Gaps in the implementation of urban forest management plans across canadian cities

Abstract

Urban forest management plans (UFMPs) are a key element of the planning process in urban forestry. While we can learn about management intentions by analyzing the content of UFMPs, less is known about happens after plan implementation has begun. This study fills this gap by exploring how is UFMP implementation advancing. To do this we asked municipal urban forest professionals working in Canadian municipalities with a UFMP to answer an online survey. The survey: 1) characterized UFMP development; 2) assessed the level of achievement of UFMP objectives; 3) assessed which municipal characteristics led to UFMP objective achievement; and 4) assessed professional views on the outcomes of having a UFMP. Based on n = 118 responses across Canada, we found that UFMPs have been published frequently in the last 20 years, with a peak during the period 2010–2014. On average, and as shared by the respondents, the level of achievement of UFMP objectives was over 50 %, indicating good progress in UFMP implementation. We found no statistically significant differences in the level of UFMP objective achievement by type of city or language of community (English/French), among other factors. There was a consensus among professionals that increasing financial resources for urban forests was an expected outcome of having an UFMP, although there were also diverse and complementary views about the outcome of a UFMPs. A key finding was that climate change objectives are not being implemented or included in UFMPs at high levels. While focused on Canadian cities, this study also provides guidelines on how to assess UFMP implementation across case studies, as well as insights regarding the management objectives that are being overlooked in plan implementation. This may enable future work by researchers and practitioners working in fields related to nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, urban climate adaptation, and sustainable cities worldwide.