According to the 2019 Community Satisfaction Survey, about 51% of our residents reported being not satisfied with the City’s tree canopy coverage in their neighborhood. To increase community satisfaction, and to ensure the City has a healthy and well-managed urban forest, the City has a multitiered approach to tree canopy expansion:
- Reforestation. In 2018, the community approved $439 million General Obligation Bonds that included $5 million to plant over 5,000 canopy trees throughout the City. To date, 873 trees have been planted as part of the G.O. Bond reforestation project and an additional 300 trees will be planted within the upcoming months.
- Tree Preservation Program. Chapter 46, Division 2 of the City Code establishes the tree preservation and permitting program.
- Land Development Regulations. Chapter 126 of the City Code establishes minimum landscape requirements, including diversification and expansion of canopy trees.
- Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP). The UFMP is a guiding document that establishes best management practices for developing and maintaining a healthy and sustainable urban tree canopy.
Marketing, Branding, and Property Values
The Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP) recommends that by year 2040 increasing citywide tree canopy cover from 17% to 22% by planting more palm and canopy trees and by year 2050 palms should make up no more than 25% of the public tree population. Population diversity is important to reduce vulnerability to disease and pests. Urban forestry best management practices recommend that no one family of tree comprise any more than 30%. Arecaceae, the family of palms, currently make up 57% of the tree population on public right-of-way, greenspaces, and parks, far exceeding the 30% guidelines. The way to achieve this goal is to plant a greater percentage of canopy trees and plant addition palm species in focal areas in public spaces and require that private properties include a diverse planting palette of both palms and canopy trees.
Palms are an iconic part of Miami Beach’s lush, sub-tropical landscape. When selecting palms and trees for a corridor or space, landscape architects use palms, flowering trees, and large specimen trees to draw attention to a space or corridor. The UFMP recommends the palms should be utilized strategically within our landscapes and in future projects as an accent heightening focal point in our landscapes. Palms are typically used as an accent plant, however, over time they have become a major component to the City’s urban forest. Shifting to have a higher percentage of canopy trees does not mean removing palms, rather it is strategically using palm trees as accents to retain the tropical character of streets and neighborhoods without sacrificing the environmental and social benefits of canopy trees.
To understand the economic impacts on the goals of the Urban Forestry Master Plan on the city’s marketing efforts, brand, and property values would require a thorough evaluation and market analysis. An economic study and market analysis of this size and scope is estimated to cost between $150-$400K, based upon similar economic analysis studies conducted in the past few years. The City’s Marketing and Communication’s Department has been in conversations with the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau regarding the City’s rebranding. One potential option is to request this analysis be included in the overall marketing analysis for the rebranding of the City.
Sanitation and Maintenance Costs
The City provides sanitation and maintenance services to assure cleanliness targets are met throughout the year. The Public Work Department’s Sanitation Division, Greenspace Management Division, and Stormwater Operations Division are responsible for litter and debris management, landscape maintenance, and stormwater system maintenance. In addition, the City’s Parks & Recreation Department provides contracted landscape maintenance within City parks. These services include the maintenance of canopy trees and palms within the boundaries of these contracted areas.
The Sanitation Division is responsible for keeping the City’s streets, most greenspaces and rights-of-way clean from litter. As part of their normal operations they keep the streets and sidewalk clean. Their operations are designed to address sediments, trash pickup, litter, leaf litter, and vegetative debris. It is not possible to parse out the contribution that vegetative debris pick-up has on their budget, as this expense is built into operating costs.
The City’s Public Works Department, Greenspace Management Division and Parks and Recreation Department hire landscape contractors to maintain and manage the city’s trees, palms, and landscaping. The landscape contractors are required to remove any fallen vegetative debris and litter during their standard landscape maintenance operations. Budgeted maintenance of trees and palms in contracted areas is approximately $813,700 annually. It should be noted that the pruning of trees in these contracted areas account for $210,500 annually and the pruning of palms account for $603,200 annually. Palms require regular maintenance throughout the year including pruning, fertilization, and pest control. Once canopy trees are established, they require less water, no fertilization, and minimal pruning.
The City’s Public Works Department, Operations Division is responsible for maintaining the City’s stormwater system, including removal of sediments, vegetation debris, and litter. The system is designed to remove water from the streets to avoid flooding, while also including pollution control structures that capture debris. The centralization of the pollution control structures, and water treatment systems allow for more efficient maintenance. The City has the most comprehensive maintenance program in Miami-Dade County, cleaning the entire system at least once per year and in high-impact areas on a more frequent basis. Maintenance of the stormwater system costs $1.121 million annually. It is not possible to parse out the contribution that vegetative debris pick-up has on their budget, as this expense is built into their operating costs.
The volume of leaves and vegetated debris produced by trees in South Florida is small compared to cities in more moderate climates. Most trees in Miami Beach are semi-deciduous (11%) and evergreen (30%), in which their leaves fall throughout the year rather than all at once in the fall season. It is not anticipated that the planting of additional trees as street trees will have a significant negative impact on the City’s maintenance operations.
Removal & Relocations
During construction, both public and private projects often require the removal or relocation of existing palms and trees. Urban Forestry works with tree permit applicants to identify existing palms and trees that can be preserved in-place or relocated. The Urban Forestry Division reviews Arborist Reports, Landscape Plans, Demolition Plans, Design Review Board orders, Historic Preservation Board orders, and other project specific documents to determine the most sustainable approach to managing natural resources within the subject project. To determine when relocation or removal is preferred, Urban Forestry Division evaluates the health of the palm or tree, chances of survivability during relocation, costs to relocate, and future environmental benefits of existing or new species.
Attachment A provides the comparison of the average costs for palm and tree relocation, removal, and new plantings. The analysis breaks down trees and palms into three categories: small, medium, and large species. This analysis illustrates that on average the relocation of both palms and trees during construction is more costly than the removal. Also, on average the planting of new palms is more costly than the planting of new canopy trees.