Cambridge committee launches five-year update to Urban Forest Master Plan after citywide canopy rises to about 30%

The Cambridge City Council Health and Environment Committee on Monday launched a five-year update to the city’s Urban Forest Master Plan and heard a status report from Department of Public Works staff and outside consultants on canopy trends, outreach and remaining gaps.

Councilor Nolan, chair of the Health and Environment Committee, said the meeting was intended to review progress on targets set in the original 2019 plan, explain the update process and solicit public feedback before staff prepare recommendations.

The update matters because lidar and other analyses show overall canopy coverage in Cambridge rose from the levels cited in the 2019 plan to just over 30% in 2024, but coverage remains uneven across neighborhoods and much canopy loss continues to occur on private, single-family parcels, officials said.

Andrew Putnam, Superintendent of Forestry, and Stephanie Shaw of consultant Reed Hilderbrand summarized the plan’s origins and findings. They said the original plan set neighborhood targets (a minimum 25% canopy by neighborhood), sidewalk canopy and heat-island reduction goals and actions to diversify species and curb loss. Putnam described the update as three phases—analysis, recommendations, and…