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6.0 PROPOSED GOAL STATEMENT FOR THE VANCOUVER STREET TREE PROGRAM <br /> The goal of Vancouver's Street Tree Program is to <br /> proactively manage the municipal forest in a proper <br /> arboricultural and cost effective manner by providing to the <br /> taxpayers innovative leadership and services designed to <br /> preserve and improve the natural beauty of the urban forest. <br /> The goal will be accomplished through the design, <br /> communication, and implementation of tree planting and <br /> maintenance policies and programs outlined in the Street Tree <br /> Management Plan which are consistent with Vancouver's <br /> environmental. concept and objectives. <br /> Vancouver's street tree program will respond to the needs <br /> and expectations of the - taxpayers and local government <br /> agencies, and will improve the quality of life and increase <br /> the value 'of the trees and the real estate of the city of <br /> Vancouver. <br /> This document- highlights the policy recommendations for <br /> implementing an arboriculturally sound and progressive street <br /> tree planting, maintenance and removal programs to meet these <br /> program goals. <br /> 7.0 SYSTEMATIC PRUNING <br /> 7.1 Policy Recommendation: Vancouver street trees should be <br /> • pruned . on a systematic- basis every five years. <br /> Specific tree crews should be dedicated to systematically <br /> `prune the street- trees.- A maintenance area grid system should <br /> be followed to ensure. each tree is pruned once every five <br /> years. The current funding level does not provide adequate <br /> personnel and equipment resources to perform routine — <br /> systematic pruning. <br /> Vancouver's current pruning cycle is approximately 13 <br /> years, and it is unlikely that all trees are actually serviced <br /> during that cycle. Pruning cycles longer than five or seven <br /> years are not functional in ACRT's experience because a larger <br /> number of citizen service requests will require the crews' <br /> time and interfere with the implementation of the routine <br /> systematic pruning program. People do not want to wait 10 <br /> years 'or more to get their street tree trimmed. The result <br /> of a citizen service request based tree maintenance program <br /> is that all trees in the city do not get pruned and those that <br /> do cost up to 40 percent more to prune than if work had been <br /> performed systematically. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF UNDERTAKING A FIVE YEAR PRUNING CYCLE IS A $ 1 <br /> MI LLION INCREASE III ANNUAL OPERATING FUNDS. A SEVEN TEAR PRUNING CYCLE WOULD REQUIRE A <br /> $600,000 INCREASE. ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT WOULD REQUIRE A ONETIME CAPITAL. EXPENDITURE OF $1 <br /> MILLION FOR A FIVE TEAR CYCLE AND $600,000 FOR A SEVEN YEAR CYCLE. REFER TO APPENDIX. <br /> -5- <br />