a community forest management strategy
Many community tree ordinances have been developed in response to public
outcry over specific perceived problems. Unfortunately, a "band-aid" approach
to developing tree ordinances often leads to ordinances that are not consistent
with sound management practices, and which can actually thwart good management.
We believe that communities need to develop or review their overall urban
forest management strategy before considering a new or revised tree ordinance.
Policy makers must recognize that the primary goal is effective management
of local tree resources, not simply regulation.
Tree ordinances provide the legal framework for successful urban forest
management by enabling and authorizing management activities. However,
methods for managing the urban forest ecosystem are continually evolving,
and the input of trained professionals to the management process is critical.
Therefore, we believe that ordinances
should facilitate rather than prescribe management. Successful
tree ordinances follow this guiding principle.
If the role of a tree ordinance is to facilitate resource management,
the tree ordinance must be part of a larger community forest management
strategy. Most of the shortcomings attributed to tree ordinances can usually
be traced to the lack of a clearly thought-out management strategy. Poor
planning leads to poor ordinances, and even the best-written ordinance
is unlikely to succeed in the absence of an overall urban forest management
strategy. We have found that few existing tree ordinances have been developed
as part of a comprehensive
develop a management strategy
We have generally followed Miller's (1988)
model of the management planning process. More recently, the descriptive term
adaptive management has been applied to this process. Miller
(1988) presents the management planning process in terms of three basic
Developing an appropriate tree ordinance may be a partial answer to the
third question, i.e., it is one way of trying to get what you want. However,
it should be clear that the first two questions need to be answered before
the third can be addressed. Thus, assessment (determining what you have)
and goal-setting (determining what you want) should precede any consideration
of an ordinance.
In practice, answering the first two questions is often an iterative
process. Communities may have ideas about what they want before they fully
assess what they have. However, an assessment of existing tree resources
can help point out needs that might not be obvious, and will help the community
to establish appropriate goals.
Since the urban forest resource and the external factors that affect it are
continually changing, developing a management strategy must be an ongoing process.
Asking a fourth question helps to bring the process full circle:
Miller (1988) represents this phase as a feedback step which connects the
third question back to the first. If the planning process is to be effective,
it is necessary to determine whether you actually achieve what you want.
If not, methods for getting what you want may need to be changed. Alternatively,
it is possible that what you get is no longer what you want, and goals
will need to be revised as well.
We can define a number of specific steps that address each of these
four basic questions. These steps have been defined in similar ways by
various authors (Lobel 1983,
1988, Jennings 1978, McPherson
and Johnson 1988, World
Forestry Center and Morgan 1989). For the purposes of our discussion,
we recognize seven distinct steps which are discussed below.
Working through these steps need not be overly complicated or arduous. The
entire process is driven by the specific resources and goals of the individual
community. By following the process outlined below, a small community with very
modest tree management goals can develop a simple ordinance that addresses its
limited goals. On the other hand, communities seeking to develop a comprehensive
tree management program or expand their existing programs can do so following
the same process. Ordinances developed through this process will be uniquely
suited to the needs of each community.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE?
Step A. Assess the tree resource.
An assessment of tree resources provides the basic information necessary
for making management decisions. It also provides a baseline against which
change can be measured. Ideally, this assessment should include all tree
resources within the planning area of the municipality. However, in communities
that are just starting to consider municipal tree management, an incremental
approach may be more practical. In this case, the assessment may be focused
on a certain portion of the urban forest, such as street trees or trees
in a particular geographic area.
Tree resource assessments are based on various inventory methods, most
of which require some type of survey. Complete tree inventories of all
public trees are relatively common, and play a central role in many tree
management programs. However, for the purposes of setting goals and initiating
a management strategy, information from a representative sample of the
urban forest will often suffice.
