Georgetown is moving forward with its Urban Forest Master Plan after council members heard an update from Chief Development Officer Kelly Trietsch on May 12. The plan seeks to preserve and plant trees in the city as well as create guidelines for tree planting to ensure they grow.
In a nutshell
The proposed master plan will include a tree canopy assessment to establish a baseline of the city's current tree coverage, as well as tree inventories focusing on publicly owned property.
Part of the plan will also detail the benefits of urban forestry, including how trees impact property values, air quality, stormwater uptake and heat mitigation. The city hopes to develop strategies for wildfire mitigation and address environmental threats to Georgetown’s tree population.
The tree population faces degradation from rapid urban growth, aging, drought, limited water resources and diseases, Trietsch said. By assessing tree health across the city, officials hope to identify the most impacted areas to target for replanting and mitigation efforts.
Funding for the plan comes from the tree mitigation fund, and the city hopes to connect with community partners and residents through an engagement process while developing the plan.
The update
The city will finalize a request for proposals for contractors in July and advertise it in August, aiming for a final contract approval by October, Trietsch said. Officials will determine a budget to develop the master plan after receiving bids.
Once the contract is approved and the notice to proceed is issued, the Urban Forest Master Plan is expected to take six to 12 months to complete.
In case you missed it
Council members first heard a presentation on the proposed plan in January, when officials began to explore the best use of money in the tree mitigation fund.
