Trees provide numerous benefits in an urban environment and create a sense of community. Along with providing shade, saving energy, and improving air quality and public health, trees mitigate climate change, reduce stormwater runoff, increase property values, and create wildlife habitats. For these reasons and more, the City of Alameda is developing its Urban Forest Plan, which will update the City’s existing street tree plan and expand the scope to include park trees, trees in easement areas, trees near power lines that are maintained by Alameda Municipal Power and trees on private and other non-City of Alameda properties. This newly updated Plan will guide the City’s operations and activities, including expanding and maintaining the tree canopy for the next 10 years.
Urban Forest Plan Survey
Thank you to all who participated in the Urban Forest Plan Survey earlier this year. The survey data is currently being analyzed and your feedback will be used to help mold Alameda's Urban Forest Plan.
Background
An update and expansion of the 2010 Master Street Tree Plan as an Urban Forest Plan and expanding the urban forest was identified as an action item in the City's 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP) to achieve goals related to carbon sequestration, urban heat island mitigation, cleaning and slowing stormwater runoff, reducing building energy use, advancing social equity, and contributing to a high quality of life for all Alamedans.
The City’s Urban Forest Plan is intended to be strategic in advancing social equity and contributing to an improved quality of life by providing the benefits of the urban tree canopy to all community members, which includes improvement of overall emotional and psychological health, and improvement of physical health.
Fast Facts:
- 25,962 total trees in the City managed inventory
- The City’s tree inventory is comprised of 301 unique species
- The London plane sycamore is the most common City tree comprising 15.8% of the inventory
- City-wide canopy cover is 11.24%
- Canopy cover by census tract ranges from a low of 5.1% to a high of 20.9%