Getting Started>What/where>Scope
Overall Scope
Trees included in an urban forest management plan may include:- planted horticultural trees in urbanized settings (most trees in developed areas)
- retained native trees in urbanized settings
- native trees in relatively undisturbed settings (open space lands, etc.)
Different types of management actions and monitoring methods may be appropriate for these various tree classes.
City/county plans
Most urban forests include trees managed by multiple entities. These many include:
- municipal trees: trees under city/county care in parks, open space lands, street rights-of-way, other city owned properties
- other publicly owned/managed trees: trees on properties owned or managed by other public entities such as school districts, water districts, etc.
- privately owned/managed trees: includes trees in commercial areas (parking lots, commercial building complexes), residential areas (single and multifamily housing), dedicated open space lands managed by HOAs, vacant lands that may be subject to future development. Some of these trees may have been planted as a condition of plan approval.
For some jurisdictions, most or all of the trees along street rights-of-way may be privately managed. Most municipal urban forest management plans address municipal trees. Whether other trees in the jurisdiction (second and third bullet points above) are addressed will depend on the local context. It may or may not be practical or desirable to include non-municipal trees depending on local politics, preferences, and conditions. Different tools will apply to management of trees that a municipality has direct control over vs. those owned and managed by other entities.
Urban forest management plans will differ widely between communities because they reflect and respond to the local context. The evolution of the local urban forest is shaped by community history, and an urban forest management plan needs to respond to conditions that exist or can be anticipated at the time the plan is developed. As the community and its urban forest continue to evolve over time, the management plan may need to be updated, revised, or replaced.
Example:
As directed by the Town of Oakville, this plan addresses only lands south of Dundas Street. Urban forestry management activities north of Dundas Street, while beyond the scope of this plan will have implications for overall urban forest planning in the Town.
Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan Town of Oakville: 2008-2027. Prepared by Urban Forest Innovations Inc, and Dr. Andy Kenney, with inputs and amendments by Town of Oakville Forestry staff. March 2008
You can use the tool below to indicate the scope of your urban forest plan. Your choices will be reflected in the outline and will reappear below the next time you log in. Remember that this tool, and this web site, have been designed to cover many possibilities, you will choose only those things which are of interest to your plan.
Scope of the plan -use this form to specify the scope of the UFMP. Blank lines have been provided for customized topic areas. |
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| Check those of interest | What will be assessed | Managed by (specify, e.g. city, residential, commercial, etc.) | Geographic limits (specify if applicable) | Other (specify) | ||
Overall canopy cover |
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Street trees |
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Facility trees |
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Parking lot trees/Shading |
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Park trees |
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Heritage trees |
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Open space trees |
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Other-specify |
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Download a Microsoft Word worksheet which will allow you to fill in this information.
Site-level plans
Individual, site-level urban forest management plans can be developed that address the management of the urban forest in areas such as college campuses, office parks, historical sites, botanical gardens, recreation areas, or other large properties that contain significant amounts of tree canopy. Such plans may also be developed within the context of a larger-scale city or regional plan. In some cases, they may be subject to review and/or approval by local governments.
A site level plan can be less complex than a city or county plan. Because site-level plans typically cover an area much smaller than a city or county, there is less overall variability across the site and potentially a smaller range of issues that need to be addressed in the plan. In addition, if the site is owned and/or managed by a single entity, the process for making decisions and obtaining necessary resources to execute the plan may be simpler. Site-level plans can use the scope planning form shown above.