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BANFIELD PARK

COMMUNITY ORCHARD

PROPOSAL

December 2012 Revised February 2013

Image: Pooktre Tree Shapers

This proposal was compiled in December 2012 (revised February 2013) by the Banfield Park Community Orchard Design Team, with expert advice from two professional urban food production landscape designers, and is based on the input from all participants in the Placemaking Workshop for the Banfield Park Community Orchard. The Orchard Team members includes Patti Parkhouse, Jane Baigent, Ava Christl, Geoff Johnson, Tayler Krawczyk, Jack Meredith, Hannah Roessler, Robin Rombs.

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BANFIELD PARK COMMUNITY ORCHARD PROPOSAL

Table of Contents

DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP 3 Members, Experience, Capacity COMMUNITY BENEFITS, PARTNERS, EDUCATION 4 Benefits for and Impact on the Neighbourhood Fruit Use Partner Organizations and their Role Public Education, Workshops and Celebrations COMMUNITY CONSULTATION AND SUPPORT 9 Community Engagement Process Evidence of Support DESIGN & INSTALLATION 11 Site Location and Site Location Map Proposed Orchard Design Site Plan: APPENDIX F Design Objectives Design Features Site Preparation and Tree Needs Expectations for Orchard Planting Timeline Budget: Estimated Project Start-up Costs Insurance MAINTENANCE PLAN AND SCHEDULE 19 Maintenance Plan Irrigation Safety Practices and Training Maintenance schedule Tool Storage Plan APPENDIX: (Included as a separate .pdf documents) A - Site Location Map B - Signed Support Petition C - Letter of Partnership and Support - Victoria West Elementary School Principal D - Letter of Partnership and Support - VW PAC (Parent Advisory Committee) E - Letter of Support - Victoria West Community Association F - Proposed Orchard Design Site Plan G - Deer Damage Mitigation Considerations

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DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP

Members

The Banfield Park Orchard is lead by the Vic West Food Security Collective, a project administered by the Victoria West Community Association. A collection of neighbours operate a collection of projects to advocate and support growing and eating of local foods to improve personal, environmental and economic health. Transitioning to a local food diet builds resilience to peak oil and climate change.

All Collective activities are focused on cultivating community by growing and sharing food.

The members of the Design Team for the Banfield Park Community Orchard are residents of Victoria West, and part of the Vic West Food Security Collective. Two local urban food/edible landscaping specialists were contracted to assist with the design.

Members of the Collective, and other community members, will install and manage the Orchard. Educational workshops on soil building, earthworks, tree planting and fruit tree care will be held to provide the community with the skills and knowledge to become orchard stewards.

Experience with Urban Food Production

The Vic West Food Security Collective has been successfully managing urban community food production projects since 2003. Projects include: Rayn or Shine Community Garden (allotments), Banfield Commons, the annual Corn Roast, Vic West Community Tea Garden, Good Fruit N Greenways, Vic West Urban Farmers, Community Dinners, Community Kitchen, Hereward Park Community Orchard, Evans Street Orchard, and Bridges Park Community Garden.

More information is available on the Collective’s website www.vicwestfoodsecurity.org

Capacity to Manage the Project

The Victoria West Community Association is overseeing this project.

Project Lead and contact: Patti Parkhouse, Vic West Food Security Collective Coordinator vicwestgarden@yahoo.ca

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COMMUNITY BENEFITS, PARTNERS, EDUCATION Benefits for and Impact on the Neighbourhood

Social Benefits

• Community Building - from the design process, to the orchard installation, maintenance and harvesting, this project will strengthen neighbourhood relations as people meet, work, learn and celebrate with their neighbours.

• Stewardship grows as neighbours work and learn about the orchard they will value the resource and develop an increased sense of ownership.

• A beautiful, productive orchard builds pride and increases people’s value of their

neighbourhood as a desirable place to live. • Addition to Craigflower Village as an engaging gathering PLACE.

