City Council OK's deal for 540 trees

DOWNEY — The City Council unanimously approved a $192,796 contract with the Los Angeles Conservation Corps on Tuesday for the planting of 540 trees.

City staff submitted a grant proposal for the development of an Urban Forest Management Plan to CALFIRE, of which the planting of the 540 trees was a requirement.

In May of 2017, the city was notified that its grant application was selected for funding in the amount of $379,750.

Total cost of the project – including preparation of the UFMP, planting, and grant administration services totals to $305,351.96.

City staff is currently in the process of compiling a list of residents and property owners who wish to have a tree planted in front of their property, which will be accommodated on a “first come, first served basis.”

It is anticipated that planting will begin in December and be completed by the end of March 2020.

The newly approved trees are not a part of the controversial Tree People project, in which the non-profit is set to plant 3,000 trees in the city to offset the impact of recent freeway projects.