Information that may be useful for management planning includes:
Inventories vary in complexity depending on the size of the community and
the nature of the data collected. They can be made by city staff, consultants,
or trained volunteers. In one small community, an inventory of street trees
was conducted as an Eagle Scout project. However, it is important to ensure
that the data collected is valid and reliable, since this information provides
a basis for decisions made in later steps in the process. Several simple
sampling and evaluation techniques applicable to urban forestry are described
in the Evaluation
total number of trees classified by species, condition, age, size, and
problem situations, such as sidewalk damage, disease and pest problems,
or hazardous trees, preferably linked to the basic tree data listed above;
amount of canopy cover by location.
Step B. Review
tree management practices.
An important part of understanding the status of the urban forest is knowing
how it has been managed. This requires information on both past and current
management methods and actions, such as:
The specific types of information involved will vary by jurisdiction, depending
on the level of past and current tree management. Municipal records are
the most reliable source of this information. However, records on maintenance
or ordinance enforcement may not exist in some cases, and the information
may have to be obtained by interviewing local government staff involved
with these activities.
municipal tree care practices, including planting, maintenance, and removal;
existing ordinances, and the level of enforcement practiced (numbers of
violations, permits and citations issued, penalties and fines collected);
planning regulations and guidelines that pertain to trees, and numbers
of tree-related permits granted, modified, or denied;
activities of municipal departments and public utilities that impact trees.
The point of this step is to identify all of the activities that affect trees
in the community, especially those that are under municipal control of one form
or other. For instance, various ordinances and planning regulations seemingly
unrelated to the tree program may impinge on tree resources and their impact
must be taken into account. Before trying to change community forest management,
we need to consider both current and historical management practices and identify
all of the players involved.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
Step C. Identify needs.
With information on the status of their tree resources and tree management
in hand, a community is in a good position to assess its urban forestry
needs. Urban forestry needs can be grouped into three broad categories,
although many needs may actually fall into more than one category. Biological
needs are those that are related to the tree resource itself. Typical
needs in this category include the need to:
Management needs refer to the needs of those involved with the short-
and long-term care and maintenance of the urban forest. Some common management
increase species and age diversity to provide long-term forest stability;
provide sufficient tree planting to keep pace with urban growth and offset
increase the proportion of large-statured trees in the forest for greater
- ensure proper compatibility between trees and planting sites to reduce sidewalk
damage and conflicts with overhead utilities that lead to premature tree removal.
Community needs are those that relate to how the public perceives
and interacts with the urban forest and the local urban forest management
program. Examples of community needs include:
develop adequate long-term planning to ensure the sustainability of the
optimize the use of limited financial and personnel resources;
increase training and education for tree program employees to ensure high
quality tree care;
coordinate tree-related activities of municipal departments.
The needs listed above are common to many communities. However, the specific
needs of each community will vary, and may include others not noted here.
increase public awareness of the values and benefits associated with trees;
promote better private tree care through better public understanding of
the biological needs of trees;
foster community support for the urban forest management program;
promote conservation of the urban forest by focusing public attention on
all tree age classes, not just large heritage trees.
Step D. Establish goals.
Now that we know what we have and what we need, we are ready to set goals to
address local urban forestry needs and to guide the formation of the management
strategy. To establish realistic goals, it's important to consider limitations
posed by the level of community support, economic realities, and environmental
constraints. Because of limited resources, communities may be unable to immediately
address all of the needs identified. If this is the case, it will be necessary
to prioritize goals. In setting priorities, it is important not to neglect goals
that require a long-term approach in favor of those that can be achieved quickly.
At this point in the process, it is absolutely critical to get community
involvement and support. Most tree ordinances rely heavily on voluntary
compliance by the public. Such compliance is only likely to be achieved
if members of the community support the goals which have been set. Management
goals reached through public involvement are likely to reflect community
values and therefore enjoy public support. Public participation in the
goal-setting process also serves an educational function, providing an
opportunity for citizens to see how urban forest management affects their
Goals are the tangible ends that the management strategy seeks to achieve.
