Advisory Board: Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee
Subject: 4. RECEIVE an update on the development of the Urban Forest Management Plan and ADVISE staff, as appropriate
Presenter: Adam Scarbrough, Sustainability Planner
Contact: Wade Finlinson, 925.655.3214
Information:
The bylaws of the Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee (IPMAC) list several purposes of the Committee. Those include:
• Making policy recommendations upon assessment of current pest issues and evaluation of possible IPM solutions.
• Providing a forum for communication and information exchange among members in an effort to identify, encourage, and stimulate the use of best or promising pest management practices.
Referral History and Update:
The County’s Department of Conservation and Development (DCD) received a planning grant through the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program administered by the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. DCD is using the grant to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP), a roadmap for addressing the impacts of extreme heat by increasing tree canopy in the unincorporated areas of the county. A consultant has been retained to develop the UFMP.
The UFMP and the process used to develop it will prioritize equity, ensuring that the benefits of increased tree canopy cover reach those most vulnerable to extreme heat, improving health outcomes, and reducing inequity in greenspace access driven by historical underinvestment in Impacted Communities in the County. The UFMP will emphasize the importance of urban greening in mitigating extreme heat, improve health outcomes in Impacted Communities, and promote a more resilient community through a resilient urban forest.
In 2023, the County completed Healthy Lands, Healthy People: A Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study, which identifies strategies to store greenhouse gases in the different land use types in Contra Costa County . A key recommendation of that study was to develop an UFMP. Development of this UFMP extends and amplifies North Richmond Urban Greening Plan developed in 2023 by the Watershed Project, in collaboration with Contra Costa County.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
Staff recommends discussing the update and advising on elements applicable to IPMAC.