Developing and Using Urban Forest
Management Plans

Resource Links

Revised 8.14.08

Introduction to UCF Management Planning

Urban Forestry Management Practices for Public Works Managers - APWA 2007. An urban forest management plan is an essential tool for protecting this valuable resource. An urban forest management plan is an action plan; it gives public works agencies detailed information, recommendations, and resources needed to effectively and proactively manage public trees.

Developing a Street Tree Master Plan - This guide is targeted at small to medium sized communities in developing management plans. Other aspects of a master plan include a municipal ordinance and a street tree inventory.

Sample Urban & Community Forest Management Plan & Guidebook

NJ Community Forestry Management Guidelines - The guidelines address inventory of tree resources, management plan connections to conservation or land use components of municipal/county master planning, linkages to tree ordinance or municipal land use laws, review of ordinances for contradictions with existing municipal/county ordinance and explanation of how a plan should fit in with the municipal/county open space planning.

Guide to Developing Urban Forestry Strategic and Management Plans - Budgeting and Funding
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry

Ohio Department of Natural Resources Web site - This Ohio DNR web-site provides an overview of comprehensive Urban Forestry Elements for tree care organizations.

A Guide for Municipal Tree Commissions - William F. Elmendorf, and Henry D. Gerhold, 1997. This booklet offers practical information related to community forestry topics of inventories, ordinances, tree commissions, and arboricultural practices, and then builds on them by providing direction related to developing a community tree plan, securing financial support, fostering community involvement, and working with utilities.

Green Infrastructure Guide Planning for a Healthy Urban and Community Forest Ecosystem - Urban Forestry Educational Material for City or State Government Project - The Green Infrastructure Guide is a user-friendly handbook for planners, public officials, public works staff, zoning and planning board members, and community volunteers to better understand how to integrate natural resource planning and management with community planning and development.

Working with Local Government for Successful Urban Forests - This easy to use document by Penn State College of Agriculture outlines tips for developing good relationships with community officials.

Guidelines for Developing and Evaluating Tree Ordinances - Major funding for this web site is provided by the USDA Forest Service through the National Urban and Community Forestry, Advisory Council and the International Society of Arboriculture. Swiecki, T. J., Bernhardt, E. A. (2001). Includes assessing the resources, identifying needs, reviewing management practices, setting goals, implementing and evaluation methods for management strategies

Urban & Community Forestry, A Practical Guide to Sustainability, National Arbor Day Foundation guidebook for tree board members, volunteer group leaders, master gardeners, city officials, students studying urban forestry or landscape architecture, or any interested citizen wanting a quick and easy overview of urban forestry.

Analysis of Resources: Policies, Budget, and Infrastructure

Urban Forestry Best Management Practices for Public Works Managers, Budgeting and Funding
APWA 2007

Urban Forestry Best Management Practices for Public Works Managers - Staffing, APWA 2007

Tree Inventory Resources - List of Tree inventory resources and tools compiled by USFS, 2006

Defining Goals and Objectives

Urban Forestry Strategic and Management Plans - US FS Urban Forestry South expo website contains urban forestry strategic and management plans from various communities around the country.

What Municipal Departments Look for in a Plan

Urban Forestry Best Management Practices for Public Works Managers - Ordinances, Regulations and Public Policies - APWA, 2007
http://www.apwa.net/Documents/About/CoopAgreements/UrbanForestry/UrbanForestry-3.pdf

Strategic Forest Lands Assessment, MD DNR - An assessment of the condition of Maryland’s forests, the factors that affect their continued health and vitality, and ability to provide the multiple ecological, social, and economic values for MD citizens. (October 2003)

GreenPlan Philadelphia</strong> - Philadelphia’s first comprehensive plan for its parks, recreation areas, and open space. GreenPlan Philadelphia ensures that open space continues to enhance the environmental, social, and economic well-being in thecity. Zoning and other land-use controls and regulations serve as implementation tools.

Pittsburg Street Tree Inventory and Management Plan - Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission conducted the inventory and create the subsequent 7-year management plan that provides recommendations on protecting trees from construction damage and unnecessary removal; implementing a tree preservation program in conjunction with infrastructure construction and renovation projects and a processes for issuing fines to developers and who ignore regulations.