It is therefore important to set goals which are quantifiable in some way, so
that progress toward the goals can be monitored. For example, while it is admirable
to seek to "improve the quality of life" or "protect the health and welfare
of the community", such goals are generally too diffuse to be measured in any
meaningful way. However a goal such as "establish maximum tree cover" can be
made quantifiable by setting canopy cover or tree density standards. Typical
tree program goals which are consistent with good urban forest management are
discussed in more detail on the Ordinance Goals page.
HOW DO YOU GET WHAT
Step E. Select tools and formulate the management strategy.
The objective of this step is to develop a management strategy that addresses
your specific goals. There are many approaches that can be used to address
each goal, and the pros and cons of each approach should be considered.
Feasibility, practicality, legality, and economics should be considered
in selecting the appropriate management tools. Some typical tools include:
Community involvement and support continues to be important in this phase
of the process. Management approaches and tools that are unacceptable to
the community are unlikely to succeed. If a local government intends to
push for more progressive tree management than local citizens are ready
to accept, it should choose tools that will build community awareness and
support, including educational and incentive programs. Your assessment
of current and past management practices,
should provide ideas about the effectiveness of various methods that have
been used in your community. Public input and comment should be sought
for any new approaches that may be contemplated or developed.
public education programs;
assistance and incentive programs;
voluntary planting programs;
planning regulations and guidelines, including the general plan and specific
In analyzing the approaches or tools that may be used, the role of the
tree ordinance in the overall strategy should become clear. In some cases,
ordinance provisions will be necessary to authorize various management
approaches, such as establishing the position of municipal arborist, requiring
the development and implementation of a community forest master plan, or
mandating a program of public education. In other cases, ordinance provisions
may directly provide necessary parts of the strategy, for example by outlawing
The provisions placed in the tree ordinance should be directly related
to the goals your community has established for its community forest. As
noted earlier, these provisions should designate responsibility, grant
authority, and specify enforcement methods. They should set basic performance
standards, yet allow for flexibility in determining how these standards
can be met. You can follow this link to see our goal-driven
Guide to Drafting a Tree Ordinance, but be sure to read about the last
two critical steps in the management process below.
Step F. Implement the management strategy.
Although a plan may appear ideal on paper, it clearly cannot achieve anything
unless implemented. This requires the commitment of resources necessary
to hire personnel, enforce ordinances, run educational programs, and carry
out other components of the management strategy. The number of steps involved
in implementing the management strategy may differ between communities.
Steps typically involved in implementation may include:
passing an ordinance,
budgeting necessary funds,
hiring a municipal forester or arborist,
appointing a citizen tree advisory board,
formulating a master tree management plan,
developing public education programs.
Since a number of steps are usually involved in implementing the management
strategy, it is useful to map out an implementation schedule. This time/action
schedule should show the steps that are involved and the time frame within which
they should be completed. Progress checks should be built into the schedule
to ensure that delays or problems are detected and dealt with. These progress
checks could be in the form of required progress reports to the city council
or county board of supervisors. It is important to maintain a high profile for
the management program during implementation to foster public interest and maintain
the commitment of the local government. If interest and support dissipate before
the strategy is implemented, the efforts spent to get to this point may be for
ARE YOU GETTING WHAT YOU
Step G. Evaluate and revise.
Even a successfully implemented management strategy must be monitored to
ensure that progress is being made and standards are being met. Evaluation
provides the feedback necessary to determine whether the management strategy
is working. Periodic evaluation also provides an opportunity to reassess
the needs and goals of the community. The management strategy may need
to be adjusted to reflect new or altered goals. By providing for regular
evaluation as part of the management process, the need for change can be
identified before a crisis develops.
If you have set quantifiable goals, evaluating progress will be a relatively
straightforward process. The types of evaluation techniques you will use
will vary with the goal being evaluated. The Evaluation
Methods page describes a number of simple techniques that can be used
to monitor ordinance effectiveness.
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