We are very pleased to announce KCD’s Board of Directors approved the proposed 6 priorities for the 2018 Urban Forestry program – 5 working directly with 5 member jurisdictions (3 new) and 1 education initiative. With these partnerships, we have provided assistance to 30 of our 34 member jurisdictions! We are prepared to bring in the remaining 4 next year: Carnation, Duvall, Issaquah and North Bend. Check out KCD’s Urban Forest Health Management Program page for more information.
The transmittal of the working group’s final recommendations with budget and partners is here.
Beaux Arts – Village Forest Assessment & Stewardship Project
The Town has requested assistance by conducting a forest canopy assessment across the entire Village, providing management and stewardship recommendations to preserve the historic and Town leadership vision of preserving its natural forest character, and helping with the education of current and prospective residents of this Town’s value.
Kenmore – Tree Canopy Assessment & Consultation
Kenmore is requesting a tree canopy assessment to have data baseline about their urban forest cover. As part of what we provided to Clyde Hill, Yarrow Point and Hunts Point in 2016, we are including a follow-up consultation as to how the findings can be used to improve policy, planning and management of their urban forest. In addition, they requested help with community outreach/education, which is addressed in the Urban Forest Stewardship Education Initiative
Mercer Island – Urban Forestry Public Engagement & Outreach
In preparation for developing a comprehensive urban forest strategic plan, the City requests assistance in engaging the public in 1) providing information about Mercer Island urban forestry (benefits, programs, ways to be a steward, etc.) and 2) gathering current perceptions, concerns, and suggestions about the urban tree canopy. The education component (outreach) includes several topics, of which many can be generated in the Education Initiative, while others are specific to Mercer Island’s programs.
The engagement component includes identifying stakeholders, large landowners, and land managers and invite them along with a wide range of residents to facilitated meetings and/or participate in an online survey. This public feedback and established community engagement will then be incorporated into the strategic planning process.
Normandy Park – Marine View Park Forest Bluff & Community Forest Stewards Program
The City is concerned about the forest bluff area in their Marine View Park and requested a separate assessment and management strategies for it to be included in a comprehensive park plan. Upon review and discussion, KCD staff (inter-program) concluded that its assessment and management could be done by the main consultant for the whole park, and KCD will review the draft plan to provide feedback on forest management recommendations and geo-technical matters in all areas – bluff and ravine.
The second part of the project is assistance in managing and training volunteers to do forest stewardship in public forest open space, specifically to organize, educate and provide technical support to the stewardship efforts that will help in retention and greater vestment and interest to participate. This project will be a hybrid of Forest Stewards (Forterra) and Native Plant Stewards (WNPS) models to help recruit and provide a combination of up to 6 workshops and 6 work parties to apply new knowledge.
Woodinville – Tree Canopy Assessment and Program Consultation
Woodinville is requesting a tree canopy assessment. They have a 2009 assessment so, they are also looking for a change over time analysis. In our follow-up consultation, we will encourage reviving the Tree Board around an update to their Forestry Plan, which has elements of policy, planning and management of their urban forest. We will also offer any suitable materials generated in the Stewardship Education Initiative.
Urban Forest Stewardship Education Initiative
Nearly all of the proposals in this year’s round requested educational materials to provide to their community. It made sense to create a portfolio of educational and outreach materials on a broad range of topics around urban forest stewardship on private property. This would be a crucial component to forward KCD Urban Forestry as the regional authority.
The steps of the initiative is 1) Identify all topics needed by our member jurisdictions (priority would be these in this round) for educational and informational materials; 2) Research and collect existing documents, info, and data; and 3) Adapt existing and create new info pamphlets/documents into a suite of templates with appropriate KCD branding and flexibility for cities to incorporate into their outreach efforts.