Telling people about your plans and their benefits for the neighborhood may be informative – but it’s not engagement. And it won’t necessarily accomplish what you want or the community expects.
Listening is far more productive than talking.
Set achievable goals
Countless communities have set ambitious tree-planting goals – a few thousand perhaps, or a million. Almost always, performance doesn’t match the pledge because promises aren’t plans.
LA struggled to maintain trees planted for the 1984 Olympics.
The Los Angeles experience confirms that implementing tree equity and urban forestry initiatives extend long past the day the trees were put in the ground.
If you haven’t yet confirmed your tree equity goals, return to the section titled Set Priorities.
If you have confirmed your tree equity goals, continue to the section titled Make Residents Your Planning Partners.
How city planners can help
The American Planning Association recommends that planners work with urban forest professionals to assure that the benefits of tree canopy serve all residents, in all neighborhoods. Rules and policies should:
- Stipulate that developers show detailed tree-planting plans in overall site plans
- Require strict tree preservation rules during development and construction
- Step in to help address tree issues that surface in public hearings on proposed developments
- Effective review of site plans and adherence thereto
- Involve city arborist or urban forester to check subdivision plans and municipal projects for tree-related issues and opportunities
- Establish tree-planting and tree-preservation requirements in subdivision regulations
- Develop and enforce standards for tree planting and maintenance in parking lots
- Designate open space or easements to preserve existing forest in urban areas.
Plan for trees and people
Urban forest plans are as different as the cities that adopt them. All must reflect local ecology, policy context and the expectations of those who live there. Don’t limit your search to communities similar to yours in size, budget or demographics. Novel approaches can flow from cities both large and small.
Some examples are shown below.
Planning Context
No plan — whenever adopted — exists independently of the framework in which it will be implemented. In this case, past experiences most certainly will affect future results. What might influence your planning?
Example
The Center for Watershed Protection’s free worksheet will help assess your current policies.
Goals
Here’s where to address the conditions that sparked development of the plan, and what general steps will be taken to improve them. For example, more city resources directed to under canopied neighborhoods.
Example
The Seattle, WA plan focuses on the following topics:
- Racial and social equity
- Ecosystems and human health
- Human safety and property protection
- Climate change
- Tree equity
Vision
If you accomplish your goals, what changes do you expect to see in your community? How will your community become more livable, healthier, diverse and cohesive.
Example
Phoenix, AZ By 2030, the view from the northern ridgelines of South Mountain to the desert washes of the Sonoran Preserve reveals the urban forest as a healthy diverse and cohesive ecosystem.
Principles and Benchmarking
What values will inform the development and content of the plan? Often, these core community commitments are addressed during the master planning process.
Example
Arlington County, VA views natural ecosystems, human health and vibrant neighborhoods as inextricably connected. After extensive benchmarking, Arlington County Virginia recently adopted a plan that assigns high priority to biodiversity and biophilia.
Objectives
There’s no set agenda for change. Every community will set a course that’s consistent with the needs, wants and expectations of all their residents, the availability of its resources and the extent and health of its tree canopy.
Example
See Philadelphia’s vision, mission and goals that guided their Tree Plan.