The City of Sarasota has finalized its Urban Forest Management Plan

The City of Sarasota has finalized its Urban Forest Management Plan and finished Phase 2 of the Florida Urban and Community Forestry Grant. Phase two used data from the Phase 1 tree inventory to assess the current urban forest and provide recommendations for a healthy and sustainable urban canopy. The Plan was presented to the Commission during a workshop last month.

Phase 3 will use the Urban Forest Management Plan’s recommendations to plant trees on Ringling Boulevard. In addition to being a complete street, this area will serve as a model for other parts of the city to increase urban canopy. Currently, the city has a 31% canopy coverage.

Funding for this project was provided in part by the USDA Forest Service through the Florida Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program. A robust urban forest management plan is a key step in ensuring that the urban forest of Sarasota is healthy and confers as many benefits as possible now and in the future.