Portland Urban Forest Management Plan

About the Project

Portland has long been known as the “Forest City” in Maine. This initiative, Forest City Future, will honor this name by creating an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP).

In recent years, the combined impacts of Emerald Ash Borer and other pests, severe storms, and development have led to tree loss in our City, particularly in the City’s urban center. This plan will help to change course for the declining canopy and will instead create sustainable change to expand and grow Portland’s treasured tree canopy.

Tree canopy is not distributed evenly across the city, leaving some neighborhoods with significantly less canopy coverage than others. Portland’s urban forest includes both traditional wooded areas and shade trees on private property, along with approximately 20,000 publicly managed street trees.

In recent years, Portland has experienced the loss of more than 300 trees annually. Without a shift in strategy and investment, Portland is likely to face a continued and growing deficit in its tree canopy—one that will affect environmental quality, climate resilience, and overall livability.

Each year, the City’s Forestry Division plants between 150 and 200 trees, primarily to replace those that are aging, diseased, or otherwise declining. Despite these efforts, maintaining a healthy and expanding tree canopy remains a significant challenge.

Portland’s UFMP will help build a healthier, more resilient city through a comprehensive, data-driven planning process. This approach combines research, community engagement, technical analysis, and actionable steps to create a plan that will provide steps to establish and advance forest management goals.

Urban Canopy Works, LLC, a woman-owned urban forest planning firm (www.urbancanopyworks.com), has been hired to lead the community through this process. UCW’s urban foresters and urban planners have decades of experience working with communities on UFMP’s and other urban forestry initiatives across the country. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience and understand the procedures, limitations, and opportunities that cities face.

What is an urban forest?
An urban forest is a term that refers to all trees within a city, across all types of land (both public and private). Tree canopy refers to the areas of the city that are shaded by trees when viewed from above. A healthy urban forest provides invaluable benefits such as clean air, CO2 absorption, shade, and improvements to public health and quality of life.

How did we get here?
This plan was spearheaded by Portland Parks Conservancy in partnership with the City of Portland. The Portland Parks Conservancy, an independent nonprofit organization, works to advance select parks and recreation activities. One of their recent commitments is urban forestry, so funds have been raised to create a UFMP for the City of Portland.