Glendora commissioners review updated urban forestry manual and call for broader public engagement

Glendora's Community Services Commission on Monday reviewed a near-final draft of the city's urban forestry manual and discussed possible changes to the tree ordinance that staff say are intended to slow a recent decline in canopy cover.

City arborist and parks supervisor Matt Basefluid told the commission that an inventory and canopy analysis found the city lost 0.5% of canopy cover between 2018 and 2022 — "approximately 33 football fields of shade, cooling, and air quality benefits," he said — and that a suite of manual updates and ordinance options aim to help the city regain that loss.

The draft manual updates recommended "plant the right tree in the right place" guidance, revised lists of recommended and undesirable species, updated pruning and care standards, and education tools for residents. On the ordinance side, staff presented options that include reducing the protected-tree diameter threshold from 10 inches to 6 inches, establishing an in-lieu tree bank so developers can fund off-site tree planting when on-site planting is infeasible, and clarifying arborist oversight in plan review.

"Decreasing the protected tree's definition to 6 inches will allow more trees to mature or more replacement trees to be planted on private land," Basefluid told commissioners, noting that replacement-tree costs would fall to developers rather than the city's general fund. He and staff also described strengthening enforcement and penalty options while cautioning that penalties must remain reasonable and enforceable.

Commissioners focused on outreach and implementation details. One commissioner suggested partnering with high-attendance community groups — including sports leagues and youth organizations — to boost survey participation and raise awareness about canopy trends. Another urged mailers or a prominent QR-code flyer in the city activity guide to reach residents who do not respond to emails or social posts.

"We'd like more people taking the survey," Basefluid said, describing an earlier survey of 198 respondents in which 87% said trees significantly affect their quality of life. Assistant Public Works Director Valerie Velasquez Santoya said the manual is in a finalized draft form and staff plan to bring the ordinance changes to the planning commission and then to city council after additional engagement.

Discussion also touched on downtown "gumdrop" ficus trees, which require more frequent shaping to maintain their character, and on whether citrus trees should be promoted as street trees. Basefluid noted citrus are often susceptible to pests and fruit drop makes them less suitable as street trees but that Glendora's Heritage Park grove remains healthy and may be better suited for heritage preservation.

Commissioners asked staff to outline options for a small-tree pruning program, mechanisms to coordinate with large landholders including school districts, and clearer plan-review roles for arborist oversight. Staff said those operational details will be refined before any ordinance update is advanced.

After the discussion, the commission voted to receive and file the manual update report and directed staff to continue community engagement and internal coordination before bringing ordinance language forward for formal review.

Next steps: staff will publish the draft materials for public comment, return with refined implementation details and outreach plans, then present ordinance language to the planning commission for consideration prior to city council review.