Urban Forest Management Plan Template Supplement

Template Instructions

The Community Accomplishments Reporting System (CARS) definition of a management plan requires that, at minimum, the plan must address public trees within a portion of the community, additionally, the plan must:

Identify and prioritize action items based on professionally based, relevant inventories and/or resource assessments, that outline the future management of the community’s trees and forests.

Be current and actively used within the past five years by the community to guide management decisions and/or resource allocation and updated as needed to incorporate new information.

Include a written explanation of why there is a focus on that area (i.e., the importance of that space to the community).

Include action items regarding the establishment, protection, conservation, and maintenance of public trees.

The forested tract(s) addressed in the plan must be:

Located in or near a town/municipal/community population center, business district, or residential area, primarily managed for the benefit of the residents, and to keep the land forested and owned by the local government (i.e., in public ownership and/or common interest ownership).

Along with identifying new objectives of urban forest management, it is important that the plan writer identify supporting documents, plans, and ordinances. According to the CARS definition, ordinances include local, community-wide laws that identify who has responsibility for oversight of urban and community forestry activities and that direct the use of best management practices for establishment, conservation, protection, and/or maintenance of urban and community trees and forests. There is space underneath of the ‘Introduction’ section to identify and link to this information where applicable. Links to comprehensive plans and/or stormwater management plans may be included.

In addition to the template and the example text (below), the Form 17.7 Stakeholder Questionnaire is an optional form to be utilized by the forester to gather information to aide in the writing of the Urban Forest Management Plan. It is not the forester’s responsibility to administer this questionnaire. Instead, it is recommended for the community contact to administer the survey within the community if applicable.

Example Text Instructions (Boilerplate Language)

Use this document as an aide in filling out the highlighted sections within the Urban Forest Management Plan template. Any section highlighted in the template should be replaced by the forester before it is submitted to the community. The examples below have largely been drawn from comprehensive urban forest management plans (i.e., master plans). These examples may or may not be relevant to other urban forest management planning situations. It is up to the forester’s discretion whether or not this text would be useful to the writing of the plan.

Special thanks to the communities and organizations responsible for preparing the following Urban Forest Management Plans that provided examples of text.

Virginia Beach – https://www.vbgov.com/government/departments/parks-recreation/parks-trails/caring-for-our-parks/Pages/urban-forestry.aspx

Arlington – https://projects.arlingtonva.us/urban-forest-master-plan-2/

City of Charlottesville – https://charlottesville.org/444/Urban-Forestry

Leesburg – https://www.leesburgva.gov/departments/public-works/urban-forestry#:~:text=The%20overarching%20goal%20of%20Leesburg's,%2C%20economic%2C%20and%20sustainable%20manner.

ABOUT THIS PLAN – Purpose Statements

The purpose of the Urban Forest Management Plan is to guide a broad range of actions that will achieve a sustainable urban forest well into the future. A sustainable urban forest includes an abundance of trees with an expansive, integrated, and connected tree canopy.

The purpose of this plan is to build and maintain a healthy urban forest canopy that can be enjoyed for generations. Urban trees provide a range of environmental benefits from stormwater mitigation to improved air quality. Although environmental benefits may be good for the community in general, they may not be sufficient to convince a community to invest in their urban forest. There are, however, direct benefits to homeowners who choose to invest capital in the community forest.

The purpose of this plan is to provide the goals and objectives that will help preserve and shape the urban forest in the years to come. The Urban Forest Management Plan is structured around a sustainable urban forestry model that includes understanding the vegetative resource, proactively managing it, and partnering with residents, business owners, developers, and non-profit organizations to protect and enhance the city’s urban forest. Each of these aspects are addressed in this Urban Forest Management Plan.

This plan aims to provide equitable forest benefits for all city residents, including access to forested areas for recreation and education, improved human and environmental health, and monetary savings generated by maintaining proper tree canopy levels.

The Urban Forest Management Plan should be seen as a living and working document. It should be reviewed and updated at least every five years. Strategic annual work plans and regular updates that are based on the goals of this plan and that respond to the changes in our urban forest will play an important role.

