URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN - Laserfiche WebLink

CITY OF PLEASANTON URBAN FOREST MASTER PLAN | 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 What is an Urban Forest Master Plan? An Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) is a guiding document designed to provide clear and actionable goals and recommendations for the long-term care, preservation, and expansion of the community’s urban forest. The urban forest is made up of both public trees (the ones you see in parks, parkways, medians, rights-of- way, and on other City properties) and private trees (the ones on residential, commercial, and industrial properties). Pleasanton’s community members receive urban forestry benefits from all trees in their city, regardless of ownership, and play an equally important role in contributing to the City’s urban forest. Throughout the UFMP, both publicly and privately managed trees are discussed to highlight that tree management procedures, tree protection guidelines, and urban forest-related policies, impact all trees in the city, and reaching Pleasanton’s urban forestry goals will require a collaborative and collective effort from the entire community. The UFMP’s goals and recommendations are based on a comprehensive analyses of the City’s urban forestry program including tree-related planning documents, staff capacity, operational budget, collected tree data for 23,722 publicly managed trees, and an assessment of city-wide canopy cover over time. Input from both City staff and the community were crucial in ensuring the goals and recommended actions are realistic and achievable for Pleasanton. Following the strategies and recommendations in the UFMP will increase the operational efficiencies of the City’s urban forestry program and help create a robust and resilient urban forest for future generations. 1.2 Why the City Needs an Urban Forest Master Plan The need for a UFMP initially arose in early-2021 to address the urban forestry-related challenges and goals identified in the City’s Climate Action Plan 2.0. The City also wanted to update its outdated Tree Preservation chapter of the municipal code, identify gaps and increase efficiencies in the City’s current management program, and create actionable goals and strategies for growing the urban forest over the next 25 years. The UFMP is the first plan of its kind for the City and has been developed as a roadmap for how the City can best manage and grow Pleasanton’s urban forest and improve the benefits the community receives from the City’s trees.