To: Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Department or Agency Name(s): Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District
Staff Name and Phone Number: Allison Schichtel (707) 565-7353
Vote Requirement: Majority
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Sonoma County Fine-Scale Vegetation Map Update
End
Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Authorize the General Manager of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to execute an agreement with Tukman Geospatial LLC not to exceed $130,000 through August 20, 2027, with two optional one-year extensions, to update the Sonoma County Fine-Scale Vegetation Map.
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Executive Summary:
The Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District desires to enter into a professional services agreement with Tukman Geospatial LLC in the amount of $130,000 through August 20, 2027 for vegetation mapping services. Ag + Open Space relies on high-resolution data about Sonoma County’s landscape to prioritize conservation efforts and inform conservation easement design and land stewardship and is seeking to update the existing countywide vegetation map to current conditions.
Proposed tasks include updating the existing 2013 Fine-Scale Vegetation Map to 2022 ground conditions; coordinating with Ag + Open Space staff and partner agencies to ensure alignment with statewide mapping protocols and other technical specification requirements; adding additional map attributes; conducting quality assurance/quality control steps; and publishing the final data product for public use.
Discussion:
Sonoma County Fine-Scale Vegetation Map
In 2013, the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space), Sonoma Water, and other external partners spearheaded the Sonoma County Vegetation Mapping and Lidar Program (Sonoma Veg Map Program) to map Sonoma County's topography, physical and biotic features, and diverse plant communities. In May 2016, Ag + Open Space released the Sonoma County Fine-Scale Vegetation and Habitat Map (Fine-Scale Veg Map), prepared by Tukman Geospatial in concert with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program.
The data from Sonoma Veg Map Program have been essential to the planning and management of natural resources, including fuels mapping and treatment prioritization; the maintenance, rehabilitation, and enhancement of public works, transportation, flood risk planning, and other infrastructure; the management of real property assets; emergency preparedness and response; and conservation valuation and prioritization.
More than ten years since the original release of the Sonoma Veg Map Program data, conditions on the landscape have changed. Pending a summer 2024 release of new lidar data and high resolution countywide imagery required for high precision mapping, the County is now positioned to update the Fine-Scale Veg Map according to 2022 conditions.
New Contract with Tukman Geospatial LLC
Ag + Open Space desires to enter into a professional services agreement with Tukman Geospatial in the amount of $130,000 through August 20, 2027 for vegetation mapping services. Proposed tasks include updating the current 2013 Fine-Scale Vegetation Map to 2022 ground conditions; coordinating with Ag + Open Space staff and partner agencies to ensure alignment with statewide mapping protocols and other technical specification requirements; adding additional map attributes; conducting quality assurance/quality control steps; and publishing the final data product for public use.
Ag + Open Space will allocate $80,000 from its budget, with $65,000 allocated from its FY24-25 budget and $15,000 projected to be allocated from its FY25-26 budget. The County will contribute $50,000 from the PG&E Settlement Fund based on the staff recommendations approved by the Board of Supervisors on January 10, 2023 through the Healthy Forest Ad Hoc Committee. The Board approved $150,000 for data, prioritization, planning & mapping, including an update to the Sonoma Veg Map. $50,000 of these funds will be allocated to this project.
Ag + Open Space selected Tukman Geospatial as a single source consultant. Tukman Geospatial brings unique expertise in vegetation mapping, having developed a semi-automated approach to fine-scale vegetation mapping that the company has employed throughout northern California. As the original creators of the Fine-Scale Veg Map, Tukman Geospatial is best positioned to prepare the updated map. By utilizing the same mapping methods and having the same project team trained in the manual review and editing of the map, Tukman Geospatial can achieve greater accuracy and efficiency than if the same work were performed by a different consultant. In addition, Tukman Geospatial are also close collaborators with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife Vegetation Classification and Mapping Program and have demonstrated an ability to adhere to strict vegetation mapping standards set forth by the agency. Based out of their Forestville office, they have a deep knowledge of Sonoma County and its diverse landscape and a firm understanding of the drivers of landscape change specific to Sonoma County.