• Opportunities for increased partnerships within the community and with the City. • Enriched community/personal health by the access to nutritious, local, organic food. • Educational opportunities (More in Public Education, Workshops and Celebrations). • Excess food supports those in need - Grow A Row Program, Lifecycles Fruit Tree Project or food

banks. Ecological Benefits

• Improved Banfield Park and neighbourhood environment - increased tree diversity builds stability and ecological

resilience • Climate change mitigation from water retention -

earthworks and tree canopy • New sources of food - protein and carbohydrate rich nuts • Attract pollinators • Habitat for birds and other organisms

• Co-habitate co-operatively with urban deer population • Fruit Trees, like other trees, improve air quality • Increase in back yard orchards as people realize the value

of food production

Economic Benefits • Increased community food security by providing accessible local organic food • Local organic food for community events, celebrations, workshops and programs • Food for people in need • Potential value-added products to support Orchard operations

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Other Benefits - Potential Community Art Projects

• Community/artist designed and built fence elements such as: curved woven pruned willow branches in wire fence, silhouette cut-outs of traced people from the community, or carved fence poles or ‘pickets’

• Community/artist designed and built gates and arbours that gently evolve from the wire mesh fence

• Art installations within the orchard, created from tree prunings

Impacts

• Cyclists won’t be able to cut through this grassy area, they will have to use the paved cycling and pedestrian path.

How the Fruit will be Used

Trees are chosen to provide for ripening over a long season to facilitate many harvest opportunities. A mix of dwarf, semi-dwarf, cordon and standard (nuts) are chosen to demonstrate the different styles of food trees and to provide visual interest. Harvesting

• Open public picking during other park activities – walking by, playing tennis, etc. • Organized community harvest events with distribution to:

• individuals • community events (Corn Roast, Community dinners, VWCA meetings) • VW Community Kitchen for processing for individual or community event use • VW School • VW Centre preschool • Salvation Army High Point Church • Grow-A-Row Program donation supporting Rainbow Kitchen • food bank

Demonstration Orchard

• A resource to familiarize people (adults and school children) with different varieties of fruit and their stages of growth (bud to fully ripe fruit)

• Earthwork (hugelkultur) installation will demonstrate affective groundwater management and natural methods of irrigation to mitigate impacts of climate change and reduce dependency on external water supply.

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Partner Organizations and Their Roles

Detailed roles are described in the Benefit, Education sections of the proposal. VWCA (Victoria West Community Association) - Project Owner: communication, community outreach, insurance, volunteers VW Community Centre (adjacent to the Orchard): storage, communication, community outreach, event facilities, programs - preschool (education and food supply) VWUF (Vic West Urban Farmers): maintenance, education Community Kitchen: fruit use education, food supply for kitchen, engage community VWAQ (Vic West Art Quest): collaboration with neighbourhood group of artists, enhancing fence and gates, construction of art installations

Victoria West Elementary School: education program, outdoor classroom Victoria West Elementary School PAC: education program Lifecycles Project Society: harvest if requested by the VWCA, education Capital Mental Health Grow Program: maintenance Fry's Bakery (across the street from the Orchard): hospitality Spiral Cafe (across the street from the Orchard): hospitality Hutchings Bee Service: infrastructure - Mason bee houses, education RONA: potential supplies/materials donations

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Public Education, Workshops, Celebrations Signage

• Welcome to our Banfield Park Community Orchard at all three entrances. • Main entrance sign will use a City sign template, with content developed by the Orchard Team

and reviewed/approved by the City, including: • “Welcome to Banfield Park Community Orchard - Please come in and sample the fruit.” • Brief description and purpose of the project • Project contact and website • Description and diagram of Hugelkultur earthworks • Other educational information.

• Additional community signs within the orchard include: • map

• individual tree markers with tree variety, harvest time and uses. • educational information (soil building, hugelkultur earthworks, pollinators, etc)

Workshops, Presentations, Demonstrations

Prior to orchard installation, two educational workshops on soil building, earthworks, tree planting and fruit tree care will be held to provide the community with the skills and knowledge to participate in the installation and become future orchard stewards. Other workshops would be useful after the orchard is more established (producing fruit). Local “experts” from Vic West Urban Farmers (VWUF), Rayn or Shine allotment gardeners or outside “experts” could facilitate: • VW Community Centre workshops

• Plant-Based Sessions: orchard design, tree planting, earthworks construction, pruning, organic pest and disease management, identification and organic treatment of nutrient deficiencies, “How-to” of harvesting – when it is Ripe, grafting demonstrations, bees and native pollinators...

