Developing an urban forest management plan for hurricane-prone communities

Abstract

This chapter brings together the information and tools from previous chapters and changes the focus to the community rather than the homeowner, and from individual trees to the urban forest. The urban forest is the collective sum of all trees and vegetation in and around an urban area. Urban forests are an integral part of a community’s well-being, so a management plan for its urban forest is essential to a community. An urban forest management plan should consider public and private trees as part of the urban ecosystem. An urban forest management plan does not allow a community to tell each individual or homeowner how to manage their property, but it does allow a community to take trees on private property into account so that planners can look at the entire forest as a resource to manage. Communities (e.g. neighborhoods, homeowner associations, towns, or cities) can manage their tree resources to meet common goals using a management plan. By working together rather than as individuals, communities can maintain or enhance their urban forests and improve their well-being. This chapter along with preceding chapters can be used as a guide for citizen and tree care professional participation in managing the community’s urban forest and for community leaders in developing a plan for their urban forest.