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HomeMy WebLinkAbout25 - Submissions - 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan (3)From:Josh Shroyer To:Bozeman Procurement Cc:Alex Nordquest; Tammy Shroyer; Nate Shroyer Subject:[EXTERNAL]2026 Urban Forest Management Plan, FlamingTree Solutions, LLC. Due 11/12/25 3pm Date:Tuesday, November 18, 2025 9:16:50 AM Attachments:Bozeman 2026 Urban FMP.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Mike, Please find attached our proposal for the 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan for the City ofBozeman, MT in response to the RFP dated October 2025. Sincerely,Josh Shroyer -- Josh Shroyer, CF CUCFFLAMINGTREE Solutions, LLC flamingtreesolutions.com Proposal for 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan Prepared for: City of Bozeman, MT Prepared by: FlamingTree Solutions, LLC. 56 Cliff Dr, Riverton, WY 82501 Josh Shroyer, CF CUCF, CA Josh@flamingtreesolutions.com 307-851-3318 Tammy Shroyer, CUCF, CA Tammy@flamingtreesolutions.com 307-851-3318 November 18, 2025 B. Executive Summary We believe that natural spaces are often the heart of a community. The city of Bozeman’s commitment to community and natural spaces shows us that your community also shares this belief. We always educate on the premises that the trees in those spaces are part of the infrastructure, after all, they take decades to establish. In this way trees are as important as water, sewer, and electricity to these unique outdoor spaces. If we don’t have a solid, proactive, tree management plan, we will always find ourselves at the mercy of disease, storm damage, changing environments, or urban sprawl. We believe that tree management plans should put communities in a proactive stance for managing their canopy cover and keeping their community spaces beautifully shaded for generations to come. Personally and professionally, we have first hand experience with the devastating effects of Emerald Ash Bore (EAB). And although EAB hasn’t been confirmed in Montana, experts believe it’s only a matter of time. Our firm is unique in that we have regional clientele and experiences. We’ve been there, helping communities prioritize hazard trees, plan mass tree removals, developing replanting plans, educating park and recreation staff, and grant application consultation. The effects of EAB will be drastic, however, there are actions that can be taken to prepare and preplan. We will use our experiences to help Bozeman through these trying times. Knowing that your community has a large percentage of ash (Fraxinus), we understand the interesting challenges in your future. While we lived and worked in Missouri, we saw EAB as it marched through the state. Our local community of Clinton MO had about 30% ash in its population and we watched as those ash eventually became affected and died. As a consulting firm, we have maintained contact with Clinton and have performed tree inventories, tree risk assessments, tree management plans, and assisted with grant applications that helped manage that huge loss. In addition, while working as a Forester for the Missouri Department of Conservation, Josh worked with numerous communities in Western Missouri as they prepared for, and dealt with the EAB invasion. We will bring all this experience to bear as we develop your Urban Forest Management Plan. It is fortunate that you know and understand the need to plan now for this pest that is coming. We believe that certification within the industry is critically important as it shows commitment to continuing education and adherence to higher standards. All FlamingTree Solutions consultants are ISA Certified Arborists, and we understand individual trees. We also have a broad background in the larger Urban and Community Forestry realm. This is evidenced by Josh testing for and obtaining the Society of American Foresters Certified Urban and Community Forester credential in the initial offering in 2024 to go along with his Certified Forester credential that he has maintained since 2001. Tammy followed soon thereafter by testing for and obtaining her Certified Urban and Community Forester credential in early 2025. We look at the overall urban and community forest and how all those individual trees combine for multiplicative affects to the community. As far as Community Engagement, both Josh and Tammy will also rely on their experience in the wildfire world. Tammy is a Public Information Officer - Complex/Type 1 (PIOC/PIO1), and Josh is an Operations Section Chief - Complex and a Liaison Officer. These positions require close interaction with local communities and community leaders in times of crisis, attending and participating in public meetings, and working with the community to come up with real world solutions while maintaining a level