Title
City of Gainesville’s Urban Forest Management Plan (B)
Explanation
The purpose of this item is to present the final draft of the City of Gainesville’s Urban Forest Management Plan to the City Commission.
The City of Gainesville’s Urban Forest Management Plan was developed through a collaborative effort supported by Gainesville’s City Commission that involved all the departments of the City of Gainesville, the University of Florida, business and professional organizations, and citizens. This strategic plan for the management of Gainesville’s urban forest addresses the numerous challenges to growing and maintaining a healthy urban forest in an efficient manner.
Gainesville’s strategic urban forest management plan was developed with a 20-year planning horizon to meet the challenge of programmatic continuity by planning on a long-time framework. At the same time, it provides guidance for intermediate 5-year citywide work planning. In turn, it provides the direct input into short-term annual departmental operational plans and decision-making.
The initial step in the plan’s development was to obtain an understanding of how Gainesville residents felt about their urban forest through a public survey, which received responses from a total of 739 residents. The results of the survey informed the work of the Public Committee on Urban Forestry Sustainability, which was comprised of 11 members representing a broad diversity of government, business, and neighborhood interests. Through a series of facilitated sessions, the Committee developed a consensus vision statement and series of goals for the plan.
Directors of all the City’s departments then appointed members of the Internal Technical Advisory Committee (ITAC) to work on drafting the technical components of the plan. The ITAC worked through a deliberate step-by-step review and edit process over the course of several months. Their work resulted in a detailed set of Gainesville-specific elements, ob...
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