Urban Forestry Planning
The Town of Stratford has secured significant grant funding to support its urban forestry planning initiatives. We are thankful for the grant of $15,000 from the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) as well as a grant of $173,080 from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) administered by the Arbor Day Foundation.
The Town has selected a consultant, PlanIT Geo, through a competitive bidding process to assist in these efforts. This work will culminate in the following:
√ Canopy Assessment - While each tree in our Town has its own crown (i.e., branches/leaves), these crowns combine to form our tree canopy. PlanIT Geo has completed a canopy analysis which will aid in future management decision making, for example, we may want to increase tree plantings in areas with low canopy coverage.
√ Tree Inventory - PlanIT Geo has inspected and inventoried each of our street trees. This will also aid in future management decisions; for example, we may learn that we may need to increase future species diversity to improve our urban forest resilience.
Urban Forest Management Plan - This science-based, community-driven plan will guide the management of our trees for the next fifty (50) years. We will be requesting your input to ensure we have the desires of the community incorporated into this plan, which will culminate in a plan with specific, meaningful, and achievable goals for future.
Project Updates:
The canopy assessment has been completed - click here to check it out! This information will be used, along with other data, as we develop our UFMP.
The tree inventory has been completed. Click here to review the data, which will also be included in our UFMP. Note that this is a dynamic database, and will be continuously updated as trees are planted and removed.
The UFMP public survey will be launched in the coming months - stay tuned!
Check back here for upcoming public surveys, meetings, etc.