of empathy and compassion. Additionally, Tammy’s experience as an educator, provides general education, organization, content development, and communication skills that prove invaluable. We also have experience/capacity for working with volunteer groups and regularly do so serving in a volunteer capacity on our local Tree Board. We understand the benefits and challenges of working with volunteers and how to combine groups in positive collaboration. Through his career in two state forestry agencies, and now in Consulting, along with actually serving on multiple Tree Boards, Josh has extensive experience working with communities on reviewing, writing, rewriting and defending of city ordinances, Codes, rules, regulations and the process for adoption. In addition, Josh and Tammy were heavily involved in a new initiative to promote trees and garner public involvement by proposing, creating, and implementing a City Champion Tree Program for the City of Clinton. As chairman of the Riverton Tree Board, Chairman of the Certification Review Board for SAF (national level), and running Cooperators Meetings as a Liaison Officer on wildfires, Josh has developed a smooth and efficient way of meeting management, seeing all sides, but also keeping attendees and participants on task and on schedule. Overall, we have been on all sides of a project like this. As a representative of the city as a tree board member who is putting together and looking to hire a contractor or consultant, as a member of a State Forestry Agency who is working with a community on grant requirements or how to craft and oversee a project, as a Consultant who is looking to bid on and product the desired products. We are happy to use our decades of combined skills, along with our commitment to public education to help Bozeman with this project. For this project, all three consultants from FlamingTree Solutions will be involved, with Josh being the Principal Consultant and primary point of contact. Tammy will be the secondary point of contact. We look forward to working closely with the Forestry Division Manager and the Urban Parks and Forestry Board. C. Firm Profile 1. FlamingTree Solutions, LLC is located in Riverton, WY. We are a family business with three owners: Josh, Tammy, and Nate Shroyer. 2. History - FlamingTree Solutions started in 2019 when Josh left the Wyoming State Forestry Division to fulfill his dream of becoming a full time Forestry Consultant. During that time, Tammy has assisted during evenings, weekends, and breaks to help grow the business with Nate also helping in the Technician role while also pursuing his forestry degree. Nate will graduate from the University of Montana with a BS in Forestry with a minor in Fire Ecology in May. We focus on building relationships with our clients as we believe that, like trees, we can help leave a legacy. We blend new and old technology into everything we do in order to give the client the best product possible. Prior to FlamingTree Solutions, Jost was a District Forester for the Wyoming State Forestry Division and a Resource Forester for the MIssouri Department of Conservation. While working as a forester for these state agencies, Josh worked with communities and grant programs to build their Urban Forestry Programs. This included helping to create and build Tree Boards, apply for grants for program development, and oversee those grants to the communities. This included assisting communities as they selected, chose, and worked with consulting firms to provide tree inventories, tree management plans, and community forestry program reviews, and then reviewing the products those consultants provided. Having been on all sides of this process, Josh brings a unique perspective to the project when it comes to overall Urban and Community Forestry issues. Josh has worked with communities smaller than 1,000 population such as Dubois WY and Cowley WY, to mid-sized communities like Riverton, WY (pop. 11,000), Clinton, MO (pop. 9,000), Cody, WY (pop. 10,000), Blue Springs, MO (pop. 61,000) to large cities such as Kansas City, MO (pop.500,000+). With this extensive background, working with a community such as Bozeman that has a well established Tree Board (Urban Parks and Forestry Board) as well as a fully functioning Urban Forestry program, we look forward to a great working relationship on this project. 3. Familiarity with Bozeman - While we do not live in or near Bozeman, we do travel through and it is one of our main stops for gas, food, and to visit friends who live in your community. Having worked with a number of Northern Rocky Mountain communities over the past 11 years, we understand the unique and interesting challenges of high altitude, varied precipitation, and mountain weather system influences. In addition, we do come with a vast experience of living in and working with communities with a high percentage of ash trees and have seen first hand the total devastation EAB can bring to a community. 