Final Steps

 

Compiling the Plan

The process of developing an UFMP takes an extended period of time while you and your team work on the major elements.

The main sections of the draft plan will include:

Vision Statement
Introduction Include the purpose of, and need for the plan; benefits of the urban forest; background/overview; scope; planning horizon.   (Largely the information from the Work Plan)
Status of the Urban Forest Summaries of Inventories and Assessments of the Context, Vegetation Resource, Management, and Community Values.
Strategic Plan Analysis -> Goals, Objectives, Actions
Implementation plan
Monitoring plan
Appendices Include detailed references, resources, inventories, and documents that may change, such as species lists.

 

  1. Cover Title (Name of the jurisdiction) Urban Forest Management Plan
  2. Table of Contents
  3. Introductory Information
    1. Dates covered by plan
    2. Prepared for:
    3. Prepared by:
    4. Plan approval date and/or date of final draft
    5. Approved by:
    6. Acknowledgements
    7. Mission statement
  4. Executive Summary
  5. Vision Statement
  6. Introduction (Information summarized from the Work Plan)
  7. Status of the Urban Forest (Information summarized from Inventories and Assessments)
    1. Context
      1. History and Land Use Changes
      2. Environmental
    2. Vegetation
      1. Canopy Cover
      2. Tree Inventory
    3. Management
      1. Responsibilities
      2. Plans, Policies, Regulations
      3. Management Practices
    4. Community
      1. Values and Issues
  8. Strategic Plan
    1. Issues and Trends
    2. Needs
      1. Tree
      2. Management
      3. Community
    3. Goals, Objective, Actions
  9. Implementation (Action) Plan
  10. Monitoring Plan
  11. Appendices
    1. Technical guides and standards
    2. Assessment methods
    3. Planning documents and policies
    4. Ordinances
    5. Resources
    6. Other

Plan Review

Stakeholders are invited to review the draft plan, and revisions are made as needed. Any plan developed by a government agency or quasi-governmental organization will be presented to the public for review and comment. The draft plan is usually presented at one or more public meetings.

Plan Approval and Adoption

The final version will need to be approved by the entity that approves budget expenditures. The decision makers who will approve the plan should already be aware of the plan and its importance, and should be ready to approve it.

Having an approved urban forest management plan is really a starting point rather than an end point. To implement the plan requires ongoing financial and administrative support and momentum.

Urban Forest Management Plan Toolkit