Takoma Park urban forest manager warns Tree Tacoma planting program unsustainable without new funding

Rudy Delsac, Takoma Park's urban forest manager, told the City Council that the Tree Tacoma private-property planting program closed its FY26 application window on March 1 after four years because available tree-fund balance is too low to continue planting at current levels.

Delsac presented FY25 program numbers: "We planted 89 public space trees in FY25, 89 also with Tree Tacoma," he said, and reported approximately 350 tree removal permits for the fiscal year, with the majority of removals for dead or hazardous trees. Delsac said the city generated about $25,000 in tree-fund revenue in FY25 and finished the year with roughly $65,000 in the fund; he said that is not sufficient to sustain the Tree Tacoma program.

Delsac said he is pursuing grants — including an $85,000 request to the Mid-Atlantic Community Trust/Chesapeake Bay program — but cautioned that grants are not a reliable, long-term funding source. "I recommend the city council to consider utilizing the general fund to support the city's tree planting budget," he said.

Council members and public commenters pressed on details. Liz Kleemeyer, a Ward 1 resident active in tree-ordinance work, said the urban forest report omitted the council's biodiversity goal and requested clearer statistics on native-tree planting. Delsac told the council the city planted "96.6% of all trees planted with city funds were of a native tree species," and said he plans to include biodiversity limits in upcoming planting contracts (a 30/20/10 rule limiting family/genus/species representation) to guard against disease-driven losses.

The urban forest manager and the tree commission both urged targeted outreach to multifamily properties and underplanted wards and indicated some planting opportunities on institutional properties and school sites.

Why it matters: The Tree Tacoma program has been a primary mechanism for growing canopy on private property in Takoma Park. Without stable funding, the program's capacity to plant medium and large canopy trees — a key lever for heat mitigation and biodiversity goals — is at risk.

What's next: Delsac will continue to seek grant funding and recommended the council consider general-fund support; the council and staff discussed targeted outreach for multifamily properties and potential partnership strategies.