Community Forest Plan

Vision

An ambitious plan for communities in the Omaha-Council Bluffs region to implement resilient and sustainable tree canopy in harmony with both people and the land.

Working Group Information

The Community Forest Plan working group is a subcommittee of the Heartland 2050 Natural Resources Committee.

The Community Forest Plan was approved as the Natural Resources Committee’s Big Idea for 2020. The working group began meeting in March of 2020..

The Heartland 2050 Action Plan outlines the short-, mid- and long-range goals and strategies of the Natural Resources Committee.

The Community Forest Plan working group champion is:

Michelle Foss

Plan Goals

Develop and maintain an up-to-date database of all trees on public property with information about their species, size, condition, and worthiness.
Regularly track changes in regional canopy cover, making sure to update calculations of the ecosystem services it provides accordingly.
All communities in the greater metro area will reach 30 percent canopy cover by 2030, taking care to ensure tree canopy is diverse in species, genetics, and age.
Create and expand regular programs to engage residents about the region’s tree canopy to develop public understanding of the importance of resilient ecosystems.
Make rectifying racial and economic disparities in environmental conditions central to prioritizing efforts to improve tree canopy throughout the region.