Lake Forest Park tree board adopts 2025 priorities, backs $75,000 SFI grant to update community forest plan

The Lake Forest Park Tree Board on Thursday approved its 2025 work plan and adopted priorities that include pursuing a $75,000 grant from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) to audit the city's community forest program and support an update to the Community Forest Management Plan.

Board members framed the grant as an opportunity to pay for a consultant or consultants to evaluate the city's urban-forest policies, identify gaps, and provide a recommended pathway for updating the management plan and for potential SFI urban-forest certification. Board members and staff said the grant would fund an audit and provide technical assistance; it would not obligate the city to pursue certification.

Why it matters: The SFI grant funds an outside evaluation the board says is needed to bring the city's planning and management of trees into alignment with current urban forestry standards and to identify concrete steps the city could take to improve canopy, native-species protection and stormwater benefits. The grant also provides funding that could be used to produce deliverables that inform council decisions if the city accepts the award.

Most important facts: The board's draft work plan highlights four priorities to present to council and to guide…