Regular Meeting of the Urban Forest Advisory Committee 10/22/2026

The City of Encinitas Urban Forest Advisory Committee’s regular meeting on October 22, 2026, focused on urban forestry work-plan progress, tree-canopy data, pruning practices, and the transition to a new full-time urban forester. Staff said Dudek will remain available for consulting arboricultural services—including risk assessments, appraisals, and construction monitoring—under its existing contract for about eight more months, with the arrangement expected to be refined in 2027. West Coast Arborists performs tree work under the city’s existing contracting arrangement; members discussed whether more tree-specific pruning specifications could affect costs, but no contract changes, bids, awards, or procurement votes were made. A prospective fire-resilience work item may include analyzing the cost of hardening evacuation routes, and members emphasized developing reliable tree inventory, survival, and canopy-trend data to inform future budgets and decisions.

The committee also discussed a draft deliverable assessing projected canopy from the approved Highway 101 streetscape planting plan, and a comparison of routine grid pruning with more prescriptive approaches for selected trees. Members identified mature, native, heritage, prominent-location, and newly planted trees as possible priorities for enhanced attention and oversight. The committee planned to bring work-plan guidance and deliverables back for consideration in January. The only motion noted was to approve the prior meeting’s minutes; the transcript does not record a vote outcome, and no spending or procurement action was taken.