• Food Processing Sessions: Canning, Drying/Dehydrating, Fermentation, Jams, Baking, Fruit Leathers, Nut Drying and Roasting, Nut Butters, Cider pressing, Juicing...

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• VW Community Centre Preschool and Victoria West Elementary School

• The Orchard could be used as an outdoor classroom to engage and educate the children in understanding where their food comes from.

• Classes could include: life cycle of plants, soil, growing food, caring for plants, bees and pollination, bugs, harvesting food, and using the harvest.

• Specific projects might include: planting seeds (cover crops on site or from the orchard - apples etc in containers), drawing or painting in the orchard, keeping an orchard journal, document the orchard over time (video or photo), creating an indoor planter (for classroom study).

Community Orchard Celebrations

• Groundmaking: preparing/improving the site and planting the trees would be educational and celebratory.

• Good Work Potlucks: after pruning, mulching or maintenance work parties which include food

gathered from the orchard • Earth Day Community Potluck (existing) and Harvest Community Potluck (existing):

emphasize local produce from our community orchard and gardens • Community Harvest Festival: fruit shared, pies (etc) baked, jams, soups, muffins (could be at

the Centre) and re-gathering at the Centre to taste and celebrate the fruits of our orchard

• The Community Harvest Jam: fruit harvested from the orchard

trees, as well as others in the community, made into jams in the community kitchen at the Vic West Community Centre

• Fruit Festival: sample varieties of apples and pears from the

Orchard, VW backyards and other local sources • Vic West Fest, Vic West Corn Roast, Gorge Swim Fest (all existing

community festivals): include and celebrate local food from our community orchard and gardens

• Wassailing the Orchard: a mid-January toasting to the orchard,

waking the trees for the new year (traditional Celtic celebration)

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COMMUNITY CONSULTATION AND SUPPORT The community consultation process included: 1. Vic West Community Engagement included: a) October 30 VWCA public Board meeting - the project was announced and comments from the floor were invited. There were only supportive comments.

b) Nov 15 VWCA Newsletter and website, Vic West Placemaking contact list (60) and VW Urban Farmers contact list (91) - description of pilot project and invitation to the November 22 Banfield Park Community Orchard Placemaking workshop. Comments were encouraged.

c) Nov 27 Placemaking Workshop - emphasized community building: • Participants contributed their responses to: What are your favourite fruits and nuts? What

does a Community Orchard look like? How would you use the Orchard? What do we need for a successful community orchard? Who are potential Partners? What are the Next Steps?

• Participants were provided with a map of Banfield Park/Craigflower Road from Raynor to Pine: How do you use this space? No one indicated any current use for the area we later identified as the proposed Orchard site.

• Posters describing the City’s Guidelines, Fruit tree size and productivity, City’s Orchard Proposal Guidelines and Pilot Orchard Project Descriptions, and other resources were provided.

• Placemaking review/introduction with a map of Craigflower Village, and the question What makes this space a PLACE?

• Participants discussed the process and project while viewing a slideshow. • The seventeen people who attended the workshop provided ideas used to develop the

Orchard design and concepts. They all support the project.

d) Orchard Action Team - participants at the Placemaking Design Workshop were invited to participate in the Orchard Action Team to develop the design and proposal. The Orchard Action Team consists of seven Vic West residents and two professional permaculture designers.

e) November 27 VWCA AGM - orchard project was displayed to solicit feedback on the draft designs and Placemaking workshop materials. All comments received were supportive.

f) December 1 VWCA Newsletter and VWCA and VW Food Security website Orchard articles with proposed design - description of orchard design, photographs and an invitation to comment.

g) December 15 VWCA Newsletter - description of the Nov 22 Placemaking Design Workshop, the proposed Orchard design, deer damage mitigation (fence or tree cages?) and comments were encouraged.

h) Community consultation regarding proposed fencing – public input was sought via: January 14 VWCA newsletter – 4 feedback options were suggested - community members were directed to a display of the proposed design inside the Community Centre, accompanied

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by a comment box, to an online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HVWPRTP, to Project Lead email or attend the January 29 VWCA meeting.

