Our ambition is to empower local authorities to increase collaboration internally and externally - putting the right people, strategies and delivery plans in place to deliver equitable benefits.
Go straight to our Framework for Innovation tool
Equitable urban forests can provide social, economic and environmental benefits for generations of people. But far from becoming more equitable our urban canopy cover is actually declining, and declining fastest in the greyest areas. This is a trend that won’t reverse without a change in our approach to forest planning and management.
This level of change comes from within. Local authorities with the vision and ambition have the power to transform how they think and act. In this section you can discover the Design Council’s Framework for Innovation as a tool to guide your organisation towards new strategic planning in a responsible and co-ordinated way.
Focussing on the principle of tree equity, you can move from understanding your challenges to implementing solutions that increase tree canopy cover where it’s most needed. All within your particular time and resource constraints.
The Tree Council’s Trees and Woodland Strategy Toolkit is an important guide to bringing people together so they can set out a strategy that harnesses the long-term benefits that trees can deliver. This toolkit builds on that work by diving into the specific challenges of urban forestry.
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Quick links on this page
Why are local authorities important to urban forestry?
How can we change our thinking?
How can we turn new thinking into action?
The time to start is now - 4 stage guide
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Local authorities are key to the future of our urban forests because they have the potential to increase tree equity and deliver the benefits of trees to people who need them the most.
They already have:
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Take a leaf from…
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council were uniquely placed as a local authority to create the Urban Forest Strategy for the conurbation. From setting out the evidence and building support from leadership to collaborating with local communities to develop an action plan that people could see and get involved in. They created a strategy that supported their wider aims for nature and set out the ambition, priorities and action needed for trees.
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Even when local authorities recognise the need to change, moving from an established way of doing things to a new way of thinking can be a challenge. Especially when individual decision-makers, departments and authorities themselves face a plethora of socio-political barriers.
Due to budget reductions, increasing costs and a focus on risk management, urban forestry can be reactive. It can be easier to fall back on what’s been institutionally done in the past without the capacity and perspective to develop innovative new approaches. Over time this can create fixed patterns of thinking and behaviour.
Every place has its own needs and priorities and every local authority faces different internal and external challenges, from small budgets and lack of cross-departmental collaboration to low public awareness and fast-changing landscapes.
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The key word here is collaboration. Everyone involved needs to have the same focus and expectation to ensure you’re all moving in the same direction. At the beginning of the process, it’s important to agree on a set of shared principles and the ultimate outcome you’re looking for.