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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: June 20, 2023 Item No.: 10.d Department Approval City Manager Approval Item Description: Authorize Professional Services Agreement with Davey Resource Group, Inc for Tree Inventory Page 1 of 2 BACKGROUND 1 In March 2022, the City entered into an agreement with Tree Trust to implement the Accelerated 2 Emerald Ash Borer Program, an aggressive program that calls for the City to proactively address the 3 threat posed by Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) by 2025. Specifically, the plan calls for a combination of 4 ash tree removal, replacement planting of diverse species, and ongoing treatment of select ash trees. 5 As was discussed at the May 15, 2023 City Council Meeting, the program is coming along well and 6 is slightly ahead of schedule. 7 Prior to the discovery of EAB in Roseville, more than 21% of Roseville’s public trees were ash. The 8 EAB infestation has, and will continue to, greatly transform Roseville’s urban forest. As we near the 9 half-way point of the program, staff have begun to turn their attention to developing a post-EAB 10 forestry approach. 11 The first step in that process is updating the City’s tree inventory. A public tree inventory is a hand 12 count of all of the City’s public trees including their species, size and condition. Additionally, a survey 13 can identify prospective future planting locations on public property. This information can be used to 14 identify possible weak spots in the city’s urban tree canopy, including preparedness for future pests 15 such as the Asian Longhorned Beetle, and for the development of a plan to address these deficiencies. 16 Additionally, survey data can be overlaid with demographic data to identify and redress possible equity 17 impacts. If desired, this data can be utilized to develop a ten or twenty year forestry plan. 18 The City’s last public tree inventory occurred in 2011. This was an important step for the City, and 19 one that led to our current Street Tree Master Plan and the development of the City’s approach to EAB 20 mitigation. However, as we have worked through the Accelerated EAB program, we have found some 21 of the data to be incorrect or outdated. Best-practices for urban forest management recommend 22 updating a community’s tree inventory every ten years to ensure the data is accurate and contains up- 23 to-date condition ratings. 24 In 2022, the City was awarded a $125,000 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR) 25 Preparing for Emerald Ash Borer Grant for ash tree removal ($75,000) and an update to the City’s 26 public tree inventory ($50,000). In March of 2023, a Request for Proposal was issued to solicit 27 proposals for a vendor to conduct a tree inventory for the City. Two proposals were received. The 28 lowest cost and highest scoring proposal was submitted by Davey Resource Group for $58,940. 29 Review of the proposal and a clarifying interview has shown that the proposal meets the City’s 30