Fort Collins is rolling out its first comprehensive plan to manage trees in the city – and officials want to hear from residents about how to do that well.
The city’s Rooted in Community plan sets out a holistic, 20-year vision for trees in public and private spaces. The plan seeks to educate the public about the benefits of trees, plant more trees around the city, and create enforceable policies to protect Fort Collins' trees. Another primary goal is to improve the tree canopy in underserved neighborhoods.
“Fort Collins has been a leader in urban forestry space for a lot of years, and this is a great next step for us to take (it) to the next level,” said Kendra Boot, the city’s forester. “We (want to) set up our community for success when it comes to trees and try to really maximize their benefits in the community.”
The last time the city took a tree census was in 2016. They counted more than 500,000 trees, with nearly 60,000 of them on public lands. This new management plan will impact even more trees than that, though, as the city has seen a 4% increase in trees over the past 10 years.
Trees provide an essential environmental function in cities. Research shows trees and other “green spaces” – like parks and lakes – can fight against the effects of climate change and prevent the urban heat island effect.
“The benefits are out there, they are enormous,” said Sinaia Netanyahu, program manager of Environment and Health Impact Assessment at the World Health Organization. “You plant trees and it reduces air pollution, and it has a cooling effect, but also indirectly it creates a buffer for some noise. Then you also capture additional environmental hazards.”
Cities sometimes face a dilemma when it comes to adding parks, though, as city planners have to tackle growing populations and creating space for new residents to live. Sometimes, the economic value of a building takes precedence over a large, grassy area. But Netanyahu said the physical and mental health benefits of parks alone can outweigh the costs.
“It is more than just beautiful flowers or beautiful lawn, it's much more than that,” she said. “Mayors also have responsibilities to do the best that they can to provide us those facilities in which persons can choose a place to go and do physical activities and interact with people, not to feel alone.”
This comes as the Fort Collins city council outlined tree-related subsidies and policies as two priorities in the council's 2021 overall city strategy. The Rooted in Community plan received $220,000 in funding to take action on both short-term and long-term items. Boot said some residents are enthusiastic about the proposed goals.
“Every time I talk to somebody that just moved here or moved here even 20 years ago, they'll say, ‘When I first drove into Fort Collins, the first thing I noticed was the trees,’” she said. “To me, that says a lot.”
Boot understands not everyone feels that way about the city’s trees. She said some residents are worried about trees falling on their homes or the expensive costs associated with watering them.
Netanyahu said these types of plans are not effective without consulting the community.
“Urban planners need to see the person in the center when they plan, they need to see a person's health and well-being at the center,” Netanyahu said.
Ahead of the tree plan, the city is asking residents to fill out a survey about their awareness of and relationships toward trees. The survey is open until November 17. One survey question allows residents to note interest in receiving updates on the plan. The city also has an interactive map that invites residents to pin where they think more trees are needed.
Community members can also participate in a listening session on January 20 of next year – the third of its kind the city has hosted regarding the tree plan. Boot and her colleagues hope to finish the plan by June 2024.