4. Resumes (Brief resumes are included at the end of this document) 5. Primary Contacts information: a. Josh Shroyer, President, Josh@flamingtreesolutions.com b. Tammy Shroyer, Vice President/Secretary Tammy@flamingtreesolutions.com c. Nate Shroyer, Technician/GIS Specialist Nate@flamingtreesolutions.com d. Office address: 56 Cliff Drive, Riverton, Wyoming 82501 e. Business Phone 307-851-3318 f. Website www.flamingtreesolutions.com D. Experience 1. Urban Forest Management Plan experience - Although we have not completed an Urban Forestry Plan at the scale that will be required for Bozeman during our time owning and running FlamingTree Solutions, we do have experience in working with County level government in completing Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) that involved as much, if not more data and certainly larger geographic areas. These were all completed within the approved timeline within the contract. Additional Reference for Albany County, WY can be provided if desired. In addition, Josh, during his time with Wyoming State Forestry Division and the Missouri Department of Conservation, has been on the State Forestry Representative side of things for community projects that do cover the scope of the Bozeman Plan, ( Kansas City, MO, North Kansas City, MO, Blue Springs, MO) and slightly smaller (Clinton, MO, Riverton, WY, Cody, WY) in additional to others. We have a track record of completing our projects on time, if not early. 2. Data - We utilize multiple hardware and software for our presentations, but generally utilize Powerpoint and Google Slides as the main slideshow offerings. We also utilize ESRI products for more GIS based data presentations that include Arc Pro, Survey 123, Field Maps, Collector, and others as needed. We have used Canva for visuals, but are also familiar with Photoshop. This can include demonstrations at trade shows, presentations at City Council Meetings, Client Board Meetings, Tree Board Meetings, and feature presentations at ISA Conferences for some examples. E. Firm Workload Our firm workload is perfect for this project. We are always on the lookout for larger projects that can keep us dedicated to a client for a long period. We are not a tree service and therefore do not overload ourselves with small projects. This is so that we can give the proper attention to detail that our clients deserve. At this time, we have room for two or three larger projects like this in our 2026 schedule. With the addition of Nate full time in May, we will be expanding our reach slightly to accommodate our existing clients and projects as well as the upcoming projects on our schedule. We limit the amount of large projects we take on so that we can maintain our personalized, in depth service that you should expect from a family business. You will not be handed off to anyone else at any time. You will deal directly with us, the owners. F. Scope of Proposal 1. Services Proposed To start with, a thorough review with appropriate City Staff, Forestry Department, and the Urban Parks and Forestry Board of the 2016 Plan to go over successes, failures, completions and changes that have occurred in the past 10 years. The 2016 Plan can serve as a baseline template if desired, or, if there are too many changes or issues, an entirely new template will be developed. This can only be determined after a complete review with staff. Documenting this history will be important to bridge the 2016 plan with the new 2026 Plan. Further, interviews with staff to discuss budgets, staffing, work load will take place as well as review of the current tree inventory and maintenance plan. These can take place simultaneously in the early parts of 2026 (January through March). Regardless, you have a lot of information and the meetings/work sessions with staff, Forestry Division and the Urban Parks and Forestry Board are critical to transferring this information so that a complete analysis can be performed. In addition, from this, a draft Community Engagement Plan will be developed in conjunction with City staff. Once approved, a series of in-person and virtual meetings with various community groups and the general public will take place over the spring and summer. Opportunities will be sought to incorporate into established public gatherings such as Arbor Day and events that garner the biggest attendance possible as well as opening a public comment portal. Attendance at local groups such as Garden Clubs will also be investigated for potential input. Specific attention to pests such as EAB, and climate changes will be given and a draft of that specific part of the plan will be worked on over the