Healing Together: Insights into Urban Forest Management from California Fires
The recent fires in Los Angeles remind us of the need for a balanced approach to urban forest management
January 22, 2025 | Chris Peiffer, Director of Urban Forestry Strategy, PlanIT Geo
In the face of the recent fires in Los Angeles, our hearts go out to those affected. The devastation of lives, homes, businesses, and beloved green spaces and ecosystems is a stark reminder of the challenges we face in managing urban forests. Right now, the focus is on safety, aid, community, and recovery. But as the smoke clears, it’s crucial for impacted communities to reflect on the damage, assess management practices, and prepare for future events. Those outside the immediately impacted area should seize this moment to evaluate their own programs and learn from these experiences.
As urban forestry consultants, we’re gathering insights and information from these events to better serve the communities and organizations we work with. It’s essential to approach this issue with sensitivity and a commitment to proactive solutions that balance fire risk reduction with the many benefits urban forests provide.
Urban forests are treasures, offering shade, cleaner air, and spaces for recreation and connection with nature. Yet, they also pose fire risks during extreme events and if not properly managed. This juxtaposition demands a strategic approach to urban forest management. By adopting proactive strategies, we can mitigate these risks while still promoting urban canopy cover and addressing climate change.
What do these proactive strategies look like?
It starts with regular maintenance: pruning street trees, removing dead trees, thinning dense vegetation, managing underbrush, and properly disposing or repurposing woody debris. Each of these steps is vital in reducing wildfire fuel. Proactive management using industry standards and best practices not only helps control fires but also promotes healthier forest ecosystems. Encouraging the use of fire-resistant plants and landscaping techniques can further reduce fire risks in urban areas. Creating defensible spaces around properties and using less flammable materials are practical steps that make a significant difference. Balancing these regulations with other city policies and initiatives is key to maintaining thriving, healthy, and attractive communities (learn more from the California Board of Forestry & Fire Protection).
Community engagement and education are essential to balancing effective urban forest management with other city priorities, like development, unhoused individuals, safety, water use, wildlife, and especially wildfires. Coupled with the challenge of limited resources, partnerships and community involvement become even more critical. Communities in California and worldwide are setting ambitious goals to increase canopy cover in urbanized areas, recognizing the myriad benefits trees provide. However, this becomes challenging when fire risk reduction is also a priority.
Integrating fire risk reduction into canopy goals, selecting less flammable tree species, managing for droughts and water capture / reuse, and strategically installing firebreaks as part of tree planting projects are essential steps. Sustainable practices, such as using native species and maintaining biodiversity, help create resilient urban forests that can withstand and recover from fires. Growing trees— instead of simply planting them— to maximize their benefits and services is critical for future fire reduction. Healthy thriving trees that are properly managed are less prone to stressors and early mortality.
Leveraging technology, like remote sensing and GIS mapping, enhances our ability to monitor canopy cover, tree health, and areas at risk, allowing for targeted interventions and efficient resource allocation. Supporting these efforts should be a foundation of strong, balanced policies and regulations that meet the needs of the urban forest, its programs, and the community. Cites may not be able to entirely avoid widespread damage from extreme weather events in the future, but these practices could support resiliency and recovery efforts. With these and other practices in mind, canopy cover may still be preserved and even expanded in these fire-prone areas.
We can use these and other extreme events as an opportunity to learn and reflect. Through thoughtful and collaborative efforts— including the development of urban forest management and master plans— communities can achieve canopy cover goals while safeguarding our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires and it is our hope that we have an opportunity to be a part of the process.
-Chris Peiffer, Director of Urban Forestry Strategy, PlanIT Geo
Stability in Unity
Urban planners, fire departments, environmental organizations, and the community all need to collaborate to strike the right balance. By working together, we can create urban forests that are safe, healthy, and resilient. The recent fires in Los Angeles remind us of the need for a balanced approach to urban forest management that prioritizes both fire risk reduction and the benefits of increased canopy cover.
We can use these and other extreme events as an opportunity to learn and reflect. Through thoughtful and collaborative efforts— including the development of urban forest management and master plans— communities can achieve canopy cover goals while safeguarding our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires. It is our hope that we have an opportunity to be a part of the process. Our commitment to effective urban forest assessments and management planning remains steadfast, and we stand ready to support our communities in these challenging times now and into the future. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the recent events.
Related Resources
Turning Government Leaders Into Tree Supporters
Having a tree advocate among government decision-makers can be a game changer for a public urban forestry program.
Analyzing and Monitoring Tree Canopy Data:
A Strategy for Sustainable and Equitable Urban Forests. Monitoring urban tree canopy is more than just counting the number of trees; it’s about shaping healthier, greener, and more equitable cities.
Mapping the 3+3+300 Rule for Actionable City Greening
In this webinar, Cecil Konijnendijk, Director of the Nature Based Solutions Institute, and Joost Verhagen, Director of Cobra Groeninzicht, discussed the 3+30+300 rule, a new rule of thumb for urban greening. Cecil and Joost explored how urban greening benchmarks are evolving, including urban forest quality indicators, better integration of social and health benefits, and a greater focus on crown volume.
Urban Forestry and Heat Mitigation 101
This guide covers opportunities at the intersection of urban forestry and heat mitigation, including the fundamentals of urban heat, methods to measure heat and tree canopy, and urban forest strategies for heat mitigation.
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Join Our Newsletter
Stay informed on the urban forestry industry with our monthly TREEbune newsletter, live webinars, and industry-specific content delivered to your inbox.
Urban Forestry Webinars
PlanIT Geo has a substantial on-demand webinar library. Get CEU credits, grow your knowledge base, and stay current on cutting edge industry technology.
Follow Us
We love to share industry-related news, software tutorials, blogs, and company news across our social channels.