Project sign – adjacent to the proposed orchard site, the sign directed passerby to the same feedback options as in the VWCA newsletter.

January 29 VWCA public board meeting – a final request was made for input from community members and the board. The draft proposal and ongoing efforts were approved by the board without a vote.

Collection of community input was closed on February 4, with the following results: A total of 26 responses were received: 1 by email, 11 on paper, and 14 via online survey (including one undeleted, irreverent 'test' survey response, subsequently disregarded.) 1 not in favour of the proposed fence (via anonymous online survey with no additional

comments), or 4% of all valid responses; 3 qualified 'yes, but...' responses, or 12% of all valid responses (2 on paper, 1 via online survey,

all with additional comments, 2 of which were requests for clarification about the proposal); 21 responses in favour of the proposed fence, or 84% of all valid responses (11 of which

included additional supportive comments.) 14 of the 25 valid respondents expressed interest in volunteering/follow-up information by

providing names, email addresses and/or phone numbers.

2. Support Petition: Adjacent park neighbours, residents and businesses, had opportunity to provide comments during the Support Petition campaign. The Site Location Map (APPENDIX A) and project description were presented during the campaign. The signed Support Petition provides evidence of community support. (APPENDIX B) Some of the signatures are from community members who were in the shops at the time the petition was presented - they insisted on signing to show support. 3. Community Partners: Victoria West Elementary School and Parent Advisory Committee were invited to participate in the Orchard, and to acknowledge their support for the project. Both provided letters and look forward to working with the VWCA to develop orchard educational opportunities. (APPENDIX C & D) 4. Site Design Exercises: During two exercises on site to refine the design, Action Team members provided information to people who inquired about the Orchard. All were supportive of the project, and some volunteered to help in future. 5. Victoria West Community Association: The VWCA is the project owner, will oversee the project, and their letter of support is included. (APPENDIX E)

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DESIGN AND INSTALLATION

Site Location See APPENDIX A for Map

• In various community Placemaking sessions, participants proposed that both sides of Craigflower Road in the Banfield Park area (Craigflower Village) should be a welcoming engaging gathering PLACE.

• Since this Orchard is a pilot project for the City and Community, we chose a site with high activity/visibility from Craigflower Road and adjacent to the main walking and biking path through the Park (People Priority Victoria Greenway). It is also close to and visible from hubs of activity such as the Community Centre, existing Community Gardens, and the nearby shops and services.

• The adjacent Community Centre also acts as a supporting infrastructure for Orchard activities. (Tool storage, workshops, community kitchen and gatherings.)

• During our Placemaking Orchard Design Community Workshop, on a map of Banfield Park along Craigflower Road, we asked participants to indicate how they used the space. We did not indicate any orchard site on the map, but participants left that area empty. From that, and observation of Park use over years, we predict the Orchard site will not conflict with any current use. (The only exception might be the current cut through bike traffic that is eroding the grassy slope.)

• The site was chosen to provide good sun exposure. The trees to the south provide wind protection in the winter but should not shade the orchard in the growing season.

• During November site visits, it was noticed that the water level in the soil was quite high, even though the land is sloped. Our design addresses the drainage issue by the installation of Hugelkultur and swale earthworks to absorb and redistribute excess rain water for use in the dry summer, and improve drainage for tree roots; see page 12 for more details.

• The soil quality will be accessed by City Parks staff.

