March 2024

Happy spring! I hope the longer days and increasing greenery are lifting everyone’s spirits. In this issue of the Taproot newsletter, I’m excited to share a survey for landscape professionals that will inform both the Environmental Horticulture and Urban IPM programs for the Capitol Corridor region. You'll also find updates about regulations for urban water use and landscaping equipment, as well as the unfortunate news that invasive shothole borers have now been found relatively close by in San Jose. CAL FIRE’s new grant guidelines for urban forestry projects have also been released, and I've highlighted some recent relevant publications, including a paper from research I’ve been working on in Sacramento.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone who might be interested, or direct them to sign up here.

Best regards,

Joanna Solins

Environmental Horticulture Advisor

UC Cooperative Extension

Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo Counties

jsolins@ucanr.edu

Survey for Landscape Professionals

Please make your voice heard and help us get the word out! As part of my ongoing needs assessment process, I’d like to find out what types of resources and programming would be most valuable for landscape professionals in this area. I’ve been collaborating with my colleague Karey Windbiel-Rojas, Urban Integrated Pest Management Advisor, to create a survey that will help us plan our programs to best serve landscaping businesses and departments.

If you are a landscape professional (landscape designer, landscape contractor, landscape architect, maintenance gardener, head of a parks or grounds division, etc.), we’d love to hear from you! The survey is available in both English and Spanish here.

Thank you to everyone who has helped with and taken the survey so far! If you aren’t a landscape professional, we’d greatly appreciate it if you could pass this along to any you know.

Take the survey

Invasive Shothole Borers Found in San Jose

Unfortunately, invasive shothole borers (ISHB) have recently been confirmed in San Jose. I am hoping to get a training on detection and management of this pest scheduled in our area; please stay tuned! For more on ISHB, please see the UC IPM Pest Note.

Making Conservation A Way of Life Regulation

The CA State Water Resources Control Board has released changes to the proposed Making Conservation a Way of Life Regulation, which sets new standards for efficient urban water use. Notable changes include the criteria for compliance when water use objectives are not met and an extended timeline for reducing the landscape efficiency factors used in the standards for efficient outdoor water use. There are also changes to the requirements for demonstrating compliance for commercial, industrial, and institutional properties.

The second public comment period ends March 27, and there will be a public workshop on March 20, agenda here.

Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) Regulations

The 2021 amendments to the SORE regulations, which apply to most lawn and garden equipment, require zero smog-forming emissions from most new engines in model year 2024 equipment. What does this mean for you? The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has created resources to clarify how these regulations will impact landscape professionals. I’ve posted information from CARB about the regulations, as well as information about incentives for purchasing zero-emission equipment, here.

Urban and Community Forestry Grants – Due May 30

CAL FIRE has released the grant guidelines for this year’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding. There will be $30.8 million available for grant funded initiatives that benefit disadvantaged and low-income communities.

From the Journals

A few recently published studies that might be of interest:

Patterns of water-wise residential landscaping in a drought-prone city

This study on water-wise landscaping in Sacramento is one I’ve been working on for years with colleagues at UC Davis and USF, with help from the City of Sacramento. We’re excited to have it published!

Street tree diversity and urban heat

Greater tree species diversity in California’s urban forests was linked to greater cooling benefits during the summer.

California’s native trees and their use in the urban forest

California’s cities tend to have relatively few tree species that are native within their boundaries, limiting opportunities to plant diverse and resilient urban forests focused on native trees.  

The impact of urban tree shade on residential irrigation demand in a semi-arid Western U.S. City

Shade from trees and buildings reduced residential yard irrigation in Denver, CO. Shading from mature trees reduced lawn irrigation demand enough that yards with mature trees and turf could use less water than yards with turf alone.

Leafy localities, longer lives: A cross-sectional and spatial analysis

Across Australia, neighborhoods with more trees had lower levels of mortality.

Visit the UCCE Capitol Corridor website