Military Community Forestry Planning Offutt Air Force Base—a Case Study

Background

Over the years, considerable work was done with the tree resource as a part of routine maintenance, including planting of many trees and shrubs. The majority of this work was accomplished as funding and other priorities allowed. Often, vegetation took a lower priority and this is reflected in the current status of the base. While much was accomplished, the efforts were not guided by a plan. Some areas were well planted while other areas were overlooked and in dire need of planting. The base’s 13,000 landscape trees include many species, with a wide variety of size and condition.

Nebraska is sparsely populated, about 20 people per square mile. Despite the rural image, most of Nebraska’s 1.6 million residents live in cities and towns, with a wide range of community forestry activity. Arbor Day was created in Nebraska, Nebraskans are proud of their “Tree Planter’s State” heritage and there is much interest and support for tree programs. 1987 saw 41 communities in Nebraska receive Tree City USA recognition by the National Arbor Day Foundation. These 41 communities are home to 47 percent of the state’s population.

The Nebraska Forest Service (NFS), a part of the University of Nebraska, is active statewide in community forestry. NFS assists cities, towns, and villages with forestry-related activities, ranging from drafting a formal tree ordinance to helping organize the planting of two trees in the village park. The amount of assistance is limited by personnel and funding restrictions, but the NFS tries to give at least some help to each community that seeks aid.

Plan Initiation

The NFS was contacted by the Base in the spring of 1987 for help in developing a Community Forestry Program and Plan. The NFS Community Forestry Program (CFP) had worked with the Air Force for several years on small programs and projects. Most previous efforts were initiated by the Air Force, asking for services NFS offered. Other contacts between them occurred through professional organizations such as the International Society of Arboriculture, the Society of American Foresters, and the Nebraska Arborists Association.

Through these on-going contacts, a working relationship was developed. The NFS assistance level was sufficient at first, but the base’s need proved greater than NFS could provide. The NFS was fortunate that the Offutt AFB staff recognized the need for a community forestry plan, wanted to work with the NFS, and aggressively tried to start a joint effort. It was decided that a special effort would be needed to address all community forestry needs of the base in a timely and efficient manner. This was the basis for the development of a contract to provide a Community Forestry Plan to the Air Force.

The goals for this Plan were: 1) to enhance personnel morale by providing pleasant surroundings in which to work and live; 2) to reduce grounds maintenance costs; 3) to reduce energy costs by planting trees that protected structures from weather extremes; and 4) to project a favorable impression for guests and visiting dignitaries. The plan sets forth recommendations, procedures, and a sequence of events toward those goals.

The first step in planning was to inventory all trees (condition, age, size, and species) on maps of the AFB. The maps were marked as to location and species of every tree and shrub on the base. The inventory was processed by a computer program that created reports by condition, size, and species composition. Sample reports for one small section of the AFB are shown in Tables 1,2, and 3, summarizing respectively Condition, Size, and Desirability/Value. The five Desirability classes represent tree quality from class one as most desirable to class five as least desirable for community planting. The values are based on the size, condition, and desirability class using the ISA Amenity tree valuation formula as a base.

Once the existing trees had been evaluated, planning for the future began. New plantings were designed for all appropriate areas of the base, including housing. The guidelines were:

• To ensure no species was more than 10% of the total. (Some species had to be fewer in new plantings because many of that species were already there).

• To choose low maintenance plants and designs. Future funds are always unpredictable. Maintenance should have high priority but should be as low as possible through proper plant selection.

• To complement existing facilities and vegation.

• To avoid conflicts with functioning of the base (security, aircraft operations, etc.).

Planting costs and maintenance schedules were assigned to new plantings. Recommendations were submitted to the Air Force for their comments, suggested changes were incorporated and the plan was submitted for approval.

Recommendations were made for maintenance procedures as well as for plantings. Proper methods of pruning, weed control, and watering were presented. Approximate costs for each activity was included, so the Air Force could predict money needed for future maintenance. (Samples in Tables 4 and 5.)

The Offutt Plan

The plan provides the basis for future community forestry activities on the base. As with any plan, new constraints may arise, so the plan must be monitored. The plan is flexible and can be readily updated. This is important considering the volatile and high tech environment of this AFB. Community forestry will have a positive effect at Offutt. The plan guides the base in providing the best living and working conditions. The plan provides a useful map to guide tree planting and maintenance. It will allow enlightened decisions on species and placement, which reduce maintenance and replacement costs. Offutt will be a model for other military communities.

The plan has application to non-military communities. Because of the controlled environment at Offutt, valuable information gathered here will help municipal officials and others in non-military communities who develop similar plans to predict costs and benefits more accurately.