Helping Pittsburgh Tell Our Tree Story

Tree Pittsburgh and its steering committee project partners are creating Pittsburgh’s first-ever Urban Forest Master Plan and are asking everyone in Pittsburgh to participate and tell their tree story. Jackson/Clark is helping to engage the public to gather surveys from across the city, and to capture people’s personal tree stories on video. We’d like you to Tell Us Your Tree Story at TellUsYourTreeStory.org.

Take a couple of minutes to take our survey, send us your video, and learn how to volunteer to help us get community input that will help make Pittsburgh’s the best Urban Forest Master Plan ever!

Talking Trees

Tree Pittsburgh continues to make progress in preparing to begin developing Pittsburgh’s Urban Forest Master Plan. On October 5, 2011, Tree Pittsburgh invited 25 friends, community partners and project steering committee members to participate in an initial idea session designed to identify simple, fun and accessible strategies to incorporate into an effective public outreach and participation process. Outcomes of the session are available for review:

• Question 1 – What are your experiences with trees?
• Question 2 – How can bring the planning process to the community?
• Question 3 – What are some fun ways to share + gather info?
• Question 4 – What do we call this?

These outcomes will help Jackson/Clark and Tree Pittsburgh develop a public outreach and participation plan that best support the Urban Forest Master Plan by bringing the planning process to the community and ensuring that Pittsburgh residents have an active role in developing the final plan.

Tree Pittsburgh began to undertake Urban Forest Master Planning starting in Summer 2010, when it worked with Jackson/Clark to bring together over 50 experts and partners in a collaborative planning session. Participants worked together to define what should be a part of a successful Urban Forest Master Plan. The outcomes of the session helped Tree Pittsburgh create Trees for the Future, their framework for the development of the first ever master plan for the Pittsburgh urban forest. The Master Plan project is led by Tree Pittsburgh and a project steering committee that includes over a dozen partner organizations.

The Trees for the Future initiative is guiding Tree Pittsburgh and a range of partner organizations into immediate action on creating a master plan for our City’s unique green environment. Actual planning work will begin starting this Fall, and will conclude with a Spring 2012 launch of the completed Urban Forest Master Plan. Jackson/Clark Partners will work with TreePittsburgh during this planning phase to  develop and implement public outreach and participation in support of the planning.

JCP is excited to work on the initial stages of the project as a continuation of our work in bringing sustainability into communities across the City, to support Pittsburgh’s one of a kind urban wilderness, and to help ensure a better environmental future for our community.

Pittsburgh Urban Forest Master Planning Session

JCP helped clients at the Friends of the Pittsburgh Urban Forest in facilitating a day-long session on Monday, July 12, 2010 as a first step in creating a comprehensive master plan for Pittsburgh’s urban forest.

• View a FoPUF video testimonial on Jackson/Clark

FoPUF is beginning a process to develop our City’s first urban forest master plan and invited regional leaders in the field, as well as several national experts, to learn more about the elements of best practice plans and to begin planning ways to create a plan for Pittsburgh that can serve as the next best practice model for urban forestry.

A two-hour innovation session helped capture ideas on next steps, project goals, possible partners and thoughts on planning for an effective master process, engaging 50 participants including FoPUF staff, boardmembers and a range of partners from around the region and urban forest experts from around the country.

Check some of our innovation session outcomes to share participants’ ideas, and review answers to our five challenge questions from the session for detailed information.

• Question 1 – How do trees impact you?
• Question 2 – Why does PGH need an urban forest master plan?
• Question 3 – Who are the partners in the process?
• Question 4 – What needs to happen to ensure success?
• Question 5 – What are the next steps?

Check out FoPUF’s website for more information on how to be a part of the process!

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