size can vary depending on species and nursery availability.
The document notes that trees of that size generally have the greatest chance of surviving transplant. Larger stock can be found in limited numbers, but the cost of these larger-sized trees is exponentially greater and the chance of survival decreases.
The plan also notes that in the urban areas, opportunities for increasing tree cover are limited as the majority of the land is owned privately.
“Over the years, the focus for planting of trees has been on parkland and boulevards. While there are still further opportunities for planting trees in both of these areas, there are limitations such as setbacks from utilities, overhead power lines and ensuring safe sight lines for traffic and pedestrians,” the document explains.
“The City’s urban areas are also densifying, which reduces areas where trees can thrive in abundance. School sites represent areas that have the potential to create entirely new groves of trees, especially trees that can grow larger and do not have the same constraints as those planted on individual lots or boulevards.”
According to the plan, the tree planting goal for 2020 to 2030 at municipal streets and boulevards is 3,000 trees with 300 planted annually. The annual cost is estimated at $225,000.
Planting on highway rights-of-way would see 5,000 trees planted over that time at an annual cost of $375,000.
Delta school sites, meanwhile, would see 450 trees per year over that time with a minimum of 50 per site, at an annual cost $337,500.
For around the same annual cost over that time, an estimated 450 trees per year could also be accommodated in Delta’s parks.
Another goal is to utilize volunteers to plant at least 1,500 small stock trees and 1,500 shrubs each year in natural areas at a combined annual cost of $165,000.
A tree provision program for private property owners would see about 1,000 trees provided annually by the city to residents at an estimated annual cost of $75,000.
