Developed by
Inland Urban Forest Council
Region
Global, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, North America, Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa
Can be adapted for use globally; Developed originally for North American cities
Forest Level
Inner Forest
Resource Type
Guidance and Framework
Language
English
Cost
Free
Urban Forest Management Plan Toolkit
Launched in 2011; Updated in 2016
Why Use the Tool
The Urban Forest Management Plan Toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to designing and implementing an urban forest management plan. The main steps include understanding the local vision, creating an inventory of the current state of the urban forest, proposing a strategic plan, initiating an implementation plan, and starting a monitoring plan. In addition, it ensures that the final management plan includes an adaptive management perspective to keep updating the workplan with new input.
Recommended Tool
Cities4Forests recommends the Urban Forest Management Plan Toolkit as it is self-guided, has been tested and recommended by urban forestry experts, and can be easily tailored to meet local contexts. Since the toolkit itself does not offer support to users, Cities4Forests encourages city officials to work with urban forestry experts to develop their local management plans.
Input Data Required
The toolkit suggests 18 tasks to create a management plan, including collecting inventories and assessments of the area’s urban forests.
Outputs
Workplan and urban forest management plan, plus strategies for adaptive management.
Past Use Cases
Examples from around the United States, including San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. Read more here.
Supporting Partners
California Urban Forest Council, CAL FIRE, & USDA Forest Service
Contact
Nancy Humenik Sappington, President of Inland Urban Forest Council & Certified Arborist: nrhsappington@me.com