City Trees

that are adjacent to trails, parking lots, and other City infrastructure are evaluated on a sched- uled basis, with hazard mitigation work carried out as necessary. An on-demand inspection and mitigation program is in place, and the Natural Areas Team responds after major wind events. 5. Fire Management – Interface fire management plans are in place, with pro-active fuel mitigation work carried out by Natural Area staff. Close inte- gration with the Fire Department's Wildland Fire team has the Fire Department carrying out initial suppression activities, with Natural Area staff per- forming mop-up and site rehabilitation work. 6. Coarse Woody Debris Management – Recognizing the value of coarse wood debris to healthy forest ecosystems, logs, large branches, and other materials are strategically left during maintenance and develop- ment activities. In some cases, coarse woody debris is brought into natural area sites and into riparian areas that are bereft of larger logs and stumps. 7. Yard Waste and Refuse Management – In addi- tion to the poor aesthetics associated with the dumping of yard waste and other refuse into natural areas, these illegal activities introduce deleterious materials and invasive plants into oth- erwise healthy ecosystems. Prompt clean-up and education are key elements of this strategy. In order to educate the public about the value of nat- ural areas, the City operates the Surrey Nature Centre, which is located within a large urban forest in the middle of Surrey. The Nature Centre allows adults and children to explore nature through the offering of various indoor/outdoor drop-in activities and reg- istry-based programs that provide hands-on experi- ences, many of which are linked to school curricula. Surrey works hard to provide environmentally-related volunteer opportunities for its residents. Programs such as the Surrey Youth Stewardship Squad (Ages 13-17) allows youth to come together to carry out environ- mental projects. This program gets youth involved in habitat restoration and assisting in environmentally-re- lated community events that raise awareness about the value of natural areas. Surrey's Friends of the Forest registers nature-lovers for work parties that are aimed at removing invasive vegetation, planting native trees, monitoring wildlife, and preserving park ecosystems. The Surrey Natural Areas Partnership (SNAP!) was devel- oped almost two decades ago to provide additional support to two very large natural area urban forests. The partnership consists of three non-profit organi- zations and the City of Surrey. The non-profit groups are very successful in soliciting grants for natural area management programs and carry out the administra- tive aspects of the partnership. The City provides addi- tional funding and close direction to SNAP employees (usually students) who carry out maintenance work and community education in the City's urban forests. In order to effectively manage Surrey's natural areas, a Natural Areas Team was put together in the year 2000, reporting to the Surrey Urban Forestry Manager. Staff on the team have a variety of academic backgrounds in areas such as Environmental Education, GIS, Forest Resource Management, Forest Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Biology, and Arboriculture. In addition, all of the operations staff working in this section are ISA Certified Arborists and most are Qualified Tree Risk Assessors. The City of Surrey's natural areas are in good hands! —Owen Croy, former City of Surrey Manager of Parks, and Robin Landucci, Urban Forestry Manager, City of Surrey, British Columbia www.urban-forestry.com 37 Surrey, BC interpretative staff member points out a barred owl to her group. All photos courtesy of the City of Surrey Pond in Surrey's Godwin Biodiversity Preserve.

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