Urban Forest Management Plan
Toolkit

The Toolkit Story

by Fred Roth, Inland Urban Forest Council

In the late summer of 2007 the members of the Board of Directors of the Inland Empire Urban Forests Council, a regional affiliate of the California Urban Forests Council (CaUFC), saw an opportunity to solve what they considered to be a huge gap in the management of urban forests in California and nationally. They recognized that there was a lack of consistent planning for urban forest development and management. This shortfall was perceived as partly due to lack of time that urban foresters could devote to plan development and partly to the inability of small communities and other organizations with responsibility for urban forests to hire or contract for the services of an Urban Forester.

An opportunity presented itself in the form of a grant program announced by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. In two evening meetings, 5-6 individuals developed a plan of work and a budget to employ writers and web developers to create what became known as the "Toolkit" and forwarded it to the CDF in the form of a grant proposal. Eventually the proposal was funded with the CaUFC serving as the financial and administrative agent for the Inland Council. Members of the Inland Empire council selected the writers and web developers and continued to work with them until the Toolkit become a reality. This web site is the fruit of that effort. We consider it an example of how a few overworked volunteers with little more than a vision and a desire can leverage resources to accomplish high goals. We hope you find the Toolkit useful as you seek to grow and maintain your urban forest!