Overview

The US Forest Service, American Forests, and the National Association of Regional Councils created Vibrant Cities Lab to help professionals, planners, policymakers, and advocates discover how healthy tree canopy can enrich their own community and help guide them as they build an effective urban forestry program.

This comprehensive 7 stage, 17 step-by-step guide provides a roadmap for implementing a urban forestry program in your community. The assessment tool and toolkit synthesize many years of best practice analysis by academic researchers and professionals. These tools are designed to help community managers in jurisdictions of all sizes determine their current situation and be guided through a process at their own pace to reach goals of comprehensive urban forest management.

Stages to develop an urban forestry program: 1) Assess, 2) Prioritize, 3) Organize, 4) Plan, 5) Build, 6) Protect, 7) Sustain.

Within this Toolkit, you'll find:

• Community Assessment & Goal Setting: Measure your community’s program against best practices.
• Tool Library: A curated index of digital tools, apps, and calculators for urban forestry.
• Urban Forestry Funding Action Guide: A guide to help you get started applying for grants and cross the finish line.

Managing Organizations

USDA Forest Service

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is a Federal agency that manages public lands in national forests and grasslands. The Forest Service is also the largest forestry research organization in the world, and provides technical and financial assistance to state and private forestry agencies. Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the Forest Service, summed up the purpose of the Forest Service—"to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people in the long run."

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