Valuing Urban Forests as Critical Infrastructure for Resilience

Event format: Webinar

Urban forests are quiet workhorses for resilience: they cool cities, manage stormwater, store carbon, foster biodiversity, and boost public health. The benefits are clear, but is your city prioritizing urban forests?

In this webinar, hear from experts at PlanIT Geo and GreenWorks who will share case studies of cities that have recognized the value of forests, and give you the tools to:

• Build a customized Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP)
• Choose native and climate-adapted tree species
• Integrate trees into zoning, ordinances, and urban planning
• Design holistic urban ecosystems that include more than just trees
• Get resources to steward forests over the long term
• Navigate potential implementation challenges and tradeoffs
• Build partnerships and find funding for these initiatives
• Persuade policymakers that urban forests are critical infrastructure

Plus, hear from a city in Washington state that prioritized nature in their parks and open space management plan, valuing trees as a way to protect, preserve, and enhance life in their city.