summer and presented by the end of September. This will include analysing the current tree inventory and utilizing methods and proven successes from areas of the country that have already dealt with EAB. Each portion of the overall Urban Forestry Management Plan will be given a draft, review and final approval timeline (see sample timeline table below), and the Complete Plan will be presented as a Draft by the end of November. This will then allow for the final draft to be presented to the City Council during their December meeting(s) as determined by scheduling. Overall communication with the relevant City Staff and Boards will use in-person and virtual meetings, phone calls, and email as required. A proposed monthly check-in would be a mix of in-person and virtual meetings. 2. Community engagement Community engagement can be tailored to community needs. We can assist with development of public education documents or swag, provide relevant staff talking points, and/or social media strategies utilizing urban forestry best management practices. Where possible we will source expertise and community education from resources such as Montana DNRC, Arbor Day Foundation, the Branch Out Bozeman website and others as needed. 3. Timeline and communication We will utilize phone, text, and email communication on an as needed basis for most general updates with the Forestry Division manager. Monthly Update Meetings will be scheduled either in person or virtual (depending on how much is to be updated, weather permitting, and personnel schedules). We would strive to have about an equal amount of in person meetings as virtual meetings. This will be flexible as even with everyone in close proximity, the challenges of getting to in-person meetings can be difficult, while calling in on a virtual meeting from a phone or laptop while staff are traveling or time limited, can open up scheduling possibilities. We strive for at least a 2 week notice for each meeting. Those that are scheduled monthly can be scheduled long in advance, but if additional meetings or updates are needed, a 2-week notice should give all parties ample time to plan for attendance. 4. Deliverables/Timeline The following table gives a quick summary of many of the main items, time line, deliverables, and completion dates. As you will see, many things will be taking place simultaneously, but also in a logical and flowing order, with the goal of final completion by the end of December 2026, or approximately one year past contract signing. Sample Timeline Actions/Deliverables Completion Date Jan-Feb 2026 Review of 2016 Plan, Inv. February 28, 2026 Jan-Mar 2026 Interviews with Staff March 31, 2026 Mar-Apr 2026 Draft Engagement Plan April 30, 2026 or before May-Aug 2026 Community Engagement August 31, 2026 or before Jun-Sep 2026 Draft I&D/Disaster Plan September 30, 2026 or before Oct-Nov 2026 Draft of Complete Plan November 30, 2026 or before Dec City Council Meetings Final Presentation/Delivery By December 31, 2026 ● This timeline shows a full year from contract signing as noted in the RFP. To meet your Ideal Timeline, items can be moved to earlier deadlines/completion dates. This relies on getting a good Community Engagement Plan developed and implemented early. 5. Software We utilized the Google Suite in our day to day business, but are also familiar with the Microsoft Suite of tools. Additionally, we frequently utilize Survey 123 for data collection, but have utilized a number of client specified tools. GIS and publicly available LiDAR is used for map visualization. We have used Canva for visuals, but are also familiar with Photoshop. Additional add-on services can include drone based photogrammetry, tree analysis data, or LiDAR and related visual products. We are also familiar with Open AI such as Chat GPT. We will work with the City of Bozeman to ensure software used is fully compatible with the City’s existing software. G. References 1. Christy Maggi- City of Clinton, City Administrator 660-885-6121 cmaggi@cityofclintonmo.gov 2. Kyle Butterfield - City of Riverton, City Administrator 307-857-7705 kbutterfield@rivertonwy.gov 3. Kelly Norris - Wyoming State Forestry Division, State Forester 307-777-7586 kelly.norris@wyo.gov H. Affirmation Form Attachment A (copied from RFP) NONDISCRIMINATION AND EQUAL PAY AFFIRMATION FlamingTree Solutions, LLC (name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, age, marital status, national origin, or because of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or disability and acknowledges and understands the eventual contract will contain a provision prohibiting discrimination as described above and this prohibition on discrimination shall apply to the hiring and treatments or proposer’s employees and to all subcontracts. In addition, FlamingTree