IRVINE : Planners Urge More Trees, Fewer Lawns

Deciding that they want less grass and more trees, city planners have recommended the adoption of an ordinance aimed at environmentally sensitive landscaping.

The Planning Commission decision, made Thursday, follows the release of a study showing that mowing, mulching and fertilizing turf grass ultimately hurts the environment more than the greenery’s production of oxygen helps it. The City Council will now take up the matter.

The city’s landscape planners say there are simply more water-efficient and environmentally sensitive ways to landscape the city than the way it is done now. To install and maintain just one acre of landscape each year, Irvine uses four acre-feet of water, enough for eight average families over a 12-month period. Studies show that 250 to 300 pounds of fertilizer and 102 gallons of gasoline for lawn mowers are also needed to maintain that single acre.

An earlier draft of the ordinance detailed which plants could be grown and how much water might be used. Tim Kirkham, Irvine’s landscape architect, said the new draft is not as specific.

“We feel that by spending additional time on the (specifics) that we will be able to build greater consensus,” Kirkham said. “It’s not backing off on the concept of the ordinance or the standards or guidelines. It needs another round of discussions before it’s ready.”

Kirkham estimated that the specifics, contained in a manual, would be presented to the Planning Commission, possibly in three to four months.