HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-14-26 Public Comment - J. Gildea - Save the Trees Please!From:Jessica
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Save the Trees Please!
Date:Monday, September 14, 2026 10:09:44 AM
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.
To: Mitch Overton, Bozeman Parks and Recreation Department
Alex Nordquest, Forestry DivisionCity Commissioners Sweeney, Bode, Madgic
Deputy Mayor FischerMayor Morrison
Re: 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) DraftSeptember 11, 2026
I agree with the following letter:
The Bozeman Tree Coalition (BTC) is writing to offer comments on the Urban Forest
Management Plan (UFMP or Plan) draft. We appreciate the work done by the consultant team,city staff, and the Urban Parks and Forestry (UPF) board members as well as the opportunity
togive input on the UFMP draft. Overall, the 2026 UFMP draft plan is well developed and will
bea useful tool to guide our Forestry Department for several years to come.
Some of its strengths include the inclusion of a Heritage Tree Program template, increasedemphasis on caring for the urban forest as valuable and necessary infrastructure, and the
overarching analysis of current conditions of Bozeman’s urban forest. Some of its weaknessesinclude a lack of emphasis on native trees, and a lack of strong recommendations for
improvingtree retention policies during development. These last two items are addressed tentatively but
must be included more strongly in the Plans recommended goals and actions to be effective.After carefully reviewing the Plan, BTC offers the following suggestions that we believe will
increase the overall clarity and effectiveness of the 2026 UFMP:1.) The final sentence of the Executive Summary reads, “The Bozeman Urban Forest
Management Plan is both a blueprint and a call to action. With thoughtful implementation andsustained collaboration, the City can ensure Bozeman’s urban forest is a substantial asset and
investment, one that requires maintenance to grow over time, with exponential benefits to thecommunity.”
This is an excellent summation of the Plan’s vision and goals, and, for greater impact, weencourage it to be placed in the beginning of the Executive Summary rather than at the end. It
would also make a good addition to the Vision statement.
BOZEMANTREECOALITION@GMAIL.COM
(2)
2.) The Plan’s draft introduces the idea of retention of trees in addition to continued plantingof
new trees. However, some of the best text for tree retention is found in the Tree CanopyAssessment and Goals Appendix (pages 1,2,18) rather than the main body of the document. In
fact, the statements below are listed as “highest priorities”, “as important as planting trees”,“top
priorities”, and “urgent”, and as such, we cannot state strongly enough that they should beincluded in the Plan’s main body, Executive Summary, as goals and actions (4.3 and 4.4 on
page85), and in other appropriate sections such as City Codes and Ordinances (pages 103-104).
(Underlining by BTC.)a.) “Because a cleared mature tree is not offset by small replacement stock for decades,
quantifying development-related canopy loss and evaluating a tree preservation or retentionstandard are among the highest-priority next steps.”
b.) “Existing trees are critical to future canopy stability. Growth of existing public and privatetrees is expected to offset a substantial portion of projected canopy losses. Protecting and
maintaining established trees is as important as planting new ones.”c.) “Development both adds and removes canopy. Code-required development planting can
movecanopy toward the 12% goal, but development also clears existing trees, which is currently
unmeasured and unrestricted by code. Measuring that loss and evaluating a tree-preservationstandard are top priorities.”
d.) “The 2016-2021 impervious increase visible in the i-Tree Landscape change mapsreinforces
the urgency of strong tree preservation and planting requirements in the development codes.”
3.) BTC suggests the added recommendation of creating a “Young Tree MaintenanceProgram”
to Action 2.4 (page 69) which states, “Prioritize young tree establishment and structural care.Identify young trees requiring establishment care, watering, mulching, staking adjustments,
clearance pruning, or structural pruning.”A Young Tree Management Program that conforms with ANSI standards and Best
ManagementPractices will allow these objectives to be met and easily communicated to any interested
party.The Return on Investment is significant when young trees are maintained according to
arboricultural standards over the course of the first critical 3-5 years. With a goal of plantingover 800 trees per year, this recommendation flows with the objective of increasing tree health
and ensuring/expanding canopy cover efforts. Please give this serious thought as part of yourdraft edits as it will only strengthen Bozeman’s Forestry program into the future.
