Plans, policies and reports
Our collective Taonga: Urban forest plan
A plan for the future of Auckland's urban forest
Contents |
Introduction |
Challenges facing the urban forest |
How do we want the urban forest to develop? |
Action plan |
Monitoring and review |
Glossary of terms
Action plan
An action plan has been developed as a framework for the delivery of the priorities for the urban forest. The action plan responds to
the issues and challenges facing our urban forest and council's aspirations for the future.
The actions set out how we intend to deliver our objectives. Actions are based on work currently underway, and to be delivered within
1-3 year and 5-year timescales. It is anticipated that progress will be monitored over the next 5 years and the plan will be reviewed at
the end of that time.
Flagship actions have been identified based on:
Urban forest plan: Flagship actions
Mapping and analysing the private and public urban forest through aerial or satellite technology and determining the overall tree
canopy.
Establishing planting programmes to improve the city's sustainability, focused on lower quality environment/ heritage parks, parks in
areas with poor urban forest coverage, waterways, and coastal fringes.
Developing and carrying out a communication strategy advising landowners of measures to maintain health and longevity of trees on
their land and providing information that encourages the planting of appropriate plant species.
Within the Isthmus District Plan review, exploring incentives and regulation
to better conserve and enhance the urban forest.
Working with tangata whenua and others, to determine areas of land with existing or potential high biodiversity values, to protect,
enhance and restore a range of urban forest patches and corridors. This will provide connections, wildlife sanctuaries and stepping
stones for native species.
Seeking to collaborate with other agencies in the Auckland region, such as those in the North-West Wildlink
Accord [11], to improve ecological health and connectivity of native habitats and increase community participation
with the urban forest.
Objective 1: Improve our knowledge base
Focuses on building a clear picture of Auckland's urban forest, and developing a strong evidence base for local and global
benefits of the city's forest.
Performance indicators: Urban forest asset management plan in place, urban forest indicators and monitoring, measures
established for environmental, cultural, social and economic benefits of the urban forest. |
Priority for actions |
We are currently... |
In 1 - 3 years we will... |
In 5 years we will... |
| 1.1 Building a clear picture of Auckland's urban forest. |
Finishing data capture and analysis of trees in streets and reserves. Reflecting the urban forest
in a landscape assessment of the Auckland isthmus.
Mapping and analysing the private and public urban forest through aerial or satellite technology and determining the overall
tree canopy.
Scoping the values and approach to asset management planning for Auckland City's trees to guide future planting and
maintenance programmes and determine operational resourcing requirements. |
Capture information about the urban forest (composition, age, health) and communicate this to the
public. Within the State of the Environment report, monitor key ecological indicators of the urban forest in collaboration
with the regional monitoring plan being developed by the Auckland Regional Council. |
Maintain analysis of the urban forest, both private and public, and use this to improve its
management. Embed the wider values and benefits of the city's urban forest within asset management planning. |
| 1.2 Developing a strong evidence base for local and global benefits of the city's forest. |
Use our improved information and dataset to estimate and understand the benefits of the urban
forest to the city's sustainability such as to quality of life, contribution to heat island reduction, greenhouse gas reduction
and particulate removal from air. |
Working with Auckland Regional Council and others, develop a regional approach to determine the
benefits of the urban forest. |
Share the approach established regionally through national and international fora. |
Objective 2: Strengthen Auckland's urban forest
Focuses on conserving and enhancing the native and non-native plantings that comprise the urban forest, on both public and
private land, and applying an ecosystem approach to planning, design, management and maintenance of the urban forest.
Performance indicators: Clear plant selection processes in place, planting programmes established with targets to increase public
urban forest and emphasising the planting of native trees where appropriate in streets and parks, number of street trees, urban
forest coverage, maintenance programmes and standards achieved. |
Priority for actions |
We are currently... |
In 1 - 3 years we will... |
In 5 years we will... |
| 2.1 Conserving and enhancing the native and non-native plantings that comprise the urban forest, on
both public and private land. |
Scoping how open space network plans can test and apply the urban forest plan objectives across
the local open space network, identifying areas of poor urban forest coverage.
Reviewing and strengthening street tree planting programmes and developing planting guides. |
Establish planting programmes to improve the city's sustainability, focused on lower quality
environment/heritage parks, parks in areas with poor urban forest coverage, waterways, and coastal fringes. Establish targets
for new plantings in parks, streets and public spaces.
Develop and carry out a communication strategy advising landowners of measures to maintain health and longevity of trees on
their land and providing information that encourages the planting of appropriate plant species.
