Mountain View reviews draft biodiversity and urban forest plan; staff, consultants seek input on actions and metrics

Mountain View staff and consultants presented a draft Biodiversity and Urban Forest Plan on Oct. 8, asking the Parks and Recreation Commission and Urban Forestry Board for feedback on actions, metrics and implementation steps that will guide the city’s management of public trees and biodiversity through adoption expected in mid‑2026.

Brenda Sylvia, assistant community services director and the project lead, opened the presentation by placing the document in local policy context: "In June 2021, City Council adopted the strategic roadmap, which included sustainability and climate resilience as a key priority," she said, and described the draft as an integration of the 2015 Community Tree Master Plan into a broader, science‑based biodiversity strategy.

The draft, led by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) with support from other consultants and city staff, translates a stated vision into goals, objectives, actions and metrics. “Mountain View envisions a healthy, connected, and resilient urban ecosystem with abundant access to nature and its benefits for people and native species alike,” Lauren Stoneburner of SFEI read from the draft and said the document is intended to be a framework for measurable items the city can track over time.

Why it matters: The plan collects scientific assessments, city operations and more than 1,300 community interactions to recommend how Mountain View manages its trees, plantings and green spaces as a single urban ecosystem. It proposes both near‑term, department‑level steps and longer‑term priorities for coordinating across city departments, community partners and private landowners.

What’s…