Team members: Carol Haywood, Lee Lawson, Linnea Lemon, Pat Murphy, Carolyn Palaima, Chad Phelan, and Harry Savio
Question
How can we foster positive communication and effective public policy that will enhance and sustain our urban forest in a way that will benefit all our constituencies?
Priority One
Review existing policies, programs, and regulations for consistency and revise them.
* Inventory all tree policies, programs, and regulations.
* Determine specific conflicts, obstacles, and duplication.
* Propose changes that fix problems and improve effectiveness to achieve vision of a "green" Austin.
Priority Two
Create a vision for the urban forest that has community-wide support.
Priority Three
Quantify benefits of urban forest to communicate value, and increase and coordinate public education.
Additional Responses to Question from Group Exercise:
Reevaluate penalties and incentives concerning tree removals
Coordinate interdepartmental activities
Provide clear, one-stop location and exhibits for permitting process
City of Austin should lead by example
Revive tree tour map
Gather data
Create management plan/maintenance
Exhibits online
Neighborhood tree planting programs
Create Friends of the Urban Forest group
Effective policy = open, fair, predictable
Coordination with City Manager
Coordination with developers
Develop urban forestry department
Communicate "lessons learned" from ineffective policies/problems
Elect ecology-conscious public officials
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Please feel free to blog!
Thank you all so much for you contributions to the summit!
We are looking forward to reading your team summaries. Please be sure to send them in by the weekend of Jan 26th so we can include them in our report that we are submitting to city council, the planning commission, and the city manager.
Please also provide any feedback you have regarding the event and any suggestions you have for next years summit.
-Eliza
We are looking forward to reading your team summaries. Please be sure to send them in by the weekend of Jan 26th so we can include them in our report that we are submitting to city council, the planning commission, and the city manager.
Please also provide any feedback you have regarding the event and any suggestions you have for next years summit.
-Eliza
Saturday, January 10, 2009
The Green Team has posted comments!
Welcome to the Austin Urban Forest Summit blog. Please feel free to use this as a forum to share comments. The attendee list with emails will soon be posted to the Austin Urban Forest Website.
Here are the Green Teams comments which will also be posted to the website soon on the Documentation page.
The following is a copy of the information listed on Team Green's (Emily
Koone, Scott Harris, Gardtner Sumner, Leah Haynie, Karl Krumm, Beki
Halpin, and Michael Embesi) assignment sheet:
How can we establish value of the urban forest as a component of the
most livable city?
Priority One
Establish valuation based on ecosystems services
- Demonstrate link between urban forest and total ecosystem
- Print ecosystem values on utility bills
- Charge full appraisal value for removed trees
- Conduct appraisals with and without trees (including
breakdown of energy savings)
- Establish a dollar value of entire urban forest
- Support research that quantifies value of urban forest
- Establish the urban forest as "green" infrastructure with
annual CIP budget and valuation
- Urban forest policy to provide clean air as an eco-service
Three Specifics to Address Priority One
- Standardize criteria for establishing tree valuation based
upon ecosystem service value
- Establish/edit city ordinances and procedures to incorporate
criteria
- Create incentives for preservation (i.e. tax breaks,
development bonuses)
Priority Two
Consolidate, coordinate, and standardize city tree policy while making
sure that different types of urban forest have policies tailored to them
- Charge full appraisal value for removed trees
- Urban forest policy to provide clean air as an eco-service
Priority Three
Central clearinghouse (web site?) of tree information
- Livable city's website quantifies and publicizes ecosystem
service (lower utility bills, etc.)
- Publicize research on human benefits (happiness, mental state
of mind, etc.) of trees/healthy ecosystems
- Ask developers what would be incentive to preserve more trees
- Work with tree advocates, chambers of commerce, developers,
and business association to promote the value of urban forest
Here are the Green Teams comments which will also be posted to the website soon on the Documentation page.
The following is a copy of the information listed on Team Green's (Emily
Koone, Scott Harris, Gardtner Sumner, Leah Haynie, Karl Krumm, Beki
Halpin, and Michael Embesi) assignment sheet:
How can we establish value of the urban forest as a component of the
most livable city?
Priority One
Establish valuation based on ecosystems services
- Demonstrate link between urban forest and total ecosystem
- Print ecosystem values on utility bills
- Charge full appraisal value for removed trees
- Conduct appraisals with and without trees (including
breakdown of energy savings)
- Establish a dollar value of entire urban forest
- Support research that quantifies value of urban forest
- Establish the urban forest as "green" infrastructure with
annual CIP budget and valuation
- Urban forest policy to provide clean air as an eco-service
Three Specifics to Address Priority One
- Standardize criteria for establishing tree valuation based
upon ecosystem service value
- Establish/edit city ordinances and procedures to incorporate
criteria
- Create incentives for preservation (i.e. tax breaks,
development bonuses)
Priority Two
Consolidate, coordinate, and standardize city tree policy while making
sure that different types of urban forest have policies tailored to them
- Charge full appraisal value for removed trees
- Urban forest policy to provide clean air as an eco-service
Priority Three
Central clearinghouse (web site?) of tree information
- Livable city's website quantifies and publicizes ecosystem
service (lower utility bills, etc.)
- Publicize research on human benefits (happiness, mental state
of mind, etc.) of trees/healthy ecosystems
- Ask developers what would be incentive to preserve more trees
- Work with tree advocates, chambers of commerce, developers,
and business association to promote the value of urban forest
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