Draft Norwalk Tree Master Plan presented; committee seeks public comment and next steps

City staff and consultants presented a draft Tree Master Plan to the Recreation, Parks and Cultural Affairs Council Committee on Feb. 12, showing a citywide tree canopy of 43% and recommending a target of 53% canopy by 2053.

Chris Pfeiffer of Planet Geo summarized the data collection and engagement that informed the plan: a top‑down canopy assessment using high‑resolution imagery, a sample inventory of public trees (primarily in South Norwalk), and stakeholder workshops and surveys conducted since 2022. The canopy assessment showed a net loss of about 790 acres since 2012, and staff emphasized that increases in canopy will require coordinated public and private action.

The plan uses the U.S. Census and sociodemographic overlays — including tree equity scoring tools — to prioritize neighborhoods for planting. Consultants recommended a planting strategy that would average about 2,130 trees per year for 30 years (approximately 64,000 trees) to achieve the 10% increase, with about 70% of plantings led by the city and the remainder by private property owners and developers through incentives and site requirements.

Committee members raised planning and zoning concerns. Member Darlene (surname not recorded) urged a stronger connection between the tree plan and planning and zoning processes to prevent net canopy loss in redevelopment areas. Lisa Shanahan highlighted a roughly 18% canopy loss in a residential neighborhood (Rowayton/Roe Wheaton area) and noted that 40% of inventoried trees were in “fair to worst” condition; she recommended ordinance updates and construction‑period protections. Consultants said the draft includes an ordinance review and recommended further analysis to align zoning, development approvals and complete‑streets projects with tree goals.

Sarah Cruz, the city arborist, described implementation actions including a public tree inventory expansion (the city plans to inventory an additional ~25,000 trees over the next year), a young‑tree formative pruning program, improved data management software for tracking plantings and maintenance and a monitoring/reporting cadence. She said the plan includes outreach and workshops; the team will post the draft on the city website and schedule community meetings to gather written comments.

Committee members and staff agreed to circulate written comments to Sarah Cruz and to attend upcoming workshops. The committee voted unanimously to proceed with plan finalization steps and public engagement.