November 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 38

URBAN FOREST
egies. Often a city forestry agency is
not part of the decision-making process
to ensure trees are equally prioritized
in right-of-way allocations.
The tree canopy requirements and
responsibilities for management of
these trees vary wildly between municipalities,
ranging from no responsibility
for trees on private property,
to full maintenance responsibilities
and in certain instances, funding
sources. While there was no " right
answer " identified, the point is that
clarity of roles and responsibilities
is vital in ensuring the consistency
of the canopy.
Get Creative With
Funding Sources
Municipalities
assessment on all property types,
which provides funding for internal
forestry crews and equipment
for maintenance. In 2019, Portland
convened a task force to research
the political
viability of various
funding options for equitable service
and funding levels for parks
and forestry, with voters approving
the levy in 2020. " Before going out
to the voters, we put together an
Alternative Funding Task Force to
test the political viability of a ballot
measure, and to weigh the pros and
cons of various funding options, "
says Jenn Cairo, Portland city forseeing
the
most
consistent
strategy and impact on
their urban tree canopy are often
those that have a dedicated funding
source. Cincinnati has a rightof-way
linear frontage property tax
ester and urban forestry manager.
" A five-year local option operating
levy was tailored according to voter
preferences and approved in 2020.
Portland is proud to be among U.S.
cities that now have a dedicated
funding source that supports enhancement
of the urban tree canopy,
among other priorities. Since
the Parks Levy is not a permanent
funding source, Portland
Parks is continuing to explore
funding options, and in summer
of 2022 has convened a community
member Ballot Initiative
Task Force to advise on funding
options and next steps. "
Some cities are responding to
the challenge of balancing widespread
development with investment
in the urban tree canopy by
providing creative financing and
maintenance strategies. In Denver,
a partnership between the city, the
Downtown
Denver Partnership
and private donors funded the Urban
Forest Initiative to support private
investment in the urban forest
by providing grant funds for tree
installation within the downtown
district. In Pittsburgh, the city receives
fees to support its urban tree
canopy maintenance from Lamar
Advertising for billboard advertising
in the right-of-way. This kind of
creativity and public/private/nonprofit
coordination
have
proven
time and again to yield the greatest
impact on the urban canopy.
Harness the Power
of Partnerships
Along these same lines, many communities
benefitted from partnerships
with nonprofits to advance
their urban tree canopy goals.
From fundraising and volunteer
coordination for tree planting initiatives
to citizen education on the
care and maintenance of trees, biofuel
management and distribution,
and training the next generation of
urban forestry stewards, as the examples
showed, it truly does take
Renovations of the 1.25-mile 16th Street
Mall in Denver include a new generation
of trees that were sourced by the City of
Denver three years in advance.
38 Parks & Recreation | NOVEMBER 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
PHOTO COURTESY OF DIG STUDIO
November 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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