Urban Forestry Management Program

BACKGROUND

The City of Tarpon Springs has been awarded a grant from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and Florida Forest Service, to create, monitor, and fully implement a Tarpon Springs Urban Forestry Program.

An Urban Forestry Program is an action plan that provides the City detailed information, recommendations and resources needed to effectively and proactively manage public trees.

City of Tarpon Springs Municipal Arborist, Shannon Brewer, will oversee the successful completion and implementation of the program!

SCOPE OF WORK

The Tarpon Springs Urban Forestry Program will be created within three years with each year having a specific scope of work.

• YEAR 1: Hazardous and Street Tree Inventory - The inventory will document and collect data on trees on public lands for the purpose of city tree asset management.
  • View the Data Collection Protocol here!
• YEAR 2: Creation of an Urban Forestry Master Plan - The plan will contain a description of the community, a vision for the urban forest, a strategic plan, an implementation and a monitoring plan, and a prioritization criteria work plan for 5, 10, and 20 year cycles.
• YEAR 3: Replanting the Urban Forest - This phase will consist of planting street trees in areas with little to no canopy coverage to provide future shade, wildlife, and returning a sense of community back to neighborhoods.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We need you to tell us your values and goals for the future of the City's urban landscape! There will be several opportunities for you to provide your input, including the following:

• Take the online survey!
• Visit us at various upcoming community events:
  • Touch-A-Truck - February 25, 2023 (Bonus! Trees will be available to take home to plant!)
  • First Friday - March 3, 2023
  • Earth Day - April 22, 2023 - Tarpon Springs Library
  • Ecofest - September 16, 2023
  • And more!
• Arbor Day Proclamation - April 25, 2023 - The Board of Commissioners will be presenting a proclamation as a participant of the Arbor Day Foundation Tree City USA program!
• Focus Groups - More information coming soon!

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNER!

The Florida Forest Service, A Division of The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

*Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication or audiovisual are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the USDA Forest Service.

*The work upon which this project is based was funded, in whole or in part through a subrecipient grant awarded by the USDA Forest Service through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the USDA Forest Service nor does mention of trade names, commercial productions, services or organization imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

THE CITY OF TARPON SPRINGS IS HIRING!