Boston Urban Forest Plan (2022)


In Boston, nearly 700,000 people depend on the many benefits provided by the trees in the urban forest. The Boston Urban Forest Plan is a strategic long-term investment in the health of the trees and canopy in Boston, and the City’s diverse residents, and will likely have a regional effect. 

The development of an Urban Forest Plan will help the City deliver a thriving, collaboratively sustained urban forest.  The City's goal is to create a strategic plan that is based on science, and defined by the needs and desires of the community.  UCW has worked together with the city over the course of roughly a year to develop a plan that will ensure the urban forest will be better managed both today and 20 years from now.
Completed in early fall 2022, the plan was developed through an analysis of all available Boston forestry data and policy, as well as conversations, interviews, and meetings with internal forestry staff and public stakeholders. The final plan was divided into 7 key strategies that best supported the forestry goals, also determined via discussion during the strategic plan process:

Goal 1: Equity First. Focus investments and improvement in under-canopied, historically excluded and socially vulnerable areas.

Goal 2: Proactive Care and Preservation. Ensure trees/tree canopy are proactively cared for.

Goal 3: Community-Led. Ensure community priorities drive urban forest decisions and management.

​Goal 4: Prioritize and Value Trees. Increase awareness and buy-in regarding the importance of trees in Boston across the public and private sectors

View Boston Urban Forest Plan project website

Implementation Updates

Since the plan's completion 2022, Boston was immediately able to begin implementing changes, including adding 10 additional staff positions (tripling their current capacity) to the forestry division, beginning work for increased Emerald Ash Borer outreach, changes to tree protection ordinances, and much more.  Click on the headlines below for updates on progress from the City.
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If you're interested in seeing how a strategic urban forest or master plan can help you start discovering your forestry goals and develop strategies on how to reach them, please contact us.