In FY96 there were more than 15,600 calls to the Urban Forestry office. Providing program enhancements becomes difficult and approaches impossible when existing funding is dwindling. Shortfalls within the General Fund have resulted in reductions to maintenance of park trees. Projected revenue reductions in the road fund have resulted in the elimination of the tree planting funds in the FY98 capital budget. The lack of an effective inventory system keeps foresters in the dark about the number, species and health of Eugene's trees.
Effective management is difficult without understanding the components of the asset.
Provide one certified training class or educational class each year. Implement supporting systems that improve effective management of the Urban Forest asset. Reallocate resources to begin data entry into street tree inventory system. Develop a policy and procedure manual for Urban Forestry program. Capture information from new development plans into tree inventory.