Use of a Management Plan

Planning the Urban Forest: Ecology, Economy and Community Development - The American Planning Association, in close collaboration with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and American Forests (AF), prepared this best practices manual on how urban and community forestry can be integrated into long-range and current municipal planning activities.  To be released soon. http://www.planning.org/forestry/. See overview in City Trees July/Aug 2008 p24-25

City of Minneapolis Urban Forest Policy - Unlike most US cities, Minneapolis is not directly responsible for the care and management of its public trees. The City Council found that the standards and guidelines in the Policy were necessary to ensure the continued protection, maintenance, replacement and management of the city’s urban forest. The city is working on a Sustainability Plan looking at the critical gaps between the Urban Forest Policy Plan and the Comprehensive Plan. MPRB Policies & Procedures for Forestry and the Urban Forest Policy

MD Forest Conservation Act - This Legislative Act establishes standards for local authorities to enforce during development, is a means to protect not only forest and trees in developing areas but also any sensitive area identified during the local planning or comprehensive land use plan adoption process. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/download/FCA_10_year_review.pdf

Syracuse Urban Forest Master Plan: Guiding The City's Forest Resource Into The 21st Century
Nowak, David J.; O'Connor, Paul R.; 2001, -The Syracuse Urban Forest Master Plan combines a high-resolution digital urban cover map with field vegetation sampling data from all land uses, a 100-percent street-tree inventory, a survey of city residents regarding desirable and undesirable tree characteristics and functions, and a survey of local tree experts on the best trees for various city conditions.
http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/newtown_square/publications/technical_reports/pdfs/2001/gtrne287.pdf

Urban Forestry Master Plan for Ithaca, New York  - This plan directs the development of plans and the planting of City street trees and open spaces, the purpose of which will be to strengthen existing streetscape images, create identifiable images for particular types of streets (such as city entranceways, major thoroughfares and commercial strips) and to create a more pleasant urban environment.
http://www.ci.ithaca.ny.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={3B881805-DA8B-4AE7-B4EB-0BBDFBBB26E5}

Management Plan Development

Ohio Department of Natural Resources EAB Management Plan Overview - Identifies guidelines for EAB Management Plans to meet current or anticipated impact of the Emerald Ash Borer on urban forest resources. It is intended to serve as a blueprint to be followed with a high degree of confidence, rationality, and order. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/eab/management/tabid/5073/Default.aspx

Ohio Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan  - An exampleis offered to Ohio Communities by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Portals/18/eab/pdf/EABmanagement_plan022808.pdf

Maryland’s Emergency Response Plan for Invasive Forest Pests - This plan is intended to identify agency roles and a plan of action for early detection, rapid response, control, and management. Although the plan organizes State efforts to combat environmental threats to forest health by invasive insects and diseases into a logical framework, it is not designed to serve as a comprehensive strategy.  Revised May 2005 http://www.mda.state.md.us/plants-pests/forest_plan/plan.pdf

Urban Tree Risk Management: A Community Guide to Implementation
An illustrated, easy to read training manual for community leaders, administrators, city foresters, parks and public works staff, and private tree care practitioners. The manual is designed to assist communities with the design, adoption and implementation of tree risk management programs, and train field staff to detect, assess, and correct hazardous defects in urban trees. Consulting arborists, city foresters, and educators provided extensive review to ensure the information applies to communities of varying sizes and budgets. Examples of tree defects, risk rating systems, and species selection were chosen to depict tree species and conditions that occur in the Northeastern U.S.
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/utrmm/

Urban Tree Cover and Air Quality Planning - This website created by the National Tree Trust, Davey Resource Group, USFS, and Chesapeake Communities is dedicated to building the case for urban tree canopy cover inclusion in State Implementation Plans (SIPs). On this website are documents critical to 1) understanding the link between trees and air quality and 2) navigating the state air quality improvement planning process. http://www.treescleanair.org/

For addition research on topics of interest see:
Urban Forestry Index (UFind) - A searchable index of urban forestry and arboriculture publications and other media (like videos, websites, and posters). http://www.urbanforestryindex.net/