Columbus Urban Forestry Master Plan Progress Update for September 2022
Below is an update on the progress of the City’s Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP), the first Citywide, strategic plan to invest long-term in Columbus’ trees.
- Columbus Recreation and Parks Department recently hired a new City forester! Steve Horhut came to the department from Pennsylvania and has worked in the Forestry section for the past year. Our new City forester will lead Columbus in implementing the UFMP, building capacity for Citywide coordination on our urban forestry goals. This relates to Action 12 of the UFMP to expand the size and scope of urban forestry leadership.
- The department was honored to recently receive a Conservation Stewardship Award from the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District for the urban tree canopy assessment! This project analyzes change in Columbus’ tree canopy over time, as well as the tree canopy cover across all of Franklin County. This award recognizes strong conservation ethics and excellent conservation implementation.
- On Aug. 12, 78 volunteers drove 243.25 square miles collecting data for the heat island mapping project with Columbus GreenSpot. This data will be used to develop temperature and heat index maps for Columbus and parts of Franklin County. Columbus has the fastest-growing heat island of 60 major cities studied according to Climate Central, and the heat index maps will help inform strategies to reduce the heat island effect in Columbus. Results will be shared with the community soon.
- Did you know fall is a great time to plant a tree? Before you plant a tree in your yard, call the Ohio Utilities Protection Service to have underground utilities (i.e., gas, electric) marked. Call 811 or 800-362-2764 between 48 hours and 10 days before you plan to dig. Check out this short video with tips from the Forestry section on how to plant a tree! Planting trees on private property is crucial to Action 6, which emphasizes tree planting to help reach our goal of increasing Columbus’ canopy cover to 40 percent by 2050!
- Ready to plant a tree in your yard? Green Columbus is hosting three FREE tree giveaways in October! You can pick up a tree on Oct. 1 (Hilltop nursery), Oct. 8 (Linden nursery) or Oct. 15 (Barack Community Center). The giveaway at Barack Community Center is the first time the City has hosted a free tree giveaway in support of the South Side trees initiative. Register for your free tree today!
- Check out the UFMP in the news!
Thank you for your support of the UFMP! Learn more about the UFMP at columbusufmp.org.
|