According to the nationally recognized Model for Urban Forest Management Planning by Clark, J.R., Matheny, N.P., Cross, G., and Wake, V., the definition of a sustainable urban forest is, “the naturally occurring and planted trees in cities which are managed to provide the inhabitants with a continuing level of economic, social, environmental, and ecological benefits today and into the future.” This definition requires acceptance of the following three ideas: city trees provide a wide range of net benefits, the regeneration of urban forests requires intervention and management by humans, and sustainable urban forests are possible within defined urban areas and are composed of all trees in the community, regardless of ownership.

This plan will strive to support a sustainable urban forest that contributes to the livability of our urban community. Our trees are recognized as part of our green infrastructure that provides economic and environmental benefits. The current trend of tree canopy loss will be slowed with efforts made to reverse this trend through best practices in tree planting, preservation, and maintenance while fostering a sense of stewardship among residents.

URBAN FOREST OBJECTIVES

Provide benefits to the residents and to keep the land forested.

Keep the land forested through action items regarding the establishment, protection, conservation, and maintenance of public trees.

Be actively used by the community to guide management decisions and/or resource allocation, and updated as needed to incorporate new information.

Improve urban forest canopy coverage.

Encourage the preservation and planting of trees on private property.

Ensure thorough education and outreach so that all stakeholders appreciate the value of trees and what is necessary for their stewardship.

Improve coordination and communication regarding applicable tree regulations, policies, and planting preservation standards and guidelines.

Ensure that tree planting and preservation are important elements of our streetscapes.

Preserve existing wooded parks and natural areas, and plant trees in parks, natural areas, and other public open spaces to improve the overall tree canopy.

Ensure that urban forest maintenance practices continue to improve the quality of tree canopy so that potential benefits are maximized for the community.

Educate all members of the community about the environmental, economic, and social benefits of the urban forest.

Work interdepartmentally to better manage the city’s urban forest on public properties through enhanced collaboration and education of the important benefits the urban forest provides.

Develop new guidelines and policies that allow flexibility and encourage the protection and enhancement of the urban forest for the benefit of all.

Demonstrate the understanding that the urban forest is a vital city infrastructure element through city programs, policies, and actions.

INTRODUCTION – Value of Urban Forests

Urban forests can be considered in three general forms, large, forested stands; smaller fragments of forest; and narrow corridors connecting fragments and stands. Individual or “specimen” trees standing by themselves in open areas are another component of the overall urban canopy.

The urban forest provides numerous benefits to the city and its residents, including cleaner air and water, cooler temperatures, and energy savings. With proper management, these benefits increase every year as trees continue to grow and thrive. The urban forest is a vital component of the city’s infrastructure, as important as efficient transportation and clean water.

Urban forestry is the management of trees in urban community ecosystems for the environmental, economic, social, health, and aesthetic benefits trees provide society. Many citizens see trees as an important measure of the quality of their communities. Researchers are quantifying the services provided by trees and confirming their value as vital green infrastructure. Internationally, there is a growing body of research that supports the importance of maintaining healthy, sustainable urban forests. Unlike conventional or “grey” infrastructure, which begins to deteriorate and depreciate the moment it is installed, the value of a properly planted and maintained tree increases over its functional lifespan.

Our urban forest resources will continue to be managed for a variety of uses. Active and passive recreation needs must be met, while at the same time wildlife habitat should be encouraged and enhanced. Trees should be planted to aid in energy conservation as well as for neighborhood beautification. Volunteer tree planting projects have historically been instrumental in fostering a sense of community pride at the same time providing critical resources in the reforestation efforts.

In addition to the environmental and financial benefits of urban trees, they have social and cultural benefits. Trees can improve health, reduce stress, reduce crime, improve social cohesiveness, and reduce the effects of ADHD. For more information about the benefits of urban trees, visit http://www.naturewithin.info/, http://www.treesaregood.com/ and http://lhhl.illinois.edu/.

INTRODUCTION – Benefits of Trees

Short Statements

Create shade and protection from weather and flooding.

Help improve air quality by removing significant amounts of particulate pollution from the atmosphere.

Provide areas for recreation and escape from urban pressures.

Protect water quality by absorbing and filtering stormwater runoff and recharging groundwater.

Conserve land by preventing soil erosion and decreasing the volume of stormwater run-off.

