FAQs

Urban forest is the term (coined by a Canadian professor!) used to describe the trees and other vegetation, both on public and private land, in human settlements. Because they are a forest in a city, they are managed to ensure the health of the vegetation but also so that humans can benefit from them. Some benefits humans receive from urban forests include shade, beautiful scenery, and air quality improvement.  

An UFMP is a long-term document that outlines and guides the management, protection, and growth of a city’s urban forest. The UFMP defines a City’s vision for their urban forest and aims to maximize the present and potential contributions to the economic, social, and environmental well-being provided by the urban trees.

Because trees can take decades to mature, they must be managed and cared for to ensure their full benefits can be realized. Alternatively, trees can sometimes cause conflicts or disservices, especially if they have been planted without a long-term vision. Without a UFMP, deciding the best way to manage the benefits and drawbacks can be challenging. Because the UFMP is specific to Camrose, it will provide recommendations relevant to the present and built to incorporate a future vision, to ensure the urban forest is managed for the city’s benefit.

The UFMP will ensure that your perspective on the urban forest is considered and will be used to develop management strategies to align with your and the city’s needs.

UFMPs typically include background research on current urban forest benefits, drawbacks, and management strategies and then develops a vision for what our future urban forest could resemble. The input you provide through public engagement will also be included in a pooled form in the UFMP, which will be used to make long-term management recommendations.

You can get involved in the UFMP development by taking the survey and completing the mapping activity on this page. If you are interested in contributing more, there will be additional opportunities (including a public open house and several tree tours) announced on this page through the development of the plan.

Public feedback is an important piece of the puzzle. Your input will be summarized alongside input from other residents and stakeholders in Camrose directly in the UFMP. The project team will also consider best practices, available resources, technical and operational feasibility and internal policies to develop the plan. All of this information will then be used to make management recommendations in the UFMP that align with stakeholder perspectives and priorities, which will guide urban forest management now and in the future.