Assessment of Charlotte's urban forest management approach
The last step in assessing an urban forest focuses on the community's management approach to tree canopy care. This category of ten indicators is heavily focused on the city's management of public trees and land stewardship. Performance in this category of criteria include whether adequate data exists (inventory, canopy assessment) to create a proactive and efficient management program that includes risk management, maintenance, and planting. In addition, cities are assessed based on the existence of a tree protection policy, along with adequate funding, staff, and equipment to implement the management plan.
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Charlotte Management Approach Rating: MODERATE
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These indicators are summarized in the table to the right and shown in more detail at the bottom of this page.
OVERALL FINDINGS. Charlotte and its partners are operating at a moderate performance level with respect to management approach. Charlotte rates well thanks to the existence of high-resolution tree canopy assessment data, tree protection policies, and certified arborists on staff. However, the canopy assessment data are now dated, and depending on the results of a new assessment, tree protection policies may need to be revised to curb high losses to development. A public tree maintenance program needs to be clarified and formally adopted to reflect the city's immediate pruning and removal needs based on a complete comprehensive tree inventory. Funding for the city’s urban forestry program is likely too inadequate to handle the large maintenance requirements associated with caring for 180,000 public trees, though this cannot be clearly determined until a management plan is in place. An inventory is the foundation of a city’s tree management plan, risk management program, tree maintenance program, and planting program. However, the city's tree inventory is only 80% complete. Without comprehensive data on the condition of public trees, the city is exposed to a high risk of liability, and protection of public safety is tenuous. Additionally, a planting strategy is difficult without a full assessment of existing trees, as this information can be used to dictate where future planting is needed.
OVERALL FINDINGS. Charlotte and its partners are operating at a moderate performance level with respect to management approach. Charlotte rates well thanks to the existence of high-resolution tree canopy assessment data, tree protection policies, and certified arborists on staff. However, the canopy assessment data are now dated, and depending on the results of a new assessment, tree protection policies may need to be revised to curb high losses to development. A public tree maintenance program needs to be clarified and formally adopted to reflect the city's immediate pruning and removal needs based on a complete comprehensive tree inventory. Funding for the city’s urban forestry program is likely too inadequate to handle the large maintenance requirements associated with caring for 180,000 public trees, though this cannot be clearly determined until a management plan is in place. An inventory is the foundation of a city’s tree management plan, risk management program, tree maintenance program, and planting program. However, the city's tree inventory is only 80% complete. Without comprehensive data on the condition of public trees, the city is exposed to a high risk of liability, and protection of public safety is tenuous. Additionally, a planting strategy is difficult without a full assessment of existing trees, as this information can be used to dictate where future planting is needed.
The determination of the amount of adequate funding, staff, and equipment needed is not possible without a full assessment of the quantity, location, and condition of existing public trees that is collected as part of an inventory. The amount of work (including staff, equipment, and budget) required on an annual basis depends on the quantity and condition of public trees. However, comparisons to other similar-sized communities can also shed some light on possible spending levels. |
Municipal Urban Forestry Spending Comparisons
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Charlotte's $1.5 million annual budget and roughly 160,000 inventoried trees exceed national averages. Spending comparisons show that similar-sized cities and south region communities have significantly higher averages. This is the case in per street tree, per capita, and percent of total municipal budget numbers (Hauer 2016).
Ultimately, having adequate resources to care for public trees comes down to whether a community can fund the annual agreed-upon management plan. For this reason, a formal management plan is highly recommended.
Ultimately, having adequate resources to care for public trees comes down to whether a community can fund the annual agreed-upon management plan. For this reason, a formal management plan is highly recommended.
The full matrix used to assess Charlotte's management approach using 10 indicators of a sustainable urban forest follows:
Back to full assessment of Charlotte's urban forest.