Moderate local climate by mitigating urban heat island effects.

Reduce energy demand from buildings.

Mitigate global climate change by sequestering carbon.

Provide a critical source of food and habitat for wildlife.

Buffer noise, wind, and differing land uses.

Increase real estate values.

Protect biodiversity.

Healthy, well-maintained community forests and shade trees can increase property values by 1% to 10%, adding thousands of dollars to the resale value of a house.

Trees can reduce ambient summertime temperatures and raise wintertime temperatures, saving 10% on cooling costs and 3% on heating costs.

Deciduous shade trees planted on the south and west side of buildings can further reduce cooling and heating costs.

Expanded Statements

All trees in the urban environment, whether in a parking lot, backyard, or a neighborhood park, perform numerous important ecological services. Healthy trees provide a multitude of benefits in addition to having a positive impact on our quality of life. Healthy trees should be valued as important infrastructure investments that can help meet the environmental, social, and economic challenges of the future in many ways.

Percent tree cover is not the only factor in determining how an urban forest contributes to a community. A healthy and abundant urban forest provides the most benefits. To realize all the potential benefits an urban forest provides, a community’s tree cover must be well maintained. This ensures that the benefits the trees provide exceed the costs associated with their stewardship. The tree population must have a diversity of species to avoid the potential of catastrophic loss due to pests and diseases that often have species specific hosts. It is also important that a substantial proportion of trees should be of significant size, since larger trees provide the most benefits to the community.

An urban forest can be defined as the system of trees and associated plants that grow individually, in small groups, or under forest conditions on public and private lands in our cities, their suburbs and towns. Our urban forest provides many benefits to the community. These benefits can be categorized as environmental, economic, and social. The amount of tree cover and the quality and health of the trees determine the amount of benefits the community receives. The urban forest also includes individual trees and canopy cover in parks, wooded areas, riparian buffers, nature centers, playgrounds, schools, local, state and federal land, private sanctuaries, country clubs, golf courses, universities, and private residences.

The environmental benefits trees provide, such as producing oxygen and removing air pollutants, may be the most obvious. Trees can also reduce air temperatures and consequently affect air quality since the emissions of many pollutants are temperature dependent. Planted in the right location around buildings, trees can reduce heating and cooling energy costs. Tree canopy can also reduce stormwater runoff and contribute to substantial savings in our construction costs for stormwater facilities. The reduction in stormwater volume can help improve the water quality of Arlington’s streams by reducing nutrients and other pollutants. Some components of our urban forest contribute valuable wildlife habitat as well.

Individual trees can be extremely valuable components of a property’s landscape. The value of individual trees in the landscape can be appraised. Many of the majestic mature trees of an urban forest have an estimated appraised value in the tens of thousands of dollars. Our trees and the benefits they provide also contribute to property values. It has been suggested that healthy, mature trees can add 10% to residential property values. Business districts also benefit from having trees in the landscape. Consumers are more willing to frequent shopping districts with trees, spend more time there and are even willing to spend more money. Our trees are one of the reasons our community is a desirable place to shop, work, visit, and live. It makes economic sense to continue our stewardship of the urban forest.

Trees are valuable aesthetic components of the urban landscape and their psychological and social value goes beyond their visual appeal. It is suggested that individuals recover from stress more quickly and completely when exposed to natural settings. Hospital patients have been shown to recover quicker and with less medication when in rooms with a view of trees. When some element of nature, such as trees, is a component of the environment studies have shown a variety of positive effects. Violence and aggression decrease, crime rates are lower, symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) can decrease, and communities are strengthened. Trees can also provide a sense of place in the midst of constant change. Our Heritage trees can tie us to the past and our native trees can teach us the natural history of the region. This perspective often leads to a greater interest in stewardship.

INTRODUCTION – Plan Implementation

Urban forests are complex living resources that interact with the surrounding environment. Community leaders, forest managers, and residents must have a sound understanding of the urban forest resource and how it changes over time to fully realize all the benefits trees have to offer.

There are several long-range city planning documents that will directly affect the future of the city’s urban forest. It is important to align the objectives and strategies in this plan with these documents. This will ensure that the city’s urban forest and the benefits it provides become an important consideration at all levels of community planning. All plans should consider public and private trees as part of the urban forest and its ecosystem.

