24-051 Arbor Day and tree distribution

52:10Okay, we'll move on to uh res two.

52:14All right, if you are here for Arbor Day, please step to the podium.

52:27Good morning.

52:30I will go ahead and read the resolution. Resolution number twenty four dash zero five one, a resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida declaring um january nineteenth, twenty twenty four, as Arbor Day in Pasco County. Whereas Arbor Day was first observed in eighteen seventy two with the planting of over one million trees in Nebraska, ANRAS Florida has celebrated Arbor Day on the third Friday in January since eighteen eighty six. ANRAS trees are important in that they remove CO

53:00two and pollutants, therefore reducing the heat island effect. Trees also preserve soil by decreasing stormwater runoff and provide shade and shelter for many animals, and whereas trees are a renewable resource, giving us paper, wood for our homes, fuel for our fires, and to beautify our community. ANRAS trees in our county increase property values and enhance the vitality of our county's business areas. ANRAS the steps we can take to protect and preserve our natural environment through education,

53:30partnerships, and positive action should be encouraged in Pasco County. Enras the citizens, staff and elected officials of Pasco County are committed not only to pr the protection and preservation of our trees, but also planting additional ones. NRAS Pasco County created a collaborative team managed by the plant the Planning and Development Department. to strategically remove and implement the tree management plan for Pasco County, which will increase efficiency by maximizing resources and reducing duplicative efforts

54:01to plant and maintain trees. NRES, in its mission to keep Pasco beautiful, to improve Pasco County by engaging the community in sustainable efforts to reduce litter, promote waste reduction, and encourage beautification. NRES there will be tree distributions throughout the month of January in east and west Pasco County where citizens can receive a native tree to plant. Now therefore be resolved by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County, Florida, that said board hereby declares january nineteenth, twenty twenty four, as Arbor Day in

54:32Pasco County and encourages all Pasco County citizens to join in efforts to plant and preserve trees in all in all its diversity. Dunner resolved in regular session with the quorum present and voting this ninth day of january, twenty twenty four.

54:45No problem?

54:46Second.

54:47Got a motion and second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Motion passed.

54:52So this one's mine?

54:53Okay, this is yours.

54:54Um I'm very excited to bring this back. There was a time when we used to um do more on Arbor Day. Um I don't even think we've celebrated since I've been a commissioner,

55:05but

55:06um I don't know about you but when I d you know when I drive by and I see all those trees getting knocked down it just it's very it's very difficult. So um We understand development comes here, but uh my husband always says when you knock it down you can always replace. So um I think it's really important for the county to be uh putting its tree canopy back in place and first even finding out what our tree canopy looks like. So these guys have some wonderful

55:36work going on. I don't know if you've met uh with the team that's working on this but I would love for you to uh talk to the commission about the work that you're doing and um and uh I'm very excited about our kick off on uh putting trees back in Pasco County. So

55:53Um sure. Um my name is Kristen King. I'm a planner in Long Range Planting and I'm very fortunate Kat uh Commissioner Starkey has been amazing and very supportive of the trees in Pasco County, as I think we all know. We have an amazing staff in Pasco County that truly cares about our community, that cares about the trees and the environment all around us. So what we've managed to do, my And Mike Woodard, who is our county arborist, he's like the true hero here today. We put together

56:24a group of people within the county to actually look at all the different aspects of our different departments that are touching trees, whether it has to do with permitting, whether it's dealing with parks, whether it's dealing with public works. We're looking at doing going after grants, but first we're actually trying To look at our tree canopy, doing a tree canopy study, doing a potential tree inventory so that we can look at this from a strategic approach of what we currently have and then where we need to go. So we've

56:55created what I call our tree dream team, and we're gonna do wonderful things with the support of you all and the support of our staff as well. So I appreciate It very much. We do have also partnered with Keep Pasco Beautiful, which is a 501 nonprofit, but they also have a staff person in Pasco County as well, along with Coviant at Pasco. And on Arbor Day, we are doing a tree giveaway. We are having people pre-register through Keep Pasco

57:25Beautiful website so that we have a seamless process. So if you go to Keep Pasco, Beautiful.org. We will be doing a tree distribution at Aloha Gardens Park in holiday along with the one stop shop in Dade City on January 19th. So thank you again for all of your supports.

57:43So I I I will need a motion because I've asked the county administrator to match the donation from Keep Pasco Beautiful so that we can give out a I think it's total of a hundred trees, be fifty trees over here, fifty trees over there. I hope this will grow. Um but I would make a motion uh to approve the County Administrator taking one thousand why are we taking it from the tree mitigation trust fund? Yeah. Because you asked me to do it from the general fund and that's not a good idea.

58:16Okay.

58:17Really should come from the treatment, gauge and trust fund. That's what it's for.

58:19Okay, so that's your motion. That's my motion. Second with exhibitment from Mr. Bradford? Absolutely. And you want to speak? Because I'd like to speak to it.

