Commemorative Trees and Shrubs (Report Reference) S eptember 28, 2015
BOARD MOTION: Commemorative Trees & Shrubs THAT the Vancouver Park Board direct st aff to report back by S ept ember 2015 or sooner on options for establishing a commemorative tree and shrub planting program for the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation that: a) responds t o the reasonable requests of resident s of Vancouver; b) provides commemorative tree and shrub plantings at a reasonable cost; c) advances the goals of the Urban Forest S trategy; d) and is revenue positive or neutral to the Park Board.
REPORT REFERENCE - OUTLINE • Background – history of commemorative tree donations • Gifts for Parks Program – current program status, develop new opportunities that link to Urban Forest S trategy • Opportunities – create sustainable sources of funding • Next Steps - program development, marketing, promotion
BACKGROUND • Contributions to the Park Board help support our mandate • Gifts for Parks Program – donation program began in 1986
GIFTS FOR PARKS PROGRAM • Includes opt ions t o fund and dedicat e park amenit ies (park benches & picnic t ables) and commemorat ive t rees • S ince 1986, 150 commemorat ive t rees funded & plant ed • In 2006, 70 t rees were funded as commemorat ive gift s and plant ed in S t anley Park during t he rest orat ion of t he park aft er t he devast at ing st orm • Park Board’s st rat egic plan support s increased communit y giving t hrough ent repreneurial development
STATUS OF PROGRAM • Commemorative trees are a popular donation item • Receive many requests; not all can be met • Focus on trees due to recognized challenges around small plant or shrub commemorations (longevity, landscape design & maintenance) • Current challenges: availability of park planting locations, timing of planting, tree selections, and tree size .
OPPORTUNITIES • Urban Forest S t rat egy – present s new opport unit y • Develop market ing and fundraising opport unit ies t o promot e t he Urban Forest S t rat egy and secure funding • Ident ify ways t o respond t o request s, provide t ree plant ings at reasonable cost , advance t he goals of t he urban forest st rat egy • Int roduce: Tree Trust Adopt -A-Forest Legacy Tree Endowment
OPPORTUNITIES – Tree Trust Introduce a Tree Trust • Promote need of support ing t ree plant ing and tree replacement, as identified by Urban Forest S trategy • Donations of any amount placed in an endowment fund • Provides sustainable funding for tree plantings • Donations recognized on website, on-site signage
OPPORTUNITIES – Adopt-a-Forest Introduce Adopt-A-Forest • S imilar to current commemorative tree program • Individual or group contribut ions; used t o plant trees, shrubs & other plant material in reforested areas • S upports the Urban Forest S trategy’s reforestation goals • Provides a source of annual funding
OPPORTUNITIES – Adopt-a-Forest • Donors encouraged to participate as caregivers for trees • Encourages stewardship - adopt ers become invest ed in watering and caring for the trees • Engages large community groups
OPPORTUNITIES - Legacy Tree Endowment Introduce a Legacy Tree Endowment • Named endowment est ablished for larger gift s • Trees plant ed in ident ified groves or clust ers in select parks and dest inat ion parks (e.g., QE Park, VanDusen Bot anical Garden) • Promot es t he need for a source of sust ainable finding t o support t he Urban Forest S t rat egy • Donat ions recognized on websit e, named funds list ed on signage promot ing t he grove
NEXT STEPS • Continue working with Urban Forest ry staff to implement an enhanced commemorative tree and shrub program t hat responds t o t he reasonable request s of citizen requests of Vancouver; • Additional considerat ions for the commemorative tree and shrub program will be included in the proposed plan to establish a Vancouver Parks Foundation • Report back to t he Board by end of 2015 with recommendations.
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