The city has several policies, programs, regulations, and documents that establish a framework for tree preservation, planting, and care. Through a comprehensive review of existing city ordinances, policies, and standards, there are several instances where the preservation of existing natural features is encouraged and/or regulated. Other ordinances require the identification of existing vegetation and any impact to that vegetation to be noted on the site plan.

PROPERTY OVERVIEW – Type of Development

Commercial Area

American Forests recommends a minimum 15% urban tree canopy (UTC) for central business districts. Developers of commercial properties with existing healthy trees should be encouraged to preserve and adequately protect them during construction. Strategies such as the use of structural soils in the city’s commercial areas should also be encouraged to ensure trees that are planted will survive and flourish. Planting trees in urban areas can reduce temperatures and lessen the urban heat island effect associated with urban centers.

Residential Area

American Forests recommends a minimum 25% urban tree canopy (UTC) in urban residential areas and a minimum 50% UTC in suburban residential areas. A good way to establish realistic UTC targets for residential areas is to use the 75th percentile rule. Using this rule for specific residential areas would mean that the overall UTC goals for the area would be based on the tree canopy that is present on 75% of the residential lots. Private residential property owners are important stakeholders in maintaining a healthy urban forest.

Road Right of Way

Along with parks, schools, and other local government-owned parcels, city-owned street rights of way are one of the few areas where the local government can directly control the condition of the urban forest. Unfortunately, trees in public rights of way have numerous infrastructure and safety elements to compete with. Roadside recovery zones needed for vehicular safety limit available planting space. Often, especially when limited space exists, trees are the last addition to the corridor. This can lead to a limited number of trees planted and poor growth rates for those that are planted, as well as early removal due to mortality, impacts to adjacent infrastructure, and/or disease and insect problems related to environmental stress.

Public Facilities and Parks

Public facilities and parks’ existing sites can be enhanced with new tree plantings and ensuring future site development incorporates preservation and planting of as many trees as possible is achievable. Detailed tree inventories can provide an overall picture of tree status including tree species, health, aesthetic value, visual obstruction, utility conflicts, and potential planting locations. Along with analysis of the data, they also help to develop appropriate and sustainable strategies to be utilized at each site over time.

Schools

School sites can play an important role in sustaining the city’s urban forest as well as educating children through activities involving tree preservation and plantings at the schools. Additional tree plantings at schools should be chosen carefully to ensure sustainability and should actively involve the student body to inspire future tree stewards.

URBAN WOOD UTILIZATION

Note ** The example text provided in the template may be more applicable to a municipality and should be adapted to other situations as appropriate given the level of authority or opportunity.

Starting Point for a Homeowner’s Association (HOA)

Reach out to the municipality or other jurisdictional authorities for information about any existing utilization efforts or partnership opportunities. The plan may also recommend contacting the forest utilization and marketing specialist with the Virginia Department of Forestry or reviewing the Urban and Small Woodlot Forestry Business Directory.

Pruning and Safety

When it is determined that pruning is necessary, a tree is posing a public safety hazard or has irreparable insect damage, this mitigates the risk and improves the site. Debris and remnants that are removed can be added to a compost pile, chipped on site for mulch, or cut for firewood.

When trees are removed for safety, health, or other reasons, the wood may be used to provide a variety of beneficial products and to reduce waste handling costs. Immediate opportunities may include wood chips for mulch and trail maintenance. More information is available by contacting the forest utilization and marketing specialist with the Virginia Department of Forestry or reviewing the Urban and Small Woodlot Forestry Business Directory.

PROPERTY OVERVIEW – General Recommendations

Invasive Species and Pest Management

Control and manage invasive plant species and tree pests and diseases in an environmentally responsible manner.

Manage the deer herd on common lands.

Manage non-native invasive species in accordance with local regulations.

Do not use invasive plants in common area landscaping.

Use the covenant process to prevent use of invasive species on private property in the community.

Use the HOA communications process to encourage homeowners to pick up pet waste.

Install and maintain pet waste stations at trail heads on common property.

GIS and Inventory

Perform comprehensive GIS-based canopy cover assessment.

