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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTR_Arborist Report #1_New Life_231117_v1.pdfWASHINGTON FORESTRY CONSULTANTS, INC. FORESTRY AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS W F C I O: 360/943-1723 C: 360/561-4407 9136 Yelm Hwy SE Olympia, WA 98513 URBAN/RURAL FORESTRY • TREE APPRAISAL • TREE RISK ASSESSMENT RIGHT-OF-WAYS • VEGETATION MANAGEMENT • FOREST/TREE MGT. PLANS • EXPERT TESTIMONY Member of International Society of Arboriculture and Society of American Foresters October 25, 2023 Cal Carpenter New Life Church 15711 152nd Avenue SE Renton, WA 98058 RE: Abbreviated Tree Protection Plan for New Life Church Dear Mr. Carpenter: We have assessed 8 trees that are planned to be removed for a building construction and street frontage improvements at 15711 152nd Avenue SE in Renton, WA. The purpose of this inspection was to determine the condition of the trees, assess their potential impact from construction and recommend cultural care to accommodate this project. A Level II Tree Risk Assessment was conducted on October 16, 2023. The evaluation used methodology developed by the International Society of Arboriculture and Matheny and Clark (1998)1. Findings and Recommendations The project area includes the existing northern parking lot of the New Life Church and the frontage along Maple Valley Hwy in Renton, WA. A new office building and frontage improvements are proposed to be constructed. The assessed tree species include sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), Freeman maple (Acer × freemanii), and Scouler’s willow (Salix scouleriana). Tree diameters range from 3 to 10 inches DBH. Tree condition ranges from ‘Poor’ to ‘Good’. The location of the proposed building and frontage improvements are shown on the site plan in Attachment 1. The New Life Church parcel is 55.14-acres in size. The forested area of the site is 36.7-acres. The minimum density of the site is far exceeded even with the removal of the 8 trees for the project. Nine trees are planned to be planted on-site to replace the 8 trees removed. 1 Nelda Metheny and James R. Clark. (1994). A Photographic Guide to the Evaluation of Hazard Trees in Urban Areas (2nd Edition). International Society of Arboriculture, Champaign, IL. New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 2 All 8 assessed trees will need to be removed prior to the construction of improvements. A list of the trees in the project areas is listed in Table 1. Their locations are shown on the site plan in Attachment 2. Table 1. Summary of trees to be removed at New Life Church site. Tree # Species DBH (in.) Condition Save Based on Condition- Yes/ No Save Based on Site Plan- Save/ Remove Drip Line Radius (ft.) Critical Root Protection Zone- Feet Comments 1 Sweetgum 6 Good Yes No 10 1 2 Sweetgum 5 Good Yes No 10 1 3 Sweetgum 5 Good Yes No 6 2 4 Freeman Maple 3 Poor No No 4 6 Stem decay 5 Freeman Maple 3 Fair Yes No 4 6 6 Freeman Maple 3 Fair Yes No 4 6 7 Freeman Maple 3 Fair Yes No 4 6 8 Scouler’s Willow 10 Fair Yes No 10 6 Topped for powerlines Tree protection fences should be installed at the back of improvements and are to remain in place during construction. Summary Eight (8) trees will need to be removed to accommodate the proposed building and frontage improvements for the New Life Church site. Tree protection fences should remain in place until construction is completed. Please give us a call if you have questions. Respectfully submitted, Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Galen M. Wright, ACF, ASCA Joshua Sharpes ISA Bd. Certified Master Arborist PN-129BU Professional Forester Certified Forester No. 44 ISA Certified Arborist®, ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualified Municipal Specialist, PN- 5939AM New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 3 Attachment 1. Aerial Photo of New Life Church Parcel (King County iMap 2021) Parcel Boundary Project Areas New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 4 Attachment 2. New Life Church Improvements Site Plan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Removal Tree Tree Protection Fence Location New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 5 Attachment 3. Tree Protection Fence Detail New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 6 Attachment 4. Glossary of Forestry and Arboricultural Terminology DBH: Diameter at Breast Height (measured 4.5 ft. above the ground line on the high side of the tree). Crown: Portion of a trees stem covered by live foliage. Crown Position: Position of the crown with respect to other trees in the stand. Dominant Crown Position: Receives light from above and from the sides. Codominant Crown Position: Receives light from above and some from the sides. Intermediate Crown Position: Receives little light from above and none from the sides. Trees tend to be slender with poor live crown ratios. Suppressed Crown Position: Receives no light from above and none from the sides. Trees tend to be slender with poor live crown ratios. Live Crown Ratio: Ratio of live foliage on the stem of the tree. Example: A 100’ tall tree with 40 feet of live crown would have a 40% live crown ratio. Conifers with less than 30% live crown ratio are generally not considered to be