Money Does Grow on Trees! Investing in Ramsey's Streetside Urban Forest

Abstract

This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. During the last decade, the City has encouraged planting of boulevard/street trees in conjunction with new developments. As the street tree population has grown, an inventory of existing trees has become critical to better manage this often-overlooked community asset. Students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning class documented what a tree inventory is, the economic and environmental benefits of urban trees, and considerations for species selection in an urban setting, and piloted a tree inventory in a small section of the city. Based on their research, students proposed that the City perform a complete tree inventory and create a tree plan for new residential developments. The students’ final report is available.