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Proposed Orchard Design Site Plan See APPENDIX F Design Objectives – identified at community Placemaking

• Build community by engaging neighbours throughout the life of the Orchard. • Focus attention on this pilot City/Community project by creating a high-visibility. • Create a safe, welcoming and aesthetically pleasing Park element. • Include a community gathering Place. • Complement existing neighborhood Placemaking efforts. • Foster learning opportunities. • Boost local food security/sovereignty. • Facilitate water-wise, low maintenance organic fruit production. • Contribute to health of Banfield Park by increasing tree diversity. • Protect trees and fruit from deer browsing.

Design Constraints

• Deer damage • City mandated no understory planting • City mandated mowable lawn • Existing trees • High water table • Site slope

Proposed Design Features

1. Sun Trap • By placing the tallest trees on the north side of the site we can ensure that solar resources are

optimized. • Proper tree spacing means that tree crowns will touch only at maturity but will look sparse

until maturity.

2. ‘Mowable’ Gathering Open Space - A Place • To ensure a safe, open & welcoming space, there are large grassy meadows suitable for

mowing between all of the contour plantings. • The front gate will be over 60’’ wide to ensure easy access for City staff and Park visitors.

3. Water Harvesting Earthworks & Contour Planting: Hugelkultur As part of this pilot project, we propose to examine the long-term costs and benefits of moving earth to catch and store water. During site evaluation high water levels were observed and must be mitigated to ensure sufficient drainage for tree health. Also with flooding and drought becoming more common in our changing climate, we propose to implement a combination of techniques used to maintain evenly distribution water and nutrients: a ‘Hugelkultur bio-retention swale’. These planting beds provide the optimum environment for fruit trees compared to being planted in lawn.

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Hugelkultur Hugelkultur is a technique for creating raised beds by piling soil & organic matter on top of dead and rotting logs/brush. The advantages of this are: • increased biological activity, particularly fungi, which are beneficial for tree roots • increased soil temperature via microbial ‘body-heat’ which enhances growth • creation of a ‘slow-release battery’ for water & nutrients • aeration & drainage for tree roots

Bio-Retention In a gram of compost, there are over a billion bacteria. These soil organisms store water in their wee little bellies. Fungi are also composed largely of water. It all adds up: if we support soil organisms, they’ll support water and nutrient cycling for our trees. Wood is a great storage unit.

Swale A swale is a level-bottom water harvesting ditch on contour. It distributes water evenly across a landscape from wet valleys to dry ridges. This is true at even the smallest scale. They can reduce pooling & drought by creating a distributed in-ground collection system. Schematic Diagram of Contour Plantings

** Please note, when installation is complete, you not see any rotting wood, it will merely look like a slightly bermed planting bed. Drawing by: Tayler Krawczyk

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4. Tree Species Selection

• Tree species and variety are selected to create a long harvest period compared to a more commercial short term high yield harvest.

• Species reflect community consultation - fig, apple, pear, plum, nuts.

• Increased diversity of trees helps mitigate effects of climate change. • Different varieties within species provide some eat-now non-commercial fruit such as Green

Gage Plum, and some multi-use fruit (eat fresh, dried, or processed) such as Italian Plum. • Tree selection supports the educational purpose by:

• demonstrating diversity in tree size • introducing less common species such as Fig, Mulberry and Elderberries.

• Chestnuts provide a new sustainable long term carbohydrate and protein food source. • Dwarf trees will engage children in harvesting and maintaining trees

Tree selection includes:

Common Name Latin Name Qty Notes

Chinese Chestnut Castanea mollissima 2 Heavy producing chestnut

Semi-Dwarf Apple Malus domestica 1 M26 or quince rootstock

Dwarf Apple Malus domestica 9 M9 Dwarfing Rootstock *6 cordon at the main entrance could be replaced by 2 semi-dwarf apples

Semi-Dwarf Pear Pyrus domestica 1

Dwarf Pear Pyrus domestica 2

Black Elderberry (non-suckering)

Sambucus nigra 1 York & Nova are reliable cultivars

Black Mulberry Moris nigra 1

Fig Ficus carica 2 Desert King is a productive variety

Plum Prunus domestica 2 Italian Prune and Green Gage cultivars

Total Trees *15

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5. Deer Fencing, Gates and Signage

• Given the recent influx of deer into the area, we are proposing 8ft wire deer fence to protect the trees.

