Davey Tree Flipbooks

8 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | January/February 2022 DAVEY GOES HOLLYWOOD FOR L.A. TREE INVENTORY Davey Resource Group's inventory of the park and street trees in the city of Los Angeles is one of the largest comprehensive municipal tree inventories in North America and the largest ever conducted by DRG. The project kicked off in October 2019. DRG was awarded two contracts, one by the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and the other by the city of Los Angeles to inventory street trees in 60 of their 99 neighborhood council districts. A surprise during the inventory was the diversity of tree species in the city, especially fruit trees. The city passed an ordinance permitting residents to plant fruit trees in the parkway or planting strip, said Linda Eremita, associate consultant and project manager. "We have inventoried so many fruit trees because people need a place to grow food," Eremita said. "We have lots of immigrant communities in L.A., so there are tons of tropical and subtropical trees in the parkway. It's very heartwarming MISSION DRG arborists have inventoried close to 725,000 sites. When they start Phase 2 of the project to complete the remaining 39 neighborhood council districts, they will inventory in total over 1 million sites. Phase two of the project is slated to be completed by the end of 2023. Davey has not only collected data on existing street trees and hazard trees, but also available planting locations. This helps the city of Los Angeles strategically grow the urban forest where it is needed most. This inventory, as part of the city's Urban Forest Management Plan, is contributing to smart tree planning, planting and care. "We are using GIS and Davey's Rover Data Collection Software," said Michael Bova, area manager. "That data is being put into TreeKeeper, and the client uses that software daily to document all the work they do and to plan future projects." Any new trees being planted at the planting sites identified in the inventory are also being added to TreeKeeper, which gives the city the ability to follow that tree throughout its life. "They persevered and maintained that arborist focus. They realized how important this inventory is for increasing benefits in these communities." A motto organically developed for the inventory: "We are making L.A. safe one tree at a time," Eremita said. While capturing data, the team would snap photos of emergency hazard trees and send them to the city. The city would then send crews to that tree right away. "We are walking every single street in L.A., and they were always keeping their eye out for hazards," Eremita said. "It was our mission to make the city safer, and they took that to heart. They've been wonderful at taking care of each other. Whatever it takes, they are there for each other. We are truly a team." We are making L.A. safe one tree at a time. Linda Eremita associate consultant and project manager to see that people can plant a tree for food, because there are food deserts in the city." Bova and Eremita both complimented their staff for their dedication to this inventory because it has presented several challenges. "Their dedication shined through. They worked in some of the hardest and most challenging neighborhoods. This was on top of everything with the pandemic," Bova said. To see the inventory, scan the QR code.

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