Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program

November 24, 2002 Gulfport, Mississippi September 02, 2005 Urban Forest Management Plan for Hurricane-Prone Communities Francisco Escobedo, Robert Northrop and Wayne Zipperer

Urban Forest Bring together information and tools from previous chapters Synthesize information on trees, tree species, pruning, planting, design Focus on the community rather than the homeowner and from individual trees to the urban forest

Urban Forest? Urban forests, the collective sum of all trees and vegetation in and around urban areas: public AND private trees Healthy urban forests are composed of trees that maximize ecosystem benefits while being able to withstand wind storms Communities –neighborhoods –homeowner associations –towns or cities

Urban Forest Management Plan Outlines day to day management activities – who, what, when and how to achieve a community’s goals and objectives Shoul be developed and implemented before damage from a windstorm or hurricane can occur Used as a blue print for post- hurricane response to damages after a storm

An Urban Forest Management Plan Should: Create a safe and attractive environment Maintain or enhance public and private urban forest cover Provide ways of responding to the community’s needs and requests Maximize the well-being & minimize the costs Improve coordination of management activities with other associations, neighborhoods, departments or offices

Background Several urban forest management and street tree master plans were reviewed in preparation of this chapter Conversations with urban foresters from across the Southeastern US and elsewhere were used to develop this outline to help a community start its own process

Approach - First Step What does the community want from its urban forest? –Creating a vision –Setting visions, goals nad objectives –Community participation What is your urban forest resource? –Assessing the community’s tree, fiscal, and human resources How do you achieve the urban forest you want? –Developing goals and objectives –Implementing a plan to meet the goals and objectives Are you achieving the urban forest you want? –Monitoring and evaluating

A Process- Not a document Set Goals & Objectives Community participation Assess resources Monitor and evaluate Implement Goals & Objectives Develop Goals & Objectives Vision

Set Vision and Goals A vision is the desired future condition of your urban forest and it should be concise and meaningful A vision statement will define the goals and objectives, which lay the framework for the management plan. Promote a healthy and wind resistant urban forest

Goals Goals are the general statements about what your community is trying to accomplish Each goal statement then has its own set of objectives For example, to maintain or increase tree cover, wind resistance, and tree diversity

Objectives Objectives are focused, measurable, result- oriented activities that support the completion of a goal and the community meeting its vision: – remove hazardous trees, – initiate a pruning program, and – plant wind-resistant trees of different ages and sizes in groups

Community Participation A management plan has a greater success of meeting goals and objectives It will help identify and develop alternative management options The team can discover new information relevant to your community and urban forest Demonstrate fairness across the community. The vision statement and well defined goals and objectives should be a community activity:

Participants Private citizens Community forester or tree care professionals Representative of planning and zoning, parks and recreation, transportation, etc Emergency management services Media contact Public utility providers Local non-profit organizations Other public depending on the characteristics of your community

A Process - Not a document Develop Goals & Objectives Vision Community participation Assess resources Monitor and evaluate Implement Goals & Objectives Set Goals & Objectives

Developing Objectives Who will be responsible What, how, and When those activities be carried out (timeline) Shift from community to specialists –Chapter 4 –Chapter 5 –Chapter 6 –Chapters 8 & 9 –Chapters 12 & 13

Developing Goals Maintaining diversity in your community – plant mix of species, ages, and layer tree and shrub canopies Pre-designating areas for debris storage and temporary housing Urban Forest Emergency Plans –Northern cities and ice storms –smaller communities

Alternatives Examples: Objective 1 - Remove all hazard trees at once Objective 2 - Prioritize the removal of hazard trees and wind-prone species as opportunities become available Objective 3 - Do nothing Need alternative options because of changes in funding, personnel, and community concerns

Assessing Resources What should the urban forest look like and provide for the community? How much urban forest do we want and need, present and future? Why do we want to manage the urban forest? How will we respond in case of a hurricane?

Tree, Fiscal, and Human Resources Historical records Lesson learned from past hurricanes Library resources Tree inventory –Chapter 7 to 10 –Species, size, condition, location, growing space and site history Assess the resources available –people, funding, and time

A Process- Not a document Assess resources Implement Goals & Objectives Develop Goals & Objectives Vision Community participation Set Goals & Objectives Monitor and evaluate

Implementation Implementation is the realization of your community’s goals by carrying out, or putting into action, your objectives Some objectives can be achieved within a certain timeline Include emergency management services, public utilities, and municipal/county personnel Plan for, and determine, how the community will respond to these changes

Go Forth and Manage!? Plant Prune Irrigate Communicate Educate But…

Finished? Vision Develop Goals & Objectives Set Goals & Objectives Implement Goals & Objectives Community participation Assess resources Monitor and evaluate

Monitor and Evaluate Monitoring is the collection of information to determine if the plan’s goals and objectives are being met - is your plan effective? Living document continually changing to reflect changes in resources and funding, and the needs What are we doing to meet out goals and vision?

Evaluation Evaluate, or assess, how well your activities are achieving your plan’s objectives Management plan should be a continual process and not end with the writing of your plan View as learning experience and not as a failure

Review Goals and Objectives Management is a continual process of learning and adapting to change Review the community management plan’s vision, goals, objectives, and activities

Does it ever end? Vision Develop Goals & Objectives Community participation Assess resources Implement Goals & Objectives Set Goals & Objectives Monitor and evaluate

Start over? Most management plans need to be reviewed Planning and management are not a discrete event, but a long-term process –in the aftermath of a hurricane, urban forests will be secondary to public safety, mitigating hazards, cleaning debris, restoring public services and utilities

Remember Objectives can have time lines but the plan itself should allow for change. A clear vision, community participation, monitoring, and the ability to adapt your plan for an eventual hurricane –will insure the sustainability of the urban forest and its services.

Conclusion Use lessons learned from previous hurricanes and the tools in this series to: –develop plans to help communities to prepare & effectively respond to a hurricane –develop pre-hurricane goals, objectives, and activities –restore urban forest after hurricanes