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Why?
This is likely to be one of the first questions you will need to address when proposing to develop or revise an urban forest management plan - why is it needed? Can you make a compelling case to show why the plan is needed at this time? The reasons you advance will need to resonate with those who will approve and fund the development and implementation of the plan.
The amount of background information that you will need to provide will be related to how well your local decision makers understand the benefits provided by the urban forest and the costs associated with urban forest management.
Trees provide a variety of important benefits in the urban environment. These benefits include
- removing carbon from the atmosphere,
- reducing energy use,
- improving air quality,
- moderating stormwater flows,
- protecting water quality,
- improving economic sustainability,
- supporting physical and mental health of residents, and
- providing habitat for wildlife.
The community's trees will need to be managed in order to maintain this stream of benefits that are critical to the community's economic well-being and overall quality of life. Unlike most other urban infrastructure, the value of the urban forest generally increases over time. Benefits provided by the urban forest may take years to develop to maximum levels.
Tree resources can be adversely affected over short time periods by a lack of timely management or poor management choices. An urban forest management plan helps a community protect the investment it has made in its community forest. A plan provides a blueprint for enhancing the forest to maximize the benefits it provides. Good planning will minimize costs required to maintain the resource.
Whether for good or ill, the community's trees are being managed in some fashion whether or not a plan is in place. Without a vision and plan, the urban forest is unlikely to provide the benefits that the community desires. The lack of a management program does not mean that money is being saved. Improper or inadequate management takes a toll on the tree resource. The community will pay for these adverse effects in terms of dollars of benefits lost and a reduced quality of life.
Work plan
There may be good reasons why it would be especially advantageous to develop or revise a plan at this time. For example:
- grant funding is available now,
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change in administration or city government personnel increases chance of plan approval,
- plan is needed
to ensure UF program continuity in face of pending retirements.
While you may make note of these in your work plan,some of these reasons will not need to be stated explicitly in the actual UFM plan.
| Why we should develop an urban forest management plan at this time: |
Outline
The reasons for developing the plan should resonate with your target audience. For municipal plans, the target audience likely includes elected officials, advisory commissions or boards, and the general public. Some justifications for the plan that this audience may appreciate include:
- need to maintain urban forest benefits,
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benefit/cost relationships that show the positive contributions of a well-managed urban forest,
- need to address community-specific challenges (damage from storms, fires, pest/disease invasions),
- more efficient use of available funding and personnel,
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improved ability to compete for outside grant funding in the future.
| Justification for the urban forest management plan: |