• Given the goals are to obtain significant yield and provide long term, low-maintenance tree health, we propose that fencing is much more effective than tree cages over the long term.

• Tree cages will be necessary for the lifetime of the trees, and will restrict public access to fruit.

• To ensure the orchard remains very welcoming and open, we are proposing three artistic gates in key flow locations with ample signage to indicate All Are Welcome. The welcoming gates will be the primary visual element, not the near-invisible fence.

• The fencing and gates provide a glorious opportunity for community building through community art making in partnership with neighbourhood artists.

• The front gates will be over 60’‘ wide to ensure easy access for City mowers. • See APPENDIX F - Deer Damage Mitigation Considerations for a more thorough discussion and

photographs of tree cages vs deer fencing. • To be built to Parks specifications. BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries guidelines

(July, 2001, http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/300Series/307251-1.pdf) • A 12-inch mowing strip along the outside bottom of the fence will consist of cedar mulch to

provide a natural transition from the planted beds. The strip will be maintained by community volunteers.

Site Preparation and Tree Needs

Proper care at installation will ensure tree health over the long-term and reduce the requirement for pest management since healthy plants naturally fight off disease and pests.

1. Hardwood Logs and Brush for Hugelkultur As part of a community gathering event, we propose that neighbors bring their hardwood pruning to be placed into the swales and covered with soil, before planting. It is an effective way to utilize a valuable ‘waste product‘ and get people engaged: community building. Larger wood materials will be source from private tree service companies and City maintenance.

2. Soil Amendments Long term tree health will be greatly improved with the following soil inoculates provided at planting: • Myco-Grow Gel: over a dozen different species of mycorrhizal fungi native to the Pacific North

West, available at: http://www.fungi.com/product-detail/product/mycogrow-gel-1-lb.html) • Liquid Kelp (4L): available at http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/liquid-kelp-fertilizer.html • Minerals: glacial rock dust, calcium carbonate, blood & bone meal

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3. Plant Specifications • Locally-propagated plants are best adapted to climate. • Young trees with proportionately large root systems are best. • No large trees root-bound in pots. • Choose largest possible stem width with bare root.

Tree Sources: Recommend Tree Nurseries • Cornucopia Nurseries, Victoria: Geoff Johnson 250-595-6465 • Dinter Nursery, Duncan: 250-748-2023 www.dinternursery.ca • Garden Works, Blenkisop: Mark Dickerson Nursery Manager 250-721-2140 • Fruit Trees and More, Saanich: Bob & Verna Duncan - 250-656-4269 4. Cover Crops Planting cover crops suppress weeds, provide nutrients through conversion of atmospheric elements (root nitrogen fixing), supply added bio-mass as a living mulch to retain soil moisture and prevent erosion/compaction, attract beneficial insects and are aesthetically pleasing. • The following low-maintenance cover crops are to be seeded onto the planting berms after

earthworks: white clover, red clover, strawberry clover, vetch, Austrian field peas. • Grass seed will be needed to recover any areas of turf that are disturbed during installation of

Hugelkultur and tree planting.

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Expectations for Orchard Planting Timeline

If Parks Department and City Council approves our proposal in late Febraury 2013, VWCA will begin seeking external funding support in March with high probability of receiving funds to complete City/community site works in July/August ready in time for community tree planting at the VicWest Corn Roast on September 14th 2013.

GROUNDMAKING - Site Preparation Work Plan for Earthworks: As mentioned above, completing this work requires much more planning, design and logistics than planting trees into grass. We require the use of a 50D Mini-Excavator for a half day. Removal of 4 existing trees planted in 2006, which do not fit the orchard model is also requested. Day One - Planning & Site Layout a. mark out contour lines b. bed staking and site layout with community members c. lay out tarps on high side of planting bed locations

Day Two - Excavation & Earthworks d. mini-excavator 50-D to dig out swale to proper depth e. place soil/fill on tarps on high side of swales f. shape all beds as needed

Day Three - Community Work Blitz g. add dead & rotting wood, mix in organic matter h. add subsoil on top mixing in organic matter i. seed grass into any turf areas damaged during the orchard installation.

