Native Trees and Climate Change
FONTT argues that the city should implement its native tree policy in a manner consistent with the city’s goal of increasing biodiversity in the urban forest.
Read FONTT’s plan for developing guidelines for considering climate change when selecting and planting native trees in Takoma Park.
Context
In May 2023, the Public Works Department proposed changes to the list of tree species approved for city planting. The changes raised alarm bells for FONTT because it seemed that the focus on planting native trees would be diluted under the guise of an ill-defined climate adaptation strategy.
FONTT provided comments to the city council and city administration about its concerns with these changes.
These comments were organized around four questions:
- What is a native tree?
- What is a climate-adapted tree?
- When should non-native species be planted — and how do we decide which ones?
- How should the city inform us about which trees it has planted where?
See 2023 Advocacy for links to specific comments.
Current Work
Three FONTT members recently completed online training supported by USDA, USFS, and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science.
During this course, the FONTT members developed a plan to research, communicate, and disseminate best practices in considering climate change when selecting and planting native trees in Takoma Park. Read the plan here.
The guidelines from this research should be available in Fall 2024.
2023 Advocacy
Comments on the city’s biodiversity goal and attendant policies for the urban forest and the final draft of the Public Spaces Management Plan.
2022 Advocacy
Comments on the FONTT native tree selection guide, draft 2022 Urban Forest Master Plan, proposed Public Spaces Management Plan, and the county forest conservation bill.
Friends of Native Trees in Takoma 