HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-08-26 Public Comment - D. Carty - Sustainability Board meeting, 4-8-26, Item H.1 - BOB project and UFMP updateFrom:Daniel Carty
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Cc:Emma Bode; Natalie Meyer; Alex Nordquest
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Sustainability Board meeting, 4-8-26, Item H.1 - BOB project and UFMP update
Date:Wednesday, April 8, 2026 7:05:57 AM
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(Please distribute to the Sustainability Board members in time for their meeting tonight, Apr
8, 2026. Thank you.)
Apr 8, 2026; 7:05 a.m.
Dear Sustainability Board members:
I am writing to comment on Agenda item H.1 - Forestry Division Update: Branch OutBozeman and the 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan (as follows):
(1) Re Branch Out Bozeman (BOB) project: The current BOB website has strong Vision
and Mission statements, but it does not provide quantitative information or measurableobjectives about, e.g.:
- Current City-wide tree canopy cover (percent of total area within city limits)
- Target city-wide tree canopy cover (percent of total area within city limits)- Achieving an annual percent increase in city-wide tree canopy cover.
- How BOB will contribute to accomplishing measurable objectives w/ re to percent treecanopy cover.
Consequently, please ask City Forester Alex Nordquest to provide such quantitative
information and measurable objectives in his special presentation on BOB (co-presented by Gallatin Watershed Council's Lilly McLane).
(2) Re Urban Forest Management (UFMP) update:
By definition, Bozeman's urban forest comprises all trees on public land plus all trees on
private land. Protecting and enhancing Bozeman's urban forest is important for manyreasons, but especially because this forest provides both ecological function (e.g., wildlife
habitat) and many beneficial, non-consumptive ecosystem services to Bozeman's humanpopulation. As such,
(a) The UFMP update should focus on urban forest management (i.e., enhancing
ecological function and increasing beneficial, non-consumptive ecosystem services),
whereas the practice of silviculture1 should play a supporting role.
1 Silviculture is the art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition,
health, and quality of forests and woodlands to meet diverse needs and values.
(b) The UFMP should include a voluntary Heritage Tree Program by name. As the
Sustainability Board may not know, a voluntary Heritage Tree Program was supposed to be
part of the City's Landmark Project/Program via the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
Recently, however, Community Development Department arbitrarily moved the Heritage
Tree Program into the City's Forestry Division. That said, at the March 26, 2026, Urban
Parks and Forestry Board (UPF) meeting, the public learned that a Heritage Tree Program
is not mentioned by name in the current UFMP update. Thus, a Heritage Tree Program
could very well fall through the cracks unless the City's advisory boards—including theSustainability Board—speak up now. Therefore, I ask the Sustainability Board to in turn
ask the Forestry Division to include a voluntary Heritage Tree Program by name inthe UFMP update.
(c) The UFMP update should include measurable tree-canopy-cover objectives and
measurable tree-equity objectives.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Daniel Carty
213 N. 3rd Ave
Bozeman, MT 59715