58:29Very important. Yes. I would like to speak because I have mentioned to developers because it seems like a development always comes in and the first thing they do is clear the lot. I mean whether that lot's a hundred acres or it's forty acres or whatever. I've asked several developers that come before me that that buffer area of 150 feet or 100 feet, if there's a fifty or a hundred year old tree Please leave those trees in that buffering area which shouldn't affect the rest of your property.

59:00Now if it's some low areas they gotta fix because of elevations thing, I understand, but if at all possible leave the trees around the development, it's something we need to keep in our county and because hundred-year and fifty-year-old trees are are very important. So I mean oak tree that's this Big around.

59:19Gotta value it more.

59:21Is is uh fifty years old, so I I planted some back in 73 and they're 50 years old now at the Chapel Hill Cemetery. And um Those trees are now fifty years old because I planted them in nineteen seventy-three.

59:37So

59:38important to keep those the South South town. Yeah. Okay. Yes, sir.

59:42Thank you, Chair. Yeah, I share the sentiment of Commissioner Starkey at Chair Oakley. It it pains me when you see us knocking down these grandfather oaks, and you're talking three, four generations until they come back. If there's a way to devise a plan that all parties can agree with instead of plan Planting well, I agree with planting new trees. Again, you're three, four generations of of folks until that trees come back. I think I think our historic trees are worth saving. I

1:00:12think Commissioner Starkey and I have had some minimal discussion about this in the past, but oak trees are important. They're a piece of Pasco's identity. Uh they make our roadways, you know, a pleasure to drive on, and there's a way to to mitigate knocking down, you know what Commissioner Oakley described, I'd be fully supportive of of that. Thank you, Chairman Mariano.

1:00:34Mr. Mayor on the Mr. Thank you Mr. Mr. Starkey, I'm glad you brought up the tree mitigation fund. Um I think if we can actually use that fund, that I wouldn't even mind going up to ten grand.

1:00:44That's where it should come from. Um I wanna l let you know I've also had discussion I can't remember if it's from here or with my meetings with administrator or staff that we haven't looked at the evaluation of the trees when when we let developers clear, you know, they there's a certain uh cost per inch that they have to pay into the fund. And we haven't We haven't raised that since we did that twenty, I don't know, twenty years ago? When did we set that up? So um I definitely want us to take a look at

1:01:14that again. Also um in my staff were doing a little bit of research in other counties, they um I think Roy has also told me some of this, that other counties put a lot more value on their Grand Oaks than we do. Um and so I think some trees need some special consideration. Um uh a longtime resident on this side of the county told me their friend sold some property to a developer was on top of a mountain. And they came in and they took out the Grand Oaks. You don't

1:01:44have to fill on top of a mountain. So what you need to do in that instance is design your property around the trees. There's you know So um we If we don't put those rules in place, then shame shame on us, it's gonna happen. So I'm hopeful that we'll we'll work on uh protecting what makes this part of what makes this county so beautiful and and I hope that we move to getting even more trees uh given out and and just restart taking the money

1:02:14that's been paid into the tree mitigation trust fund and planting more trees around the county. Right.

1:02:19Well and just so you know too, um, that our ACA, Mr. Mazur, he has told us that he wants us to look at that eight oh two ordinance. So we are reviewing that with staff, we're looking at that with um our director as well and trying to see what we can do to look at those fees and look at the classifications and evaluations as well. So staff does hear you and we hear the community and we are working on that now.

1:02:43So a I believe an oak tree supports 500 different species and uh a crepe myrtle I don't think supports anything. Um palm trees, maybe a few. Um also when you shade, and it doesn't have to be oak trees, when you shade your property, the it's 15% reduction in the temperature. Um when you shade parking lots, the car the asphalt cool you know is much cooler and it doesn't give all these emissions into the air and make poor more uh poor air

1:03:13quality. Um When you put shade on sidewalks and trails, people use them? But not a lot of people are gonna go out in Florida and exercise and, you know, w They pre especially as we're aging, prefer to walk on a shading. shaded sidewalk or trail. So Um Also uh when it rains the water goes down the roots and goes down into the ground and back into the aquifer and it's a natural filtration, so it's much better for our water quality. There's just a million reasons why it's

1:03:44good to make sure we protect our tree plant.

1:03:46Okay. You wanna go down and make a presentation? We'll just stand by

1:03:53Susie if we did um make

1:03:54a

1:03:55call motion. Oh. Let's vote.

1:03:57Thank you. I thought we did that. Well you did you didn't call the you didn't

1:04:01call the question. I made a motion. We had a second.

1:04:02We had a

1:04:03second, but we need to call the question.

1:04:04Oh question. Okay. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed like that? Motion passed. Thank you. Okay,

1:04:12there we go.

1:04:16You

1:04:16guys stand up?

1:04:17Yeah.

1:04:17Okay.

1:04:35Right. Right you want my mic?

1:04:41Uh