From: Howard Landsman Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 4:33 PM To: Board of Public Works Subject: Comments on Agenda Item #12 @ 9/21/22 Meeting Caut ion: This ema il was sent fro m an exte rnal sour ce. Avoi d unk now n links and atta chm ents . Dear BPW Members -- I write to you as a Madisonian who is deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change on Earth’s habitability and who views substantial expansion of the tree canopy as one way that communities like ours can help the USA achieve President Biden’s greenhouse gas reduction goals by 2030 and help the world limit global warming to 1.5 ? Celsius (or, if need be, 2.0 ? Celsius) by 2050. I served for 12+ years (1995-2007) as the Madison school district’s Grants and Fund Development Coordinator and now, fully retired, I recently started volunteering as a consultant with the Dane County Tree Canopy Working Group (on which City Forester Marla Eddy and City Sustainability Office staffers Stacie Reece and Jessica Price are members). That said, I offer the following comments and observations as an individual, i.e., not on behalf of the Working Group. In the coming year, we can expect to see one or more neighborhood-based tree planting pilot projects emerge from the Working Group’s efforts, and the Working Group has begun pursuing support for these projects from public and private sector funders. At the same time, the Working Group will be striving to position our community to capture some of the $1.5 billion in urban forestry funds from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), funds that can accelerate efforts at the county and municipal level to expand the tree canopy. I hope the City will be an active partner in these preparations. Regarding today’s presentation by the Streets Superintendent, I’m glad to see it propose a new equity-focused Tree Rebate Program for non-City-owned properties that addresses several of the Urban Forestry Task Force recommendations. With sufficient funding, possibly including IRA funds in 2023 and/or beyond, this program could be a helpful resource for the kinds of pilot projects envisioned by the Working Group and the City-neighborhood partnerships envisioned by the Task Force. I hope the program’s guidelines will include accommodations for lower- income homeowners, e.g., discounted or free trees, up-front payment instead of reimbursement, etc. At the same time, I was disappointed that the Streets Superintendent’s presentation doesn’t recommend funding in the 2023 City budget for the Outreach and Education Specialist position that was a key Task Force recommendation. This position could provide the necessary marketing push to generate business for the Tree Rebate Program, esp. in high-need neighborhoods where individuals and groups are not generally as savvy in accessing public programs as their counterparts in Madison’s higher-income areas. This position could also provide vital support to any of the Working Group’s pilot projects that occur in the City. In addition, the new Outreach and Education Specialist could help generate excitement about the City’s 40% canopy coverage goal (another key recommendation in the Task Force’s final report) and catalyze all kinds of grassroots efforts to reach it. Further, this position would be critical to developing relationships with interested institutions, businesses, civic groups, and individuals around tree planting and stewardship, as well as organizing and coordinating city- wide efforts to engage and support volunteers. As noted in the Task Force report, this could include programs similar to Tree Tender, Tree Keeper, Adopt-a-Highway, etc. I doubt there’s sufficient current capacity among City staff to handle this additional workload, and hope the Board will recommend inclusion of this new position in the City’s 2023 operating budget. Overall, while glad to learn of the Task Force recommendations that have been implemented or are in process, I wish I could say that I sense from City government an urgency about canopy coverage expansion that’s in scale with the accelerating challenges posed by climate change. It has been nearly 3 years since the Common Council accepted the Task Force’s final report, and 2 ½ years since the Council was to have been presented with recommended high-priority initiatives for City budget consideration. I believe that leaders in our local private and nonprofit sectors would be embarrassed to learn how far behind we are vs. other cities on tree canopy expansion efforts and how short Madison falls from the Task Force’s 40% canopy coverage recommendation. I believe that, if challenged to do so, these leaders (and their followers) would come on board with a community-wide campaign to get to 40% in a timely fashion. I believe that establishing the Outreach and Education Specialist position and the infusion of IRA funds can help create a community-wide “campaign psychology” that puts us on the path to achieving this important goal. Sincerely yours, Howard Landsman 318 Elmside Boulevard Madison, WI 53704 (608) 469-2951 hlandsman47@gmail.com