More trees were requested by the Benicia Tree Foundation as part of the $64 million in improvements proposed in the draft Parks Trails and Open Space Master Plan that was released for public review on October 11. This request was made in written comments prepared by the Foundation’s Board of Directors and submitted to the Benicia Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission when the draft plan was discussed by the Commission at their October meeting.
The comment letter included recommendations to support the following improvements:
- planting native trees on existing and proposed trails that provide access to the city’s 1,800 acres of open space.
- planting more trees as part of proposed upgrades to the city’s 28 parks.
The Board also emphasized the value to organizing volunteers in the community to help plant and care for trees in our parks and along our trails. Since its founding in 2009, the Benicia Tree Foundation has partnered with the City to plant 216 trees in city parks and open space. During this time the Foundation has also organized numerous Tree Care Days for volunteers to water, weed and prune these trees.
The Board of Directors has been following the process to update the original Master Plan which began with focus groups organized by the City in April 2011. A comment letter was submitted with specific recommendations following a community workshop on April 20, 2022 that reviewed the assessment of existing park facilities and the results of a survey of 448 households. The Board encourages all residents to review the draft plan and submit comments to the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Commission by December 10.
Top photo is from a Tree Care Day organized at Park Solano in 2019 where 8 trees were added and tons of wood chip mulch spread among the plants.