Within the Isthmus District Plan review, explore incentives and regulation to better conserve and enhance the urban forest,
including:
- an urban forest offset policy that requires appropriate planting on private land to compensate for removal of
vegetation due to development
- the provision of a fund for advice and maintenance of heritage and other significant trees in the private urban forest
- the requirement for subdivisions to ensure an effective contribution to the urban forest alongside other infrastructure
- a review of the general tree protection rules and how they achieve the objectives of the urban forest plan
- use the improved knowledge base to review the significant tree schedule.
|
Complete open space network plans that test and apply the urban forest plan objectives across the
local open space network. Increase the benefits the city gains from the forest based on programmes and targets for increases
in the total urban forest and improvements to forest health. |
| 2.2 Applying an ecosystem approach to planning, design, management and maintenance of Auckland's urban
forest. |
As part of the design process for open space, taking an approach that achieves the right plant for
the right place. Developing an environmental management system (EMS) approach to integrate sustainability into management
practices.
Strengthening programmes for invasive weed and general pest control management. |
Review and strengthen controls applying to natural areas, particularly in coastal, riparian and
ecologically significant areas. Establish an ecosystem management and re-establishment plan around coasts, streams and other
practical corridors while complementing the approach to strengthening the parks network as outlined in the parks plan. |
Develop management plans for council-owned native vegetation areas and provide guidelines to
support private landowners. |
Objective 3: Increase native biodiversity in Auckland's urban forest
Focuses on protecting and restoring native habitats and ecosystems and increasing the variety of native trees, plants and
wildlife throughout our urban forest.
Performance indicators: Biodiversity assessment reviewed and benchmarks relating to ecosystem health established, new areas
established, conservation and protection strategy developed, fully functioning habitats, bird populations. |
Priority for actions |
We are currently... |
In 1 - 3 years we will... |
In 5 years we will... |
| 3.1 Protecting and restoring native habitats and ecosystems. |
Developing a plan to guide riparian planting |
Initiate a programme for native revegetation and habitat restoration within Auckland's parks and
reserves. Develop a protection and restoration approach for native habitats and wildlife on private land, including
covenants, Memorandum of Understanding or acquisition.
Review the zoning of existing reserves with natural significance.
Strengthen and support community stewardship groups. |
Protect threatened areas of private native forest through covenants, designation or acquisition. |
| 3.2 Increasing the variety of native trees, plants and wildlife throughout our urban forest. |
Working with tangata whenua and others, to determine areas of land with existing or potential high
biodiversity values, to protect, enhance and restore a range of urban forest patches and corridors. This will
provide connections, wildlife sanctuaries and stepping stones for native species. Partnering and supporting Tangata Whenua in
biodiversity and ecosystem restoration projects. |
Complete a native biodiversity assessment of the Auckland isthmus, as a benchmark. |
Develop a biodiversity restoration plan for the urban forest, drawing on national and regional
policy and expertise. |
Objective 4: Celebrate Auckland's urban forest
Focuses on reflecting Auckland's amazing natural landscape and identity in the urban forest, engaging the community and
actively encouraging partnerships, promoting and advocating the value of the city's urban forest to the long-term sustainability
of Auckland.
Performance indicators: High community awareness of the benefits of the urban forest, increase in partnerships supporting the
urban forest, community participation in care groups. |
Priority for actions |
We are currently... |
In 1 - 3 years we will... |
In 5 years we will... |
| 4.1 Reflecting Auckland's amazing natural landscape and identity in the urban forest. |
Emphasising local native plants in streets and park upgrades. |
Reflecting the approach of the council's Liveable arterials project and the urban design
framework, review design and planting of key gateways and transport corridors [including motorways and rail corridors] in
partnership with key corridor managers. |
|
| 4.2 Engaging the community and actively encourage partnerships. |
Seeking to collaborate with other agencies on the Auckland region, such as the North-West Wildlink
Accord, to improve ecological health and connectivity of native habitats and increase community participation with the urban
forest. Encouraging Auckland's communities to become involved in the urban forest by providing opportunities in
planting, education and ongoing care programmes.
Maintaining partnership agreements with existing volunteer stewardship groups and actively encouraging and supporting the
establishment of new groups and partnership agreements.
Partnering with Tangata Whenua in establishing areas for traditional cultural crops such as harakeke, and toetoe, and
biodiversity and ecosystem restoration projects across the isthmus. |
Use a range of tools to interpret the urban forest for Aucklanders so as to increase understanding
of its values and management needs. Report to communities on progress establishing an urban forest reference group (external
and internal to council) in conjunction with the Our Collective Taonga forum. |
|
| 4.3 Promoting and advocating the value of the city's urban forest to the long-term sustainability of
Auckland. |
|
Promote understanding of urban forest issues and promote an urban forest agenda through Local
Government New Zealand and other national and international fora. Reflect the value of the urban forest in the city's
approach to sustainability.
Integrate the value of the urban forest within existing school programmes such as enviro-schools. |
Review of environmental benefits, measurement and monitoring. Monitor community awareness of
these benefits. |
11. Signatories to the North-West Wildlink Accord are Auckland Regional Council, Department of Conservation Forest
and Bird, North Shore City Council, Rodney District Council and Waitakere City Council. The purpose of the Accord is to provide
healthy and safe habitat in the North West of the Auckland region and to link community, individual and agency effort along
the wildlink.
Published February 2008