Updated Mapping Informs Plans, Policies, and Programs
The Fine-Scale Veg Map provides foundational information about Sonoma County’s landscape that Ag + Open Space uses to prioritize conservation efforts and inform conservation easement design and land stewardship. The Vital Lands Initiative directs Ag + Open Space to protect the highest priority conservation features, the identification of which requires an updated and accurate vegetation map. The Vital Lands Initiative also directs Ag + Open Space to maintain a robust data and analysis framework, including ongoing creation of high-quality data sets and mapping of high priority conservation areas.
In addition to supporting Ag + Open Space’s work, the Fine-Scale Veg Map provides essential vegetation and land use data for the implementation of the following County plans, policies, and programs:
• Sonoma County Five-Year Strategic Plan (Climate Action & Resiliency Pillar)
• Sonoma County General Plan 2020 and upcoming General Plan update
• Local Coastal Plan
• Sonoma County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan
• Sonoma County Community Wildfire Protection Plan
• Sonoma County Recovery & Resiliency Framework
• Sonoma County Climate Resilient Lands Strategy
• County of Sonoma Carbon Inventory and Potential Sequestration Study and pending Climate Action Plan
• Sonoma County Vegetation Management Grant Program
• Permit Sonoma’s Sonoma County Fuels Reduction, Wildfire Adapted Sonoma County, and Wildfire Resilient Sonoma County Projects
Strategic Plan:
This item directly support the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Climate Action and Resiliency
Goal: Goal 5: Maximize opportunities for mitigation of climate change and adaptation through land conservation work and land use policies
Objective: Objective 1: By 2025, update the County General Plan and other county/special district planning documents to incorporate policy language and identify areas within the County that have the potential to maximize carbon sequestration and provide opportunities for climate change adaptation. The focus of these actions will be to increase overall landscape species resiliency, reduce the risk of fire and floods, and address sea level rise and biodiversity loss.
The Sonoma County Fine-Scale Vegetation Map provides land cover data that are critical for accurately mapping carbon stocks in Sonoma County. In addition, the Fine-Scale Vegetation Map is a foundational input to other mapping and modeling efforts related to climate resiliency planning and project implementation, such as identification of climate resilient natural and working lands, conducting wildfire and flood risk assessments, and designing and implementing climate-beneficial land management practices.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
N/A
Prior Board Actions:
• January 10, 2023: Presented to the Board of Supervisors through the Healthy Forests Ad Hoc Committee a summary of advances and recommendations consistent with the strategic goals and objectives presented in March 2021 by the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE) and local and regional stakeholders. Staff recommended $150,000 to improve data and prioritization tools.
• February 8, 2022: Towards the acquisition of lidar data, the Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space authorized the General Manager of Ag + Open Space to execute a Joint Funding Agreement (JFA) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the amount of $50,000; the Board of Directors of Sonoma Water authorized the General Manager of Sonoma Water to execute a JFA with USGS in the amount of $50,000
• November 12, 2013: Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space authorized the General Manager of Ag + Open Space to amend an existing agreement with Tukman Geospatial LLC to include additional products and services
• July 31, 2012: Board of Directors of Ag + Open Space authorized the General Manager of Ag + Open Space to execute an agreement with Tukman Geospatial LLC not-to-exceed $300,000 to inventory vegetation in Sonoma County
Fiscal Summary
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Expenditures |
FY 24-25 Adopted |
FY 25-26 Projected |
FY 26-27 Projected |
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Budgeted Expenses |
$115,000 |
$15,000 |
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Additional Appropriation Requested |
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Total Expenditures |
$115,000 |
$15,000 |
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Funding Sources |
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General Fund/WA GF |
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State/Federal |
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Fees/Other (Ag + Open Space Measure F Funds) |
$65,000 |
$15,000 |
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Fees/Other (PG&E Settlement Fund) |
$50,000 |
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Use of Fund Balance |
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Contingencies |
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Total Sources |
$115,000 |
$15,000 |
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Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
Ag + Open Space has adequate appropriations in the FY 24-25 budget and will include any budget appropriations in subsequent fiscal years. $80,000 will be funded from the Ag + Open Space budget using funds from the Sonoma County voter-approved Measure F sales tax revenue, with the remaining $50,000 funded by the PG&E Settlement Fund.
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Staffing Impacts: |
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Position Title (Payroll Classification) |
Monthly Salary Range (A-I Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
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Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no impacts to staffing.
Attachments:
Professional Service Agreement with Tukman Geospatial
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None.