City of Redding Tree Committee
The City of Redding Tree Committee held its first two meetings in December. The Committee was established to revise the current tree ordinance so that future tree removal in Redding will require mitigation, and to increase the tree canopy in Redding. The 15-member Committee is composed of 10 members appointed by the City Council, three from the Planning Commission, and two from the Redding Community Services Advisory Board. Shasta Chapter CNPS Conservation Chair, David Ledger, is a member. At least two thirds of the Committee appear to be very much in favor of preserving Redding’s tree canopy. This is an official committee, governed by the Brown Act, and the public is allowed to attend and comment at meetings. The general is encouraged to attend and make comments regarding the importance of preserving Redding’s tree canopy.
Vegetation Removal on Redding’s Westside Trail
We recently discovered that contract work crews were removing all vegetation on a section of BLM land along Westside Trail, including riparian areas. Of particular concern was that this included all toyon, an important source of winter food for birds, especially robins, which had returned to the area by the thousands post Carr Fire. We contacted two ecologists at BLM, one of whom immediately went to talk to the work crews. Later talks with a BLM ecologist produced an agreement to keep out of riparian areas and leave at least 10% of the toyon shrubs. They also agreed to not clear in the area SEA has been planting blue oaks and pruning resprouting black and interior live oaks back to their central leaders.
Details about the above two news items, plus more conservation events and activities can be found in Shasta Environmental Alliance’s January 2023 Newsletter. ~David Ledger, Shasta Chapter CNPS Conservation Chair