Fort Worth City Council adopts the New Urban Forest Master Plan

On Tuesday, June 25, the Fort Worth City Council adopted the Urban Forest Master Plan, making it the official guide for future decisions related to the management of Fort Worth's urban forest.

Fort Worth is the 12th largest city, and one of the fastest-growing large cities in the United States, losing up to 2,500 acres of natural open space annually. To help combat this issue, the master plan outlines the steps needed to manage, preserve, and grow the tree canopy proactively and equitably amid ongoing growth and development.

The Texas Trees Foundation, City of Fort Worth Development Services Department, Park & Recreation Department, and various other City departments led the efforts to create this report, which includes:

The development of the master plan was guided by extensive public input received through meetings with the 18-member Steering Committee, City staff engagement, six industry-related focus groups, a bi-lingual online survey, interviews, social media postings, and public engagement events gathering opinions from 2,300 community members and 55 participating organizations.

Several elements of this plan include identifying strategic partners interested in investing in the growth of the urban forest, identifying priority planting and preservation areas, reassessing the current citywide tree canopy goal, and recommending amendments to the Urban Forestry Ordinance.

To view the master plan, please visit the Urban Forest website here or download the plan here.