Urban and Community Forest Master Plan

Through funding provided from the USFS Inflation Reduction Act Urban and Community Forestry program, the City of New Haven will be contracting a consultant to create an Urban and Community Forest Master Plan (UCFMP). Funding from this grant will also be used (in a separate RFQ) to hire a communications consultant who will work closely with the UCFMP consultant to assist in public engagement, outreach through social media, website development and management, videos, and printed media. The City of New Haven is seeking a consultant to work with City staff and stakeholders to create an Urban & Community Forest Master Plan (UCFMP). The successful candidate will perform urban tree canopy assessment mapping, analyze data and make recommendations, facilitate community outreach meetings, and provide a written UCFMP to guide policy and management decisions with the final goal of equitable, sustainable, and climate resilient care, management, and growth of New Haven’s urban forest. The UCFMP will recognize trees as critical infrastructure and support the inclusion and integration of urban forestry into all aspects of city planning, codes, ordinances, and policies. The spatial analysis included in the UCFMP will provide valuable data such as change in tree canopy cover and percentage of tree canopy on private property, as well as model climate change impacts and provide goals for replacing lost or missing urban tree canopy cover. The consultant will include a Community Engagement Plan and coordinate all stakeholder meetings. The Tree System Coordinator will oversee the direction and quality of work of this consultant.