| Tree inventory | No inventory. | Complete or sample-based inventory of publicly-owned trees. | Complete inventory of publicly owned trees and sample-based inventory of privately-owned trees. | Complete inventory of publicly owned trees and sample-based inventory of privately-owned trees included in citywide GIS. | Complete inventory of the tree resource to direct its management, including age distribution, species mix, tree condition, and risk assessment. |
| Canopy cover inventory | No inventory. | Visual assessment. | Sampling of tree cover using aerial photographs or satellite imagery. | Sampling of tree cover using aerial photographs or satellite imagery included in citywide GIS. | High resolution assessments of the existing and potential canopy cover for the entire community. |
| Citywide management plan | No plan. | Existing plan limited in scope and implementation. | Comprehensive plan for publicly owned intensively-and extensively-managed forest resources are accepted and implemented. | Strategic multi-tiered plan for public and private intensively-and extensively-managed forest resources accepted and implemented with adaptive management mechanisms. | Develop and implement a comprehensive urban forest management plan for private and public property. |
| Municipality-wide funding | Funding for reactive management. | Funding to optimize existing urban forest. | Funding to provide for net increase in urban forest benefits. | Adequate private and public funding to sustain maximum urban forest benefits. | Develop and maintain adequate funding to implement a citywide urban forest management plan. |
| City staffing | No staff. | No training of existing staff. | Certified arborists and professional foresters on staff with regular professional development. | Multi-disciplinary team within the urban forestry unit. | Employ and train adequate staff to implement citywide urban forestry plan. |
| Tree establishment planning and implementation | Tree establishment is ad hoc. | Tree establishment occurs on an annual basis. | Tree establishment is directed by needs derived from a tree inventory. | Tree establishment is directed by needs derived from a tree inventory and is sufficient to meet canopy cover objectives (see canopy cover criterion, Appendix 1). | Urban forest renewal is ensured through a comprehensive tree establishment program driven by canopy cover, species diversity, and species distribution objectives. |
| Tree habitat suitability | Trees planted without consideration of the site conditions. | Tree species are considered in planting site selection. | Community-wide guidelines are in place for the improvement of planting sites and the selection of suitable species. | All trees planted in sites with adequate soil quality and quantity, and growing space to achieve their genetic potential. | All publicly owned trees are planted in habitats that will maximize current and future benefits provided to the site. |
| Maintenance of publicly owned, intensively managed trees | No maintenance of publicly owned trees. | Publicly owned trees are maintained on a request/reactive basis. No systematic (block) pruning. | All publicly owned trees are systematically maintained on a cycle longer than five years. | All mature publicly owned trees are maintained on a five-year cycle. All immature trees are structurally pruned. | All publicly owned trees are maintained to maximize current and future benefits. Tree health and condition ensure maximum longevity. |
| Tree risk management | No tree risk assessment/remediation program. Request based/reactive system. The condition of the urban forest is unknown. | Sample-based tree inventory including general tree risk information. Request-based/reactive risk abatement program system. | Complete tree inventory which includes detailed tree failure risk ratings; risk abatement program is in effect eliminating hazards within a maximum of one month from confirmation of hazard potential. | Complete tree inventory that includes detailed tree failure risk ratings; risk abatement program is in effect eliminating hazards within a maximum of one week from confirmation of hazard potential. | All publicly owned trees are safe. |
| Tree protection policy development and enforcement | No tree protection policy. | Policies in place to protect public trees. | Policies in place to protect public and private trees with enforcement. | Integrated municipal wide policies that ensure the protection of trees on public and private land are consistently enforced and supported by significant deterrents. | The benefits derived from large-stature trees are ensured by the enforcement of municipal wide policies. |
| Publicly owned natural areas management planning and implementation | No stewardship plans or implementation in effect. | Reactionary stewardship in effect to facilitate public use (e.g., hazard abatement, trail maintenance). | Stewardship plan in effect for each publicly owned natural area to facilitate public use (e.g. hazard abatement, trail maintenance, etc.). | Stewardship plan in effect for each publicly owned natural area focused on sustaining the ecological structure and function of the feature. | The ecological structure and function of all publicly-owned natural areas are protected and, where appropriate, enhanced. |