Staff Report: Request for Proposal for Urban Forest Management Plan

BACKGROUND

At the Langford City Council meeting of December 5, 2022, Council directed staff to explore options for developing a tree management policy in the City of Langford. Following this meeting, staff were notified of several instances of tree cutting in the community, in the absence of an official tree cutting policy or bylaw, and in contravention of existing Development Permit requirements. As a result, Council acted to adopt an interim tree management bylaw (Bylaw No. 2115) on December 21, 2022. The interim bylaw is in effect until a more comprehensive strategy for regulating the urban forest is in place.

The purpose of this report is to seek Council direction with respect to moving forward with such a strategy: a comprehensive urban forest management plan. This would involve preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to retain a professional consultant. Specifically, the RFP would include:

1. Background review of Langford’s current policies & bylaws with respect to tree cutting, replacement and retention, and other tree protection measures with respect to its urban forest, (including a review of the draft form the City’s proposed DPA for Climate Action);

2. Basic summary of data available on the state of Langford’s urban forest;

3. Background review of urban forest management plans and bylaws of other municipalities to determine proven best practices for urban forest management within an eco-regional and climate-informed context appropriate for the City;

4. Conduct an initial public consultation phase, which would include:

   • Online survey on community values & preferences
   • Public mapping of important urban forests/places
   • Facilitation of workshop/s (staff, Council, public, stakeholders)
   • Open house/s

5. A review, analysis and synthesis of data gathered from both the review of best practices and public engagement;

6. Provide draft options to the City for an urban forest management plan and bylaw, along with the cost implications associated with implementing each option, including municipal staff time and resources, tree removal and replacement costs for homeowners and developers, and suggested costs associated with replacement standards.

7. Potentially conduct a second public consultation phase depending on the option or options selected, which would include:

   • Online survey for feedback on the draft strategy
   • Workshop/s
   • Open house/s

8. Submit and present a final urban forest management plan and associated bylaw, along with public feedback to the City.

Ultimately, the RFP and resulting outputs will inform all related bylaws, plans, and policies to achieve identified objectives.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

A preliminary review of the available planning reports from other BC municipalities provides insight into the potential outcomes of the RFP process. While a review of each is beyond the scope of this report, it is worth noting that one common theme amongst many municipalities was implementing a tree protection bylaw alongside a more comprehensive strategy, such as an urban forest management plan, to better inform other planning priorities.

Comparative table