Citizens seem to want canopy cover except when the public tree is a nuisance to them. When this occurs, they call to have the tree removed and are unsatisfied if it is not. Additionally, citizens and stakeholders want to be involved in decisions relating to trees, which increases the complexity of decisions and requires more staff resources to support the decision making processes. The national trend for public urban forestry programs is one of increasing professionalism. The advance in maintenance and preservation practices and standards, such as pruning, tree protection, inventories, and species and age diversity management create a need for staff to become more knowledgeable.
Training requires more time and resources.
Public demand encourages the City to increase planting, through programs like NeighborWoods and the passage of the Local Street Plan which mandates street trees. These newly planted trees promises to increase the need for pruning and maintenance ten to fifteen years from now. Shifting resources to maintain newly planted trees leaves fewer resources for pruning and removal of possibly hazardous older trees. Planning is needed to effectively manage the forest for the future. This managed, systematic care improves efficiency and reduces costs.