4.) Add a recommendation for the hiring of an Urban Ecologist to one of the future goals.
Since2021, members of the Bozeman community have consistently requested the addition of a
separate staff position or contracted partner to assist with early, on the ground, evaluations ofpublic and private development applications to evaluate both existing tree infrastructure and
wetlands. Current development code puts that responsibility on the applicant to report but hasno
verification mechanism.
(3)
5.) Emphasize the need to involve the City Forester in departmental discussions dealing withsuch topics as: traffic patterns as they affect boulevard trees, sidewalk development near trees,
open space requirements, and zone edge transitions to ensure adequate space and light fortrees
to thrive.
6.) Native Trees and Shrubs are alluded to in the history of Bozeman’s canopy but should havea
stronger emphasis throughout the Plan due to their resiliency, natural occupation of the land,and
importance for bird and other pollinator habitat. Two sections to add emphasis are:a.) Add native tree retention to the section on Tree Preservation (page 104) and Mitigation
options (page 105). Change “Future updates could evaluate...” to “Future city code updatesmust
evaluate...” in both sections.b.) Include a recommendation in the section on City Code and Ordinances (page 103) that
includes the tree components of Strategy 4.3 in the Parks, Recreation, and ActiveTransportation
Plan which states: “Require developments to provide a parkland and natural resource analysisto
facilitate the connection and continuity of natural resource areas (streams and ditches,floodplains, wetlands, riparian areas, trees and plant species, soils) and to save existing native
trees and vegetation.” (Underlining by BTC.)
7.) The 2026 UFMP draft makes a very strong argument for the importance of trees and theurban forest, therefore it would stand to reason that the Plan recommends trees be included in
Chapter 38, Article 6. Natural Resource Protection. Trees and the urban forest are currentlyabsent from Bozeman’s municipal code as a protected Natural Resource.
8.) Action 2.5 states “Maintain Contractor Readiness”. This seems particularly important
considering the work that needs to be done on an annual basis, and we encourage placing anadded emphasis on pursuing contractual opportunities in the Plan’s goals.
9.) This comment is related to accessibility. BTC believes the Plan would be more useful to
thecommunity and staff if it was about half the length. Consider a hard limit of 60 pages plus
appendices. According to Merriam-Webster, a “plan” is “a method for achieving an end” or “adetailed formulation of a program of action”. Using that definition as a guide, BTC suggests
editorial edits such as the following to be carried throughout the document:a. Use bullet points in the Executive Summary and wherever possible to reduce length.
b. Summarize text where possible such as benefits of trees and stakeholder feedback andrelocate
the details to an appendix.c. Reduce redundancies from 2016 plan and move detailed accounts of history, land use
changes,growth patterns, etc. to appendices.
d. Move most details of tree diseases to an appendix.e. Move content page, mission statement, vision to beginning of document for easier
reference.
(4)
f. Consider a serif font such as was used in the 2016 UFMP (and this letter). It’s generallyeasier
to read and common practice for large areas of text.g. Remove the large “Bozeman MT” at the top of each page.
In conclusion, the Bozeman Tree Coalition is supportive of the overall content and future
direction that is being suggested in the 2026 UFMP draft. We’ve been looking forward to andare
excited about the Plans completion. Unfortunately, a lengthy and sometimes confusing planrisks
being unused and thus could become ineffective. BTC believes that the changes and additionssuggested above would help deliver a stronger and more effective plan as well as address
manyimportant community desires and expectations.
Thank you for your hard work and for taking the time to consider our comments. We hope youwill find them to be useful and favorable recommendations.
Sincerely,
The Bozeman Tree Coalition co-founders:Marcia Kaveney
Daniel CartyApril Craighead
Angie KociolekLara Schulz
Chris McQuearywith Annie Sheets, Retired City Arborist and BTC member
Jessica Gildea
Business Partnerships & Community Engagement Officer (Thrive)
Swim Instructor | Yoga Teacher
makinwaveswithjes.com
717.575.5337