Programmed urban forestry in Pittsburgh began as early as 1889, when the Department of Public Works developed Schenley Park, after Mary Schenley donated 300 acres and the City purchased an additional 120 Some of the agencies that have a significant impact on Pittsburgh’s urban forest do not maintain acres of her Pittsburgh-area holdings. This park provided citizens a respite from the air pollution during the trees as a primary function of their mission. industrial heyday. Soon thereafter, two urban forestry agencies were established: the first Pittsburgh Shade Lack of communication and disparate missions can lead to wasted resources. For example, Tree Commission in 1910 and the Street Tree Division created in Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Parks in 1914. Duquesne Light’s mission is to reliably provide electricity to Pittsburgh; trees that are planted such Neither of these organizations survived long as originally formed, and the urban forest deteriorated due to that they interfere with power distribution may need to be significantly pruned, which is expensive disease (notably Dutch elm disease), urbanization, and neglect. Toward the end of the 20th century, public and diminishes the tree’s function. and governmental interest in urban forestry gained momentum and many organizations were established While there is no “right or wrong” organizational structure for an urban forestry program, a as a result; existing environmental stewardship groups found a new mission in urban forestry and related successful and sustainable program typically does not share specific responsibilities or resources fields such as watershed management. [12,33] with other agencies. Urban forest management staff, equipment, funding, and regulations are most effective when they are centralized in one department. The post-industrial City of Pittsburgh has become widely known for its livability, rebounding and The City’s Forestry Division is charged with maintaining the urban forest and has the legal authority reinvented economy, and green initiatives. Urban forestry has played an important role in this urban to do so, but it lacks the resources to operate a proactive urban forestry program or to effectively renaissance. For example, Schenley Park was designated one of “America’s Coolest City Parks” by Travel + respond to requests for service. Leisure magazine in April 2011. [34] Based on the public outreach campaign results, sidewalk and pavement cracking is a top concern. There are several agencies that include urban forestry as a major component of their mission, and there are The City currently utilizes multiple departments to handle this issue. other organizations that affect the urban forest indirectly. Some groups function together seamlessly, The urban forester position within the Forestry Division is currently vacant. others partner on projects periodically, and sometimes communication and cooperation could be greatly improved among them. Enhancing cooperation and partnerships with pertinent agencies through improved communication and coordination by the Forestry Division can reduce wasted resources and create a more Convene a summit of all agencies with a major impact on our urban forest to formalize cohesive urban forestry program. communication methods, identify cooperative projects, and seek synergy. Recommendations presented in this plan should be implemented by appropriate urban forest partners with lead agencies assigned to coordinate and oversee implementation. City Non-Profit Private County and State Federal This plan should be adopted and appended as part of City code. •Bureau of Building •Mount Washington •Cemeteries •Allegheny County •USDA Forest Service Formally describe urban forest management responsibilities across all agencies and partners. Inspection Community •Duquesne Light •Pennsylvania •US Department of •Department of City Development Company Department of Housing and Urban As long as urban forestry responsibility and funding are divided among various agencies, the City Planning •Pittsburgh Parks •Residents Conservation and Development should ensure the means to increase interdepartmental communication and cooperation for plans •Forestry Division Conservancy •Tree Care Companies Natural Resources •Streets/Parks •Tree Pittsburgh •Universities and Colleges •Pennsylvania and projects that may affect the urban forest. Department of Maintenance Division •Tree Tenders Identify cooperative projects that connect private land owners to the City’s urban forest goals. •Pittsburgh Shade Tree •TreeVitalize Pittsburgh Transportation Commission •Urban EcoSteward •Pennsylvania Perform a comprehensive operational review of the City’s Forestry Division. Program Department of Environmental Encourage nearby colleges and universities to attain Tree Campus USA status. •Western Pennsylvania Protection Conservancy •Penn State Extension Strengthen cooperation with the community by securing a seat on Campus Tree Advisory Committees for the City Forester or a member of the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission. Impact of TreeVitalize® Program Project Description Responding to an alarming loss of trees in Pennsylvania’s metropolitan areas, TreeVitalize® is a Pennsylvania DCNR partnership to restore tree cover in Pennsylvania communities, to educate citizens about planting trees as an act of caring for our environment, and to build capacity among local governments to understand, protect, and restore their urban trees. [25] In 2004, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources launched TreeVitalize® southeastern Pennsylvania. In spring of 2008, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources expanded TreeVitalize® to metropolitan areas statewide including the Pittsburgh area. TreeVitalize® Pittsburgh is a joint project of Allegheny County, the City of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and Tree Pittsburgh. [25] Trees ready for planting in Statewide partners of TreeVitalize® include: the Brightwood neighborhood. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Bureau of Forestry Bureau of Recreation and Conservation Office of the Secretary USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area. Pennsylvania Urban & Community Forestry Council. The Pennsylvania State University. Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State Extension ® Pittsburgh metropolitan area partners of TreeVitalize include: Allegheny County Parks Department. City of Pittsburgh. Tree Pittsburgh. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Accomplishments The program achieved its goal of planting 20,000 trees in the original five-county southeastern Pennsylvania region. Over 300,000 trees have been planted, with a goal of one million trees to be planted statewide. TreeVitalize® forged over 50 public and private TreeVitalize® tree planting partnerships. Partners in New Jersey and Delaware founded Plant One Million to foster tree planting in the tri-state area. In the project on Harpster Street in the Troy Hill neighborhood. Pittsburgh metropolitan area, the DCNR committed $1 million to TreeVitalize® that was matched by over $1 million in private contributions. [25] Lessons Learned Forming focused partnerships creates great synergy. When members of an alliance operate cohesively, goals that seem out of reach can be attained. Interagency cooperation and partnerships are essential to success. With few exceptions, municipalities rarely include a formal research component in their urban forestry master plan. While research has been conducted in Pittsburgh’s urban forest, an official position regarding cooperation and collaboration with students and research scientists has not been taken. Urban forestry There are several institutions that perform urban ecosystem research and seeking locations for their research is a relatively young field with enormous potential for enhancing the quality of life in US cities. studies. Pittsburgh has the opportunity to be at the forefront of this nascent movement. Urban forestry issues will change over time and it will be important to rely on these institutions to keep issues relevant. Encouraging and collaborating with urban forestry research could yield enormous benefits to the City of Elected officials are not used to the idea of a local taxpayer-funded research mission. Pittsburgh. Opportunities for research include the use of vegetation to prevent landslides and the Researchers do not typically consider partnering with municipalities. development of early threat detection protocols (to protect against invasive species, exotic insects, and diseases). Convey the benefits of local urban forestry research to all stakeholders. There are many threats and opportunities in the urban forest. Threats include invasive, exotic insects, and diseases. Opportunities include managing the urban forest to enhance the urban environment in ways that Feature pertinent urban forestry research in media. make our cities healthier places to live. Build consensus within city government for a municipal forestry research component and establish that component as an appropriate function with formal approval by incorporating it in city code. There are possibilities to not only encourage but to collaborate with ongoing urban forestry research that could have enormous benefits to the City of Pittsburgh. Examples include current research into the role of Identify or propose research that would provide tangible benefits to the urban forestry operation vegetation with regard