HOW DO YOU GET WHAT
YOU WANT?
Step E. Select tools and formulate the management strategy.
The objective of this step is to develop a management strategy that addresses
your specific goals. There are many approaches that can be used to address
each goal, and the pros and cons of each approach should be considered.
Feasibility, practicality, legality, and economics should be considered
in selecting the appropriate management tools. Some typical tools include:
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public education programs;
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assistance and incentive programs;
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voluntary planting programs;
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mitigation guidelines;
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planning regulations and guidelines, including the general plan and specific
plans;
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ordinances.
Community involvement and support continues to be important in this phase
of the process. Management approaches and tools that are unacceptable to
the community are unlikely to succeed. If a local government intends to
push for more progressive tree management than local citizens are ready
to accept, it should choose tools that will build community awareness and
support, including educational and incentive programs. Your assessment
of current and past
management practices,
should provide ideas about the effectiveness of various methods that have
been used in your community. Public input and comment should be sought
for any new approaches that may be contemplated or developed.
In analyzing the approaches or tools that may be used, the role of the
tree ordinance in the overall strategy should become clear. In some cases,
ordinance provisions will be necessary to authorize various management
approaches, such as establishing the position of municipal arborist, requiring
the development and implementation of a community forest master plan, or
mandating a program of public education. In other cases, ordinance provisions
may directly provide necessary parts of the strategy, for example by outlawing
destructive practices.
The provisions placed in the tree ordinance should be directly related
to the goals your community has established for its community forest. As
noted earlier, these provisions should designate responsibility, grant
authority, and specify enforcement methods. They should set basic performance
standards, yet allow for flexibility in determining how these standards
can be met. You can follow this link to see our goal-driven
Guide to Drafting a Tree Ordinance, but be sure to read about the last
two critical steps in the management process below.
Step F. Implement the management strategy.
Although a plan may appear ideal on paper, it clearly cannot achieve anything
unless implemented. This requires the commitment of resources necessary
to hire personnel, enforce ordinances, run educational programs, and carry
out other components of the management strategy. The number of steps involved
in implementing the management strategy may differ between communities.
Steps typically involved in implementation may include:
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passing an ordinance,
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budgeting necessary funds,
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hiring a municipal forester or arborist,
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appointing a citizen tree advisory board,
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formulating a master tree management plan,
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developing public education programs.
Since a number of steps are usually involved in implementing the management
strategy, it is useful to map out an implementation schedule. This time/action
schedule should show the steps that are involved and the time frame within which
they should be completed. Progress checks should be built into the schedule
to ensure that delays or problems are detected and dealt with. These progress
checks could be in the form of required progress reports to the city council
or county board of supervisors. It is important to maintain a high profile for
the management program during implementation to foster public interest and maintain
the commitment of the local government. If interest and support dissipate before
the strategy is implemented, the efforts spent to get to this point may be for
naught.
