Agenda Package - City of Vernon

American Forests: Setting Urban Tree Canopy Goals
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Setting Urban Tree Canopy Goals
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American Forests advocates that every city set a tree canopy goal for their community as an
impoftant step in ensuring that their valuable green infrastructure is maintained at minimum
thresholds, even as the community continues to develop. American Forests offers some
general goal guidelines based on geographic and climate conditions and land use categories.
However, each community must first identify what their tree canopy cover is, and then set
their own goals to help meet environmental and quality of life goals, including federal and
local clean air and water regulations. Once a specific goal is determined, the local
government can pursue that goal using policies, procedures, and budget.
Setting Tree Canopy Goals
American Forests recommends an average4}o/o tree canopy, east of the Mississippi and in
the Pacific Northwest. Refer to the chart below for tree cover percentages based on land use
and geographic area. These goals are based on an evolution of thinking about how and why
we quantify the urban forest. Three early surveys (1986, 1989 and 1991) focused on the
health and condìtion of public street trees. Our understanding of the environmental benefits
of urban forests grew at the same time as the technology improved to more accurately
measure its extent. These two developments in tandem made it possible to measure actual
landcover, quantify their environmental benefits, and for the first time link tree canopy cover
goals to community-wide goals for clean air and water.
The Evolution of Quantifying the Urban Forest
In 1986, the National Urban Forest Council (NUFC) conducted a survey to understand the
condition of the nation's street trees, based on a 20-city survey, The first, "State of Our City
Forests" (American Forests Magazine June, 1986) reported that urban forests in those citÍes
were in decline, with the average city losing 4 trees for every one planted.
Recognizing the need for more widespread and statistically reliable information, the Council
organized a more comprehensive survey. The results were published in the, *1989 Street
Tree Survey of U.S. Cities and Towns", (The American Forestry Association: Washington
DC, July 1990). It was the first national inventory conducted on the species, size and
condition, and budgets of US street trees based on 413 cities in 30 states. This survey was
conducted in cooperation with the National Urban Forest Council, USDA Forest Service, The
National Association of State Foresters, Michigan State University, and urban and community
foresters. A summary of this study, "The State of the Urban Forest", J. James Kielbaso and
Vincent Cotrone is in the Proceedings of the Fourth Urban Forestry Conference, Phillip
Rodbell, editor. American Forests October 1989, pp.11-18.
in 1p91, American Forests (formerly known as the American Forestry Association) conducted
a follow up survey of 20 cities. The findings revealed the continued decline of city street
trees, including the alarming statistic that the average life of a downtown street tree is just
13 years.
http://www.americanforests.orglresources/urbanforests/treedeficit.php
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