1. Project Management a. Coordination and Meetings – The selected Consultant’s Project Manager will take the lead in coordinating all project activities, including coordinating with the District’s Urban Forest Manager, deliverables, submissions, permits and similar coordination efforts consistent with the scope of services. i. The Consultant shall conduct a kick-off meeting with District staff and other entities to present a Work Plan, introduce the project team, request information, and prepare and distribute meeting minutes. ii. The Consultant shall conduct regular meetings, prepare, and distribute meeting minutes throughout the duration of the project. iii. The Consultant shall attend other meetings as required to coordinate and execute the scope of services. The proposal shall include a plan for up to eight public meetings. iv. The Consultant shall plan, schedule, conduct and present at up to eight public outreach meetings (using various forms of virtual platforms) to solicit input from, promote the project to, and garner support for the project by the public. b. Project Schedule – The Consultant shall prepare and periodically update a project schedule with tasks and milestones. The Consultant shall break down the schedule by logical tasks with enough detail to track project progress. The schedule must reflect realistic review periods for tasks, such as reports, plans and coordination. c. Administration i. The Consultant shall submit a consolidated monthly invoice that includes a progress report reflecting the work completed with the invoice. ii. The Consultant shall maintain project files in accordance with its Work Plan. d. Work Plan - The Consultant shall prepare a Work Plan, based on the proposal, that includes a list of deliverables, milestone submittal schedule, summary of organization responsibilities and contacts, and task budgets. The Work Plan shall be submitted to the District and approved prior to the first invoice. The work plan shall include: i. Develop long range plans for tree replacement ii. Develop long-term urban forest management plan 2. Analysis of Current Status, Challenges and Opportunities - As part of the development of the Management Plan, the consultant will review all relevant material to the Urban Forestry Program, including District policies and documents, to identify where the District is successfully meeting program goals, and where there are gaps and areas for recommended improvements. a. Review District Policies and Documents – The Consultant shall review all relevant material listed in this section. i. District Guidelines, Specifications and Standards (e.g., Street Design, Planning Permits, Tree Removal/Pruning Permits, Landmark Trees, Master Tree List, Parking Lot Shade Guidelines, District Landscape and Tree Maintenance Specifications) ii. Climate Action and Sustainability Plans - Potential impacts on urban forest (e.g., carbon credits, plans for landscape irrigation with recycled water, wood residue utilization, urban heat island mitigation, etc.) and opportunities for integration. iii. Review planning documents and construction plans for development and capital projects for conformance with the ANSI A300 Tree Management industry standards ISA best management practices. iv. PG&E and SMUD Tree Management Program v. Key Parties and Stakeholders (interviews required) 1. District Board of Directors and Parks Advisory Committee 2. District Staff and Other Public Agencies b. Assess Program Structure, Function and Budget i. Current staffing and program resources 1. Urban Forestry Division location/staffing/roles and responsibilities (e.g., in- house, contract) 2. Work conducted by program area (i.e., planting, young tree care, mature tree care, hazard tree abatement, administration, special projects (e.g., removal/replacement programs, major corridor tree/landscape improvements), backlog of work, emergency response, levels of interdepartmental coordination, etc. 3. Budget allocated per program area and current level of service for each. c. Assess Current District Public Trees Resources (Streets, Greenbelts, Open Space and Parks) i. Assess the district’s canopy cover ii. Tree numbers and stocking levels (from existing inventory) iii. Species composition and age diversity (from existing inventory) iv. Species fitness for future climate and growing conditions (pests, drought, etc. v. Management needs prioritized by program area (planting, young tree care, mature tree care, high-risk tree abatement, administration, special projects) vi. Current value – resource units and annual monetary benefits, benefit-cost ratios for street and park tree populations vii. Current public opinion – conduct outreach to determine public opinion concerning services provided by the District and preference for alternative future investments. d. Private and Public Trees Resources (Canopy Cover Analysis) i. Tree canopy cover and available growing space (area and %) by census tract (for equity assessment) ii. Overall health of the canopy by census tract (if discernible from existing imagery). Identify primary threats to urban forest health Districtwide. iii. Equity assessment (distribution of canopy cover and its health, as well as available growing space, in relation to socio-economic indicators of need from census tract data. iv. Planting and management needs prioritized by census tract. v. Value - resource units and annual monetary benefits, benefit-cost ratios by census tract if available vi. Current public opinion – conduct outreach to determine public opinion concerning the extent, health and preference for alternative future investments in the District’s urban forest canopy.
