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Consultant outlines Oshkosh urban-forest strategic and management plans, community survey to launch in weeks
Summary
A consultant for the City of Oshkosh presented a forestry strategic plan and management project that will produce a state-of-the-urban-forest report, canopy assessment (2014–2024) and community engagement program; final plan scheduled by Dec. 31, 2025.
Rich Howard, director of urban forestry for Eosign, told the Oshkosh Advisory Parks Board on June 9 that his firm will deliver both a forestry strategic plan and a separate management (operations) plan for Oshkosh, with final deliverables due by Dec. 31, 2025.
The work includes a tree inventory review, a tree‑canopy assessment using 2014, 2018 and 2024 imagery, a policy and ordinance review, staffing and funding analysis, and a community‑engagement program that Eosign expects to launch online within a few weeks. "We're developing a strategy from short, medium and long term perspectives," Howard said. He described the project as four related products: a strategic plan, an operations/management plan, a state‑of‑the‑urban‑forest report, and a standalone community‑engagement plan.
Howard said the canopy assessment will present a bird's‑eye view of how tree cover changed over time and will allow the city to set a canopy goal. "A tree canopy assessment will give you a time stamp of 2014, 2018 plus the most recent to see how the tree population has changed," he said, and added his preliminary expectation that Oshkosh canopy may have declined, in part because of emerald ash borer.
The management plan will include policy recommendations, best management practices and budgeting estimates tied to staffing levels. Howard said Eosign will benchmark Oshkosh against peer communities and review ordinances and inter‑departmental practices that affect trees in parks, streets and other public land. He said the project will also examine ecosystem services — stormwater retention, carbon storage and energy savings — and noted established research that urban trees frequently return multiple dollars of benefit for every dollar spent.
On public engagement, Howard described a 30‑day online survey the city can deploy through city mailing lists, plus in‑person outreach such as open houses and farmers‑market events. He said community questions will collect preferences (for example, how far residents walk to parks), perceived barriers (care and maintenance of trees on private property) and demographic splits to inform planting and stewardship strategies.
Board members asked about monetizing urban timber and markets for wood products. Howard said municipalities can plan for wood‑product use at end of tree life but cautioned it is difficult to predict markets decades ahead; he pointed to Milwaukee as an example of a city that has recovered some cost through wood‑product programs.
The consultant will provide interim deliverables (state‑of‑the‑urban‑forest and community‑engagement reports) before the final plan, and noted the project is grant funded through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Howard said staff and board members will be able to review draft operations and other interim products during the project timeline.
Board members and staff did not take formal action on the presentation; the board heard the briefing and asked questions about timeline, canopy benchmarks and community outreach.