Solutions, LLC (name of entity submitting) hereby affirms it will abide by the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Section 39-3-104, MCA (the Montana Equal Pay Act), and has visited the State of Montana Equal Pay for Equal Work “best practices” website, https://equalpay.mt.gov/BestPractices/Employers, or equivalent “best practices publication and has read the material. /s/ Josh Shroyer, President Name and title of person authorized to sign on behalf of submitter Josh Shroyer, CF, CUCF, CA, TRAQ Co-Owner, President and Principal Consultant of FlamingTree Solutions, LLC 56 Cliff Dr. Riverton, WY 82501 307-851-3318, 660-351-3525 Josh@flamingtreesolutions.com https://flamingtreesolutions.com/bio-Josh/ Professional Memberships and Certifications Society of American Foresters, Member since 1994 Certified Forester (CF), Certified since 2001 Certified Urban and Community Forester (CUCF), Certified since 2024 Chairman of the SAF Certification Review Board, First Term 2023-2025, Starting Second Term in 2026-2028 International Society of Arboriculture, Member since 1997 Certified Arborist (CA) Certified 1997-2009, Recertified 2016 Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) 2019 Society of Municipal Arborists, Member since 2019 Graduate of the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI), 2021 Drone Pilot, FAA Part 107 Work History FlamingTree Solutions, LLC (10/2019-Current) Co-Owner, President and Principal Consultant (Riverton WY) Wyoming State Forestry Division (5/2015-9/2019) District Forester (Riverton WY, District 3) Missouri Department of Conservation, Forestry Division (5/1996-4/2015) Resource Forester (Blue Springs, MO, Chillicothe, MO, Clinton, MO) Riverton WY Tree Board, 2016 - Current, Chairman or Vice Chairman for 7+ years Member or Advisor to numerous Tree Boards Education BS Forestry, 5/1996 University of Missouri - Columbia, Columbia, MO Associate of Arts, 8/1993, Wentworth Military Academy Junior College, Lexington, MO Tammy Shroyer, CUCF, CA Co-Owner,Vice President of FlamingTree Solutions, LLC 56 Cliff Dr. Riverton, WY 82501 307-851-3318, 660-351-1397 Tammy@flamingtreesolutions.com https://flamingtreesolutions.com/about-us/bio-tammy/ Professional Memberships and Certifications Society of American Foresters, Member since 2024 Certified Urban and Community Forester (CUCF), Certified since 2025 International Society of Arboriculture, Member since 2022 Certified Arborist (CA), RM-8752A, Certified since 2023 NWCG Information Officer PIO1/C Drone Pilot, FAA Part 107 Work History FlamingTree Solutions, LLC (10/2019-present) Co-Owner, Vice President (Riverton WY) Fremont 25 School District (2015-present) 5th Grade Teacher, Data Team Leader, District Math Committee Member Riverton, WY Tree Board, 2018-present Co-chair of annual Arbor Day Poster Contest Education MA Teaching, 5/2009 University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg BS Parks, Recreation and Tourism, 8/1996 University of Missouri-Columbia Nate Shroyer, CCFT, CA Co-Owner,Primary Forest Technician of FlamingTree Solutions, LLC 56 Cliff Dr. Riverton, WY 82501 307-851-3318, 660-492-5070 Nate@flamingtreesolutions.com https://flamingtreesolutions.com/about-us/bio-nate/ Professional Memberships and Certifications Society of American Foresters, Member since 2022 Candidate Certified Forestry Technician International Society of Arboriculture, Member since 2022 Certified Arborist (CA), RM-8768A, Certified since 2023 Drone Pilot, FAA Part 107 Work History FlamingTree Solutions, LLC (10/2019-present) Co-Owner, Primary Forest Technician/Drone Pilot (Riverton WY) USFS, Forestry Technician - Fire (Summers of 2019-2024) Fuels Crew, Type 6 Engine Crew CWC, Tutor (9/2019-4/2021) Employed by Central Wyoming College to Tutor GIS and Chemistry Education BS Forestry, Minor in Fire Ecology, expected 5/2026, University of Montana Associates in STEM, 5/2021, Central Wyoming College, Riverton GIS Certificate, 12/2021, Central Wyoming College, Riverton The following are a few examples of our experience across multiple audiences. Video Screen Captures of Josh presenting at a City Council Meeting. Presenting the final report and management plan. Mayor and Council behind the half-circle, with city staff at the lower desks on each end. Presenting to a local community group. Staffing our booth at a Community Event. Nate assists as we talk to a group of Wyoming Arborists about the drone technology available to complement their urban forestry programs and tree services. Providing community training on individual tree care using both hands-on and video and slide presentation. Presenting to, and educating, other urban and community foresters and arborists (WY Tree Academy, MO Community Forestry Council) Actual EAB adults on an ash during one of our Missouri Tree Inventories.