FENCE INSTALLATION j. City installs fence posts k. When posts are set community installs high

tension 8ft wire deer fence

COMMUNITY TREE PLANTING & CELEBRATION! l. plant all trees with soil amendments m.seed cover crops (clovers) on berm n. add leaf mulch on berm

Insurance The Victoria West Community Association is currently engaged in discussion with the City of Victoria concerning the required comprehensive general liability insurance

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Budget: Estimated Project Start-up Costs Table includes in kind (volunteer) and cash

Project Expenses Project Costs Project Funding

Budget Items Units Cost Total Confirmed

in Kind by

Community

Confirmed by

City of Victo-

ria

Seeking Total

Project Management & Community

Liaison 100 60 6000 6000 6000

Design & Proposal Work

$200 contract fee paid by VWCA 30 60 1800 1800 1800

General Contractor & Sub Con-tracting Fees - Material Sourcing &

Procurement, Logistics, Earthworks

Design & Execution, Fence Build-

ing,Work Party Facilitation & Plant-

ing

95 60 5700 1200 4500 5700

Design, Planning & Proposal Phase 200 20 4000 4000 4000

Community Education Workshops

-contract to facilitate intro permacul-

ture & tree planting/care

2 100 200 200 200

Permablitz Labor

For installation 120 20 2400 2400 2400

Total personel costs: 20100 15400 4700 20100

Excavation Costs

- 35D-50D - 6 hours - Laser Transit

Level Rental (1 Day) 400 400 400

Design Placemaking Fees 300 300 300

Agricultural Deer Fencing - Metal T posts provided by City

- 8’ wire Deer Fencing 700 200 500 700

Gate (3) Materials & Install 1400 500 900 1400

Plants & Seeds - Fruit trees provided by City

- Seeds purchased by community 500 400 100 500

Organic Soil Inoculates - Kelp, My-

corrhizal Fungi Tablets, seaweed 200 200 200

Signage – Provided by City 300 300 300

Mulch/Compost 20 yards @ $40/yard 800 800 800

Irrigation Setup 1000 1000 1000

Maintenance Tools (felcos, loppers,

orchard ladder, wheelbarrow, spades,

edging shovels) 1000 1000 1000

Tree Stakes & Wire for Support 400 400 400

Contingency – Community 350 350 350

Total non-personel costs 7350 800 3000 3450 7350

Total 27450 16200 3100 8150 27450

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MAINTENANCE PLAN AND SCHEDULE

An Orchard Journal will be created on the VW Food Security Collective website for promoting events, documenting observations, volunteer hours, recording progress (photos) and public comments. This journal information can be used for the City's annual report. Maintenance Plan

• Access will remain for City’s 60’’ mowers to maintain the turf around the beds. (City) • The Vic West Food Security Collective will establish a dedicated Orchard Maintenance Team

(The Fruit Loops) composed of neighbourhood volunteers. Each member could adopt a tree. • The planting beds will be seeded annually to nitrogen-fixing cover crops that will not need

mowing. (Community) • Mulch will be required every year. (Community will apply City-provided mulch.) • Prune for tree shaping in first years, followed by annual pruning for fruit production and tree

health in subsequent years. (Community) • Regular harvesting and windfall removal. (Community) Irrigation

• Hugelkultur earthworks create water storage resulting in reduced irrigation requirements.

• A community hose bib is required to facilitate manual watering - to be installed and maintained by the City.

• Drip irrigation will sustain trees until established - to be installed and maintained by the City.

Safety Practices and Training

• The Fruit Loops will be trained in fruit tree care and pruning. • All volunteers will be orientated on safe practices for working in the

orchard. Maintenance Schedule

• The Fruit Loop members will do the maintenance on their personal schedule and at scheduled community work parties when other volunteers will be invited to participate, building community and stewardship.

Tool Storage Plan

• Tools will be stored in the adjacent Victoria West Community Centre.