Developing an urban forest management plan is a complicated task. Plans touch a range of policies from development, housing, energy, climate and more. Each policy area has its own set of constituencies, often with conflicting goals. Navigating this crowded environment demands intense and repeated consultation with residents and stakeholders affected by these issues.
Check out these guides and toolkits
Review all policies that affect trees
Ensure you review the full suite of rules that affect the future of your forest. Examine what previous, current and future plans and rules shape the growth — or shrinkage — of your tree canopy.
The Center for Watershed Protection offers many resources that you can use to assess how these different municipal policies might affect trees.
Benchmarking nearby communities will help
Your neighbors confront many of the same challenges as you do. Consider how they have developed their policies and initiatives to find solutions that work for your community.
Benchmarking is usually conducted during the development of an urban forestry plan. Developing ordinances before adopting an urban forestry management strategy may make prioritization and program direction more challenging.
Inclusive planning requires a long time
Simple plans may be completed within a year or two. More comprehensive plans can take as many as four years or more.
To meet ongoing challenges — especially tree equity — Fort Collins, CO spent roughly 18 months developing its 2024 plan. Plans with comprehensive public engagement initiatives will take longer, especially when the city seeks to reach out to affected residents and stakeholders.
Click the plan photo to check out its clear content, design and organization.
