The future of some landmark oak trees along Folsom Boulevard was a top item on the agenda at Folsom’s City Hall Tuesday night as the City Council held its first meeting of July. The much talked-about oak trees stood in the path of the ongoing Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) Light Rail Modernization Project. The project, known as “15 Minutes to Folsom,” aimed to enhance the light rail service by reducing train headway times from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes.
On Tuesday night, City Council members approved Resolution No. 11218, which sought to declassify five landmark trees within the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Landmark Grove, allowing for their removal to accommodate the construction of a passing track, an additional loading platform at the Glenn station, and the adaptation of the existing platform.
The trees in question, some of which dated back centuries, had long been recognized for their exceptional characteristics, ecological contributions, and historical significance along what many referred to as the gateway into Historic Folsom. The trees’ placement on the Landmark Tree Registry underscored their significance to the city, which faced a decision that could determine their fate.
Established in 1996, the Landmark Tree Registry recognized particularly noteworthy specimens within the City that contributed to Folsom’s character and “Distinctive by Nature” adage. In order for a tree to be added to the Landmark Tree Registry, the City Council had to find that the subject tree(s) were exceptional due to outstanding characteristics, special ecological contributions, or historical importance. Trees designated as Landmark Trees within the City of Folsom were added to a special registry and were eligible to receive assisted maintenance and monitoring by the City Arborist.
Earlier this year, SacRT had identified the need to remove several trees to advance the light rail project. The initial application had led to the declassification of 13 trees. As construction progressed, additional impacts on the trees were discovered, prompting further requests for declassification, according to the staff report presented to council members prior to Tuesday’s meeting. In the latest application submitted by SacRT, four additional native oak trees were identified for removal and another eight required pruning to accommodate overhead powerlines. A recent redesign had also necessitated the removal of a fifth tree. The Community Development Department had recommended that the City Council adopt the resolution to allow these changes.
The proposed removal of the landmark trees had sparked a discussion amongst residents and leaders about balancing development with environmental stewardship.
According to SacRT, the trees prevented reasonable use of the property for the planned light rail improvements that were already well underway. The City’s Urban Forester had confirmed that the project, as currently designed, could not proceed without the removal of these trees.
On Monday, Folsom Mayor Mike Kozlowski and Vice Mayor Sarah Aquino had met with arborists on the topic to fully understand the proposed needs and concerns prior to Tuesday night’s meeting where the resolution was discussed amongst all council members prior to being approved 4-1.
The trees slated for removal notably are small in size and would have posed very little to no impact to the canopy or shade they provided to the nearby trail.
According to the staff report, SacRT will be required to mitigate the loss of these trees. This could involve planting 43 oak trees from 15-gallon containers or 21 oak trees from 24-inch boxes and one from a 15-gallon container. Alternatively, SacRT may pay in-lieu fees estimated at $10,750, which would be used for tree planting and maintenance within the city. SacRT had prepared an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the project, ensuring that environmental impacts were minimized.
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