long-term trees in forestry. Root Protection Zone/Critical Root Zone: A radius from the trees stem of 1 foot for each 1 inch of DBH unless otherwise determined by WFCI. For example, a 7 inch DBH tree would have a critical root zone radius of 7 feet. New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 7 Condition Class Descriptions CONDITION CLASS CHARACTERISTICS Excellent Single stem; Normal foliage color; No branch dieback; No apparent insect or disease problems; No other apparent problems; Very Good Single stem; Normal foliage color; No branch dieback or only a few minor branches died back; No apparent insect or disease problems; No other apparent problems, or they are minor and do not impact the long-term survival of the tree; Good Single stem; Normal foliage color; Minor branch dieback; Minor problems such as crown unbalanced; Minor foliage problems; Expected to be a long-term tree; Fair Single stem or double stem that is not expected to fail soon; Crown may be slightly thinned due to exposure or reduced vigor; Minor branch dieback and 1 or 2 major branches died back; Minor insect or disease problems; Tree expected to survive; Poor Single or Multiple stem tree; Thinning crown; Foliage color yellowed; Inadequate live crown ratio; Major and minor branch dieback; Not a long-term tree or quality tree for development; Very Poor Single or Multiple stem tree; Severe thinning crown; Yellow foliage; Major branch dieback; Expected to die within 5 years or so; Hazard Tree Dead, dying, diseased, defective; Would be hazardous to new development or if other targets are placed within reach of tree; New Life Church Improvements Tree Evaluation Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 8 Attachment 5. Assumptions and Limiting Conditions 1) Any legal description provided to the Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. is assumed to be correct. Any titles and ownership's to any property are assumed to be good and marketable. No responsibility is assumed for matters legal in character. Any and all property is appraised or evaluated as though free and clear, under responsible ownership and competent management. 2) It is assumed that any property is not in violation of any applicable codes, ordinances, statutes, or other governmental regulations, unless otherwise stated. 3) Care has been taken to obtain all information from reliable sources. All data has been verified insofar as possible; however, Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. can neither guarantee nor be responsible for the accuracy of information. 4) Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. shall not be required to give testimony or to attend court by reason of this report unless subsequent contractual arrangements are made, including payment of an additional fee for such services as described in the fee schedule and contract of engagement. 5) Loss or alteration of any part of this report invalidated the entire report. 6) Possession of this report or a copy thereof does not imply right of publication or use for any purpose by any other than the person to whom it is addressed, without the prior expressed written or verbal consent of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. 7) Neither all or any part of the contents of this report, nor copy thereof, shall be conveyed by anyone, including the client, to the public through advertising, public relations, news, sales or other media, without the prior expressed written or verbal consent of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. -- particularly as to value conclusions, identity of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc., or any reference to any professional society or to any initialed designation conferred upon Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. as stated in its qualifications. 8) This report and any values expressed herein represent the opinion of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc., and the fee is in no way contingent upon the reporting of a specified value, a stipulated result, the occurrence neither of a subsequent event, nor upon any finding in to reported. 9) Sketches, diagrams, graphs, and photographs in this report, being intended as visual aids, are not necessarily to scale and should not be construed as engineering or architectural reports or surveys. 10) Unless expressed otherwise: 1) information contained in this report covers only those items that were examined and reflects the condition of those items at the time of inspection; and 2) the inspection is limited to visual examination of accessible items without dissection, excavation, probing, or coring. There is no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, that problems or deficiencies of the tree or other plant or property in question may not arise in the future. Note: Even healthy trees can fail under normal or storm conditions. The only way to eliminate all risk is to remove all trees within reach of all targets. Annual monitoring by an ISA Certified Arborist or Certified Forester will reduce the potential of tree failures. It is impossible to predict with certainty that a tree will stand or fail, or the timing of the failure. It is considered an ‘Act of God’ when a tree fails, unless it is directly felled or pushed over by man’s actions.