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DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES
PARKS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION
FORESTRY AND LANDSCAPING PROGRAM
PROGRAM MISSION: To promote a safe, attractive and environmentally sustainable
community by providing optimal tree canopy cover, landscaping, and control of
invasive plants.
The Forestry and Landscape
Section manages, maintains, enhances and protects the County's urban forest and
landscaped areas. This section includes
technical staff that provides expertise and support for the review of site plans
and County initiated projects as they relate to tree preservation, tree
planting and natural resource issues.
The section's Forestry Unit performs tree maintenance, hazardous tree
removals and technical assessments of trees in County parks, street
rights-of-way and open spaces. The
Landscape Unit plants trees on County property and installs and maintains landscaping
in parks, street islands and on the grounds of community centers. The majority of annual and perennial flowers
are grown in a staff operated greenhouse.
The Forestry and Landscape Section also manages a newly established
program to control invasive plants in County parks and the County's gypsy moth
suppression program.
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Forestry and
Landscaping Program
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FY 2002
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FY 2003
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FY 2004
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% Change:
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Actual
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Adopted
|
Proposed
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'03 to '04
|
|
Personnel
|
$1,411,253
|
$1,623,463
|
$1,624,592
|
-
|
|
Non-Personnel
|
636,756
|
1,039,978
|
959,828
|
-8%
|
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Subtotal
|
2,048,009
|
2,663,441
|
2,584,420
|
-3%
|
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Intra-County
Charges
|
-
|
|
-
|
-
|
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Total Expenditures
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2,048,009
|
2,663,441
|
2,584,420
|
-3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Fees
|
-
|
-
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14,000
|
-
|
|
Grants
|
15,000
|
10,000
|
1,000
|
-90%
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Net Tax Support
|
$2,033,009
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$2,653,441
|
$2,569,420
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-3%
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Authorized FTEs
|
32.7
|
34.2
|
33.2
|
|
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Funded FTEs
|
31.7
|
34.2
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33.2
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SIGNIFICANT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:
-
Decrease in 1.0 FTE is due to the
transfer of the FTE and funding ($40,423) to Park Management Program for the
new Powhatan Springs Skate Park.
-
The decrease in non-personnel costs is mainly due to a
one-time allocation in FY 2003 for production of a Tree Master Plan ($100,000)
and start-up costs for controlling invasive plants ($5,000), offset by
increases for tree removal contract ($31,474).
-
The increase in revenues is due to the transfer of
$14,000 revenues from the Cooperative Extension Program for the Community
Gardens Program and reimbursement from City of Alexandria for the Master
Gardener Program which includes an additional revenue anticipated from
increasing the Community Garden fee by $10 per garden plot (for approximately
200 plots). Currently, the annual cost
for most garden plots with water is $30.
This increase in revenues is offset by a decrease in the federal cost-share
funding for the Gypsy Moth Suppression Program from $10,000 to $1,000 based
upon current information that federal cost-share funds will be extremely
limited and that aerial spraying cannot be conducted due to the September 11th
incident.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES:
Objective:
To provide tree maintenance, hazard mitigation and technical assessments of
trees in County parks, street rights-of-way and open spaces and to monitor and
treat gypsy moth infestations in Arlington County through the State Cooperative
Gypsy Moth Suppression Program.
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FY
2001
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FY 2002
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FY 2003
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FY
2004
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FY
2004
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|
Actual
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Actual
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Estimate
|
Estimate
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Target
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Mission Outcome Measures
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|
|
|
|
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Tree
emergencies completed in 24 hrs.
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95%
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95%
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98%
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98%
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98%
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Non-emergency
requests for tree work completed on time
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85%
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85%
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90%
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95%
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95%
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Increase in
the number of trees on County property
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258
|
310
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730
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730
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730
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Percent
of County streets, trees, and potential street tree planting locations
covered by five-year planting and
pruning plan
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N/A
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N/A
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98%
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98%
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100%
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Percent
of trees given away and reported as surviving after one year
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N/A
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N/A
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80%
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80%
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85%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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Workload Measures
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|
|
|
|
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Reactive
maintenance (percent of work)
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80%
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75%
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70%
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70%
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65%
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Preventive
maintenance (percent of work)
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20%
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25%
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30%
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30%
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35%
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Trees
removed / trees installed
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625/883
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544/854
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550/1,280
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550/1,229
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550/1,280
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Trees
pruned
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1,869
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2,340
|
2,750
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3,000
|
3,200
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Plans
reviewed
|
175
|
195
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210
|
210
|
210
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Number
of trees given to residents during Neighborhood Day celebrations
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N/A
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1,600
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1,600
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1,600
|
1,600
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Acres
sprayed for Gypsy moths
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1,674
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0
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25
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50
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50
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-
The FY 2004 estimate for the number of trees
installed (1,229) is less than the estimate for the number installed in FY 2003
(1,280) to reflect an anticipated increase in the contracted price to plant
trees (estimated at 4%).
-
Gypsy moth infestation levels declined
dramatically during FY 2002. Also,
aerial spraying is currently not permitted in Arlington for security reasons
following September 11th. Projections are based upon "spot" treatments of heavy
infestations to be sprayed from the ground, which is approximately four times
the cost of spraying from the air.
Objective:
To provide scheduled landscape planting and maintenance service for 180 public
landscape sites, and to plant trees on County property to enhance public landscapes
and forest cover.
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FY
2001
|
FY 2002
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FY 2003
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FY
2004
|
FY
2004
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|
Actual
|
Actual
|
Estimate
|
Estimate
|
Target
|
|
Mission Outcome Measures
|
|
|
|
|
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Landscaping
maintained according to standard
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90%
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90%
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90%
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90%
|
95%
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Newly
planted trees surviving after one year
|
87%
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85%
|
90%
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90%
|
95%
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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Workload Measures
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|
|
|
|
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Landscape
locations maintained
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176
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176
|
178
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180
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180
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Annual
flower beds maintained
|
39
|
39
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34
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34
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30
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Perennial
flower beds maintained
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31
|
31
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36
|
36
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40
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Greenhouse
production of bedding plants
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60,000
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62,000
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63,000
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64,000
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64,000
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Objective:
To control invasive plants in parks and open space areas through the use of
chemical and mechanical control efforts by staff, coordinated efforts of
volunteers (for mechanical removal), and educational programs/information.
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FY
2001
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FY 2002
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FY 2003
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FY
2004
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FY
2004
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|
Actual
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Actual
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Estimate
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Estimate
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Target
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Mission Outcome Measures
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Number of
acres where invasive plants were permanently removed (through chemical or
mechanical methods)
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N/A
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N/A
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12
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12
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15
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|
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Workload Measures
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|
|
|
|
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Number of
program presentations
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N/A
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7
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12
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12
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12
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Attendance
at programs
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N/A
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125
|
240
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240
|
300
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Number of
volunteers
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N/A
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161
|
200
|
200
|
250
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Number of
volunteer projects
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N/A
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13
|
15
|
15
|
18
|
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Yearly
number of volunteer hours
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N/A
|
654
|
800
|
800
|
850
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Invasive plant removal efforts in FY 2002
were limited mainly to volunteer efforts to remove invasive vines from
trees. Such methods provided
"temporary" control to help protect trees, but did not permanently remove the
invasive plants. "Permanent" removal
efforts consist of spraying of herbicides by staff and physically pulling out
plants by the roots (by staff and volunteers).
Funding was provided in FY 2003 to begin permanent removal efforts.
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