Messaging, Strategy & Trends

in Urban Forestry Planning

Rachel ComteNorthern Kentucky Urban & Community Forestry Council

Urban Forestry Planning

Master Plans

Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Assessments

Tree Inventories

Management Plans

Reviews of Urban Forestry Policies, Ordinances, Operations

Tree Preservation

Evolution of the IndustryAs industries mature, usage and roles mature. Urban forestry has (and is) experienced (ing) this today.

Strictly IT-Based

Housed in IT Departments

Technology evolves, standardization of formats, effective usages emerge,

needs increase, tools are developed to

allow usage by end users

Primarily Sales/Marketing, IT only as needed

Marketing & CommunicationsIn

tern

et

& Web

Si

tes

TERMINOLOGY: IT Internet Web Sites Internet Marketing Online Marketing

Tree Maintenance

(Primarily Technical, Field

Work)Housed in

Public Works or Hwy

Maintenance

Technology evolves,

standardization of formats,

effective usages emerge, needs increase, tools developed for

end users

Urban ForestryCity Planning Neighborhood Revitalization

Urb

an

Fore

stry

TERMINOLOGY: Tree Maintenance City Arborist/Forester Urban Forestry

1. Trend: EquityUrban Tree Canopy assessment data – 5 land cover classes:

Tree CanopyLow Vegetation (lawn, fields)Hard Surfaces (impervious)WaterBare SoilNeighborhood X:

$2,400/acreNeighborhood Y: $735/acre

Equity(cont’d)

Equity (cont’d)

2. TIP: Consider the urban forest as an everyday person would.Stronger, More Vibrant Communities

Wildlife Habitat

Property Values

Erosion Prevention

Better Health

Energy Savings

Flooding & Water Quality

Urban Heat Stresses

Business District Prosperity

Safer StreetsMaslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

3. TIP: Reach Beyond Tree People

TREND: Partnerships Health Officials Large Private Landholders Business Community Utilities – Power, Sewer Elected Officials Realtors Developers Residents / Homeowners at

NEIGHBORHOOD LEVEL Non-Tree NGOs

American Lung Association AARP Community Development Corporations Chambers of Commerce

Regional Planning Organizations

4. TIP: Correct Tree

SpeakTree Speak Everyone Else

Urban forest Stormwater managementMitigationCanopyDBHAir qualityWater qualityImpervious surfaces Local Waterways

Trees within the cityWater pollution and floodingCorrecting or lesseningTree cover and associated benefitsAge/size of treeAsthmaPolluted water, e-coliHard surfaces (roads, building)White River

Correcting Tree Speak

Our urban forest reduces stormwater runoff by 900,000 cubic feet per year.

Indy’s trees intercept over 6.7 million gallons of rainwater runoff each year. This helps stop pollutants like oil, antifreeze, detergents and pesticides from flowing untreated into the White River.

Tree Speak Everyone Else

Correcting Tree Speak

Everyone Else:

Tree SpeakThe urban forest can add anywhere from 7-15% to property values.

Property values are higher in neighborhoods with trees. Where would you rather live?

Correcting Tree SpeakTree SpeakBusiness districts with high canopy have customers that shop longer and spend more..

Everyone Else:Local businesses are more successful with trees around. People spend 11% more and shop longer. Where would you rather shop?

5. TIP & TREND: Connecting people to trees

Fun, interesting, important

…via activitiesgetting them out there – planting, citizen scientists, tree stewards.

…via GOATS

…via GOATS

…via inventory / benefits data

…via accessible UTC tools

Neighborhood Level

Land Cover

Hot SpotsUTC Web

ViewerPriority Planting Areas

…via Geocaching

International Game of hide and seek or treasure hunt. Turn hiking into a forest or walking through your city into a treasure hunt.

Arkansas State Parks Geocaching Challenge “Parkcache.”

American Forests has created a cache for each of it’s national champion trees

…via email?

To: Green Leaf Elm, Tree ID 1022165  29 May 2015Dear Green Leaf Elm,

I hope you like living at St. Mary's. Most of the time I like it too. I have exams coming up and I should be busy studying. You do not have exams because you are a tree. I don't think that there is much more to talk about as we don't have a lot in common, you being a tree and such. But I'm glad we're in this together.Cheers, F29 May 2015 Hello F,

I do like living here.

I hope you do well in your exams. Research has shown that nature can influence the way people learn in a positive way, so I hope I inspire your learning.

Best wishes, Green Leaf Elm, Tree ID 1022165

Western Red Cedar, Tree ID 10582951 July 2015

Hi Tree,

Are you worried about being affected by the Greek debt crisis? Should Greece be allowed to stay in the European Union?Regards, Troy

2 July 2015Hi Troy,I seem to remember the Greeks razed you to the ground one time—are you still angry at them?

Greece is not out of the woods yet, but may be out of the EU….Some say that they should be allowed to devalue their currency in order to recover their economy, but the EU will not allow them to do that. Some say that it is partly the austerity program, which has made it this bad. They say austerity was a disaster for Russia after the breakup of the Soviet Union and for the recovery of Asia from the GFC…

I don’t know, but then I’m only a tree.Regards, Western Red Cedar

THANK YOU! Rachel ComteRachel.Comte@Davey.com