Elements of Sustainability in Urban Forestry

"For quite some time now people have recognized the value of trees in urban environments. Cities and communities responded to this demand by planting trees wherever and whenever they could afford. Developers were required to participate under simplistic rules like "two trees for every parking space." The result was the creation of urban forests that were generally not well planned and not sustainable. The purpose of this study was to describe the key elements in a urban forestry program that make it sustainable and to provide direction through examples of cities and communities that are employing some of them.

Just as in wildland settings, a sustainable forest is one which is ecologically sound, socially acceptable, and economically efficient. To achieve this condition, a level of "systems-thinking" is needed. This requires understanding the spatial and temporal interrelationships between programs and management practices. Four major programmatic areas were identified that form the foundation of a sustainable urban forestry program. They are:



species selection and diversification

inventory and landscape planning

tree care and wood utilization

public relations and support.

Each of these core areas requires careful understanding and implementation of the other. Planting a tree is wasted if regard is not given to effects on fire hazard, air quality, soil and water conservation, other public infrastructure, wildlife, cultural values, frequency and magnitude of tree care costs, and utilization of wood residues from trimmings and removal. And this is a simple task when compared to designing and managing the entire urban forest landscape with its complex ecological, social and economic issues.

Examples of programs designed to implement these elements of sustainability were provided in Monterey, Irvine, Modesto, Lompoc and Sacramento. Advice, lessons learned, successes and failures were conveyed by each of the practicing urban foresters in these cities. Next a benefit-cost analysis of these programs was presented in order to justify funding by public and private entities. And finally this information was compiled into a highly generalized regional model for small to medium-sized communities showing costs and how to acquire information and resources to begin the process of establishing, or converting to, a sustainable urban forest."

July 1994

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Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute

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