Complete Urban Forestry Services in Rochester, Minnesota

July 1, 2020  | Carrie Asselmeier

This project will bring that to life once again by not only completing an urban tree canopy assessment but also including an urban forest master plan developed by our Urban Forestry Consulting team.

Urban Tree Canopy Assessment

The City of Rochester, MN, nestled in a valley along the south fork of the Zumbro River, is home to over 114,000 people. The City strives to enhance its community pride by improving the physical, environmental, economic, cultural, and social quality of the community. The City of Rochester Parks Department’s Forestry Division is responsible for the management of a comprehensive urban tree program including the reforestation of park and boulevard areas and the maintenance of more than 100,000 boulevard and public property trees located on more than 3,900 acres. Partnered with RNeighborWoods, the Forestry Division also engages community members in urban forestry through “Citizen Forester” training and accreditation.

Urban Forest Master Plan

The City’s urban forest plays an integral role in enhancing the quality of the community environment physically, economically, and socially by providing many benefits. The City of Rochester Parks Department Forestry Division has partnered with PlanIT Geo to develop an Urban Tree Canopy Assessment and Urban Forest Master Plan to define the value of trees in enhancing the quality of the community. The canopy analysis will include a tree canopy assessment that provides the City with a view of canopy cover across various scales and will provide the City with Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) and Potential Plantable Area (PPA) metrics to establish canopy cover targets. To develop the strategies necessary to achieve the City’s mission, the City will utilize the data from the canopy analysis to develop a public engagement-supported comprehensive Urban Forest Master Plan for Rochester.

The City’s urban forest plays an integral role in enhancing the quality of the community environment physically, economically, and socially by providing many benefits.