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landfills into parks was the only way we
<br />had to create park and recreation
<br />areas."
<br />Florida is another area where land-
<br />fills are becoming parks at a healthy
<br />pace. One solid waste management and
<br />engineering company alone currently is
<br />working on six landfill -to -park projects
<br />in four Florida counties. Miami -based
<br />Post, Buckley, Schuh & Jernigan also
<br />has recently responded to a request for
<br />qualifications for providing the same
<br />services for six closed landfills in Jack-
<br />sonville, Fla.
<br />Additionally, the firm is closing a
<br />130 -acre landfill in Broward County,
<br />Fla. Sam Levin, assistant manager of
<br />the company's Solid and Hazardous
<br />Waste Division, says the first phase of
<br />the Broward County project includes
<br />closing a sanitary landfill, trash landfill
<br />and sludge lagoon, which is a Super.
<br />fund cleanup site.
<br />The second phase of the project in-
<br />cludes building a park on the closed
<br />site. Landfill closure includes selection
<br />of a capping technique designed to min-
<br />imize infiltration of rainfall, while also
<br />being compatible with a park. The de-
<br />sign includes a landfill gas collection
<br />system with special emphasis on recov.
<br />ery and sale of methane in the landfill
<br />gas. The methane also will be used to
<br />generate electricity for the park.
<br />Levin says when the park is com-
<br />pleted, it will feature equestrian activi-
<br />Making'an investment in
<br />unicipal tree maintenance budgets are up against
<br />some stiff competition. Police, fire, -street improve~
<br />p" merit and municipal utility programs are just a few
<br />of the services that agencies must fund.
<br />In the face of this competition, eight California cities
<br />Burlingame, Encinitas, Milpitas, Orange, Redondo Beach,
<br />Riverside, Santa Ana and Sunnyvale — conducted street tree
<br />inventories to find out exactly what they were budgeting for.
<br />The massive amount of information confirms what the tree
<br />managers of these cities already suspected: street trees are a
<br />valuable city asset deserving serious consideration in the an-
<br />:' nual budget.
<br />Many cities have policies that acknowledge the contribu-
<br />tion. of trees to the quality of life. "Without a good tree
<br />population, the aesthetic value of the city itself diminishes
<br />greatly," says Milpitas Parks Supervisor Dorn Driggs. En-
<br />cinitas and Sunnyvale are including tree preservation as part
<br />of their municipal policy statement. Sunnyvale Parks Su-
<br />pervisor Doug Mello agrees that trees are a valuable city as-
<br />set..."Trees take precedence over sidewalks and sewers,," he
<br />says.
<br />in the past, placing. a do[€ar value on trees was an elusive
<br />goal_ The time required to grow a tree and the fact that large
<br />trees vi:. ruaily are impossible to replace made the task diffi-
<br />t ,: cult;'The methods used today to estimate tree value Rave
<br />6egust to produce some positive results for urban forestry
<br />A_'incl are beginning to be recognized by the judicial system.
<br />'_Street tree value, similar to- that placed on street infrastruc-
<br />ture, schools and park facilities, can have an impact on tree
<br />maintenance budgets. "Dollars influence decision-mak-
<br />ing," says less Garcia.. Street and Park Tree Superintendent
<br />for Orange.
<br />With an information management perspective, the dollar
<br />value of each city's street tree population can be deter-
<br />mined-
<br />etermined- The method developed by the Council of Tree and
<br />Landscape Appraisers has become a standard for determin-
<br />ing tree value and is the method used for each of these cit-
<br />ies. This method considers the species, size, condition and
<br />Iocation of each tree inventoried.
<br />The total value of the street tree resource varies from al-
<br />most 54 million in Old Towne Orange {a special historical
<br />district) to more than $200 million in Riverside. The for-
<br />mula considers all trees inventoried to be favorable species
<br />in fair condition..
<br />The components of a tree population have a direct im-
<br />pact on the overall value. The average value of individual
<br />trees is about $1,700. In the eight communities, individual
<br />s0
<br />ties, and nature appreciation and edu-
<br />cational activities. Included are areas
<br />for picnicking and open recreation;
<br />trails for horseback riding, walking, bi-
<br />cycling, jogging and fitness training;
<br />areas for fishing and boating; and sce-
<br />nic overlooks from one of the highest
<br />points in South Florida.
<br />While converting landfills to parks is
<br />revered for eliminating unsightly land-
<br />fills and making wise use of space, it
<br />also can spur economic growth in a
<br />floundering community.
<br />This was the case in Southwest Char-
<br />lotte, N.C., where the city, along with a
<br />local engineering firm, Woolpert Con-
<br />sultants, transformed a municipal land-
<br />fill into the York Road Renaissance
<br />y :x.
<br />Municipal Tres
<br />tree values ranged from $730 in Milpitas to $2,242 in Riv-
<br />erside, which has far more mature trees than any other city
<br />surveyed. Milpitas, on the other hand, probably has the
<br />youngest tree population.
<br />Cities such as Milpitas have the potential for large in
<br />creases in tree value. Currently, its tree resource is valued at
<br />almost $7 million. If the value of individual trees were to
<br />increase to the average found in the survey, the total value .
<br />of its tree resource would. be $16 million. Trees are expected
<br />to increase in value from 5 to 15 percent each year simply
<br />due to growth. :.
<br />Sunnyvale annually spends about $30 per tree on mainte-
<br />nance- This investment maintains a resource valued at $900.
<br />Slightly more than 3 percent of each tree's value is spent on
<br />maintenance,while the resource value grows a minimum of
<br />5 percent annually due to growth and maintenance. In Santa
<br />Ana, the difference in the amount invested in tree mainte-
<br />nance and the return on the investment is more dramatic.
<br />About $25 is spent on each tree for maintenance. The value
<br />of the average tree in Santa Ana is about $1,500. The $25
<br />invested returns $80 annually- This is a 220 percent turn-
<br />around on the tree maintenance dollar_
<br />Scheduled maintenance is the key to: obtaining sheet tree
<br />resource value increases. Tree growth is controlled in such a
<br />way as to provide vigorous healthy trees_ Such trees can be
<br />expected to increase in value_ �'� `:.:• .,, =:,;_ -_,
<br />:•.•The tree resource stabilizes from consistent and effective
<br />management. The number of removals and replacement
<br />plantings is small and evenly distributed from year to year.
<br />Tree maintenance is routine with little need for unscheduled
<br />or emergency work- When this point is reached. value in-
<br />creases will be smaller. But even small increases would likely
<br />match the tree maintenance budget. Instead of "making
<br />money" for the city, the tree maintenance department -
<br />"breaks even.".. .
<br />The ability of the municipal tree resource to increase in '
<br />value rather than depreciate makes it unique among city as-
<br />sets- "A tree maintenance budget needs to seriously address =;
<br />the value of urban trees because it is an asset that cannot be '
<br />replaced," says Ken Dyer, Redondo Beach parks superin-
<br />tendent. "A building can be destroyed and replaced in kind.
<br />but a tree cannot." ❑ '
<br />This article was written by Clay Martin of Golden Coast
<br />Environmental Services, Irvine, Calif.
<br />American City & County/March 1989
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