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community that the tree removal process is difficult to understand and there is a lot of confusion around the Heritage Tree Board of Appeals' roles and responsibilities. Tree Inventory The first tree inventory was created in the early 2000s and was comprised of City- owned trees. The tree inventory database captures characteristics unique to each tree such as the pruning schedule, a condition rating, the species, and a general value of the tree. The inventory includes street and park trees managed by the City that were geolocated using GIS. For more than 20 years, the tree inventory has been an important tool that staff uses to care for and maintain the city's approximately 26,000 trees. Climate Action Plan and Climate Action Plan 2.0 In addition to an analysis of the Tree Preservation Ordinance, another primary catalyst for an Urban Forest Master Plan came from the recent Climate Action Plan 2.0 (CAP 2.0) which was adopted by the City Council in 2022. The CAP 2.0 was an update from the first Climate Action Plan which was adopted in 2012 and which recommended a citywide tree planting program, using tree planting to reduce the "urban heat island" effect in parking lots, business parks and along sidewalks, and assumed the planting of 200 trees per year. The updated CAP 2.0 as adopted by the City Council took these recommendations a step further by estimating total carbon sequestration which can be achieved by planting new trees in optimum locations. The creation of an Urban Forest Master Plan was specified under CAP 2.0's action items. In response to community input and the recommendations in the CAP 2.0, in 2021 the City Council allocated $200,000 for an Urban Forest Master Plan, CIP No. 22773, as part of the Capital Improvement Program budget. DISCUSSION The Urban Forest Master Plan is a document that will guide the management of the City's urban forest over the next 25 years. The plan will lead to an equitable, resilient, and sustainably managed urban forest, will clearly and concisely communicate a framework for the long-term care, preservation and expansion of the community's urban forest and will include: • An update to the inventory of trees managed by the City • A review of the general health of the urban forest considering both public and private trees • A guide for tree maintenance and tree planting practices for public areas and private development to sustain and enhance the urban forest into the future • An analysis of environmental programs relating to the urban forest, including meeting the goals of the CAP 2.0 • A cost/benefit analysis of the urban forest related to CAP 2.0 goals • Recommendations on engagement and education to the community about the importance of a sustained urban forest Page 3 of 6