Update the GIS street tree inventory with tree maintenance and removal data.

Create a GIS mapping program for invasives to track progress and assist with management.

Continue to perform detailed tree surveys in prioritized areas.

Develop a plan to better track public and private planting and removal rates.

Continue to systematically review potential tree hazards using the tree inventory.

Consider the development of a Tree Risk Management Plan.

Using the tree inventory, develop a realistic plan for a five-year pruning cycle of the trees in street rights-of-way (ROW).

Use the street tree inventory to determine conflicts with the built environment (sidewalks and tree grates) and prioritize their mitigation.

Management Team

Identify interdepartmental activities that could reduce duplicate services related to impacts to and management of the urban forest.

Establish a permanent Urban Forestry Committee.

Utilize tree plantings to meet environmental challenges, such as reducing pollutants in the Chesapeake Bay.

Develop a comprehensive urban forestry website.

Promote volunteer programs such as “Tree Buddies” and Neighborhood Pruning Program.

Acknowledge and publicize contributions to urban forestry.

Best Practices

Maximize canopy cover and optimize age and species diversity.

Ensure early review of development plans during the design process to promote tree preservation as opposed to tree replacement, when feasible.

Create more opportunities for tree planting in public ROW such as: tree nubs, street narrowing, larger planting strips, and curb, gutter, and sidewalk design and material innovations.

Implement a street tree planting plan.

Continue to monitor tree health, forest structure, and the occurrence of invasive plants in parks and naturally forested areas.

Begin to inventory trees in parks, natural areas, and other public facilities.

Wherever possible, manage forested areas on public lands so that there is adequate species diversity and size class distribution to maintain a sustainable urban forest.

Manage and enhance areas adjacent to existing streams as riparian forest buffers wherever possible and appropriate.

Ensure that best management practices (BMPs) are used when providing tree maintenance in critical areas such as riparian stream buffers.

Lawn care is the single largest issue for water quality in any residential community. Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Home Turf Program saves homeowners money and protects the environment by ensuring that products used to get a green lawn go into only the lawn and not the local stream. Contact your local extension agent for more information regarding this and other programs pertinent to your community.

Crown cleaning and/or pruning within the next 2 to 3 years would improve the appearance and stimulate tree growth. Refer to the appendix for proper standards and guidance regarding these practices.

Funding

Identify important forested tracts to preserve that limit forest fragmentation.

Seek additional operational funding to proactively manage the urban forest.

Establish a tree fund that is dedicated to planting trees and educating citizens about the value and stewardship of trees.

Explore options for establishing a funded county program to plant trees.

Explore options to offer incentives to preserve canopy and encourage planting.

Partnerships

Facilitate regional collaboration.

Refine partnerships with providers of public infrastructure.

Establish a program working with Civic Associations, in cooperation with volunteers, to plant trees.

Engage a cooperative effort to better steward the region’s urban forest.

Coordinate planting, planning. and maintenance activities where appropriate to optimize our stewardship.

Work with streetscape designers and planners to ensure tree species diversity.

Work with your local Soil and Water Conservation District to mark storm drains in the community.

Encourage homeowners to use the services of a certified arborist to care for their trees.

Work with your local forestry representative for information regarding applicable grants in Urban and Community Forestry.

Work with an arborist to set up a service group for homeowners in the community.

Encourage homeowners to take advantage of the VCE’s Home Turf Program.

Opportunity Areas for New Tree Planting

Existing and proposed rights of way

Future park spaces

Surface parking lots

Waterway buffer areas

Interstate buffers

Development Risk Areas

Redevelopment areas that clear cut wooded lots

Forested areas within growth districts

Future road corridors

Volunteers

The recruitment and use of volunteers to help manage the urban forest is done in many localities with the support of a dedicated staff member to that effort. Volunteers can support an urban forestry program by assisting with tree inventories, planting, and maintaining trees, raising awareness, and educating others. There is also importance in having educated citizens and takes every opportunity to volunteer their time to speak at civic league meetings and organizational events, educating and training citizens in urban forestry practices and basic tree maintenance.

This collection of example text will be updated and enhanced with materials from additional urban forest management plans over time to ensure relevancy to a variety of situations and to reflect best practices for plan writers.