County receives grant for urban forest inventory; board adds citizen-science component to plan

Alachua County's planning staff told commissioners July 7 the county is a recipient of a Florida Forest Service technical-assistance grant that will fund tree-inventory sampling and an urban forest management plan, with inventory work planned for the fall and a draft plan targeted for spring 2027.

Jessica Hong, senior planner in the county's environmental planning division, said the grant will fund inventory sampling of county-owned lands including rights-of-way and parks and that the consultant, Legacy Arborist Services, plans to conduct the sampling this fall and deliver a draft management plan in spring 2027.

Commissioners discussed adding a citizen-science or participatory inventory component to allow residents to contribute private-land data and to increase public engagement. "I would love to see how we could incorporate citizen science and participatory work in our urban forest management plan because I think that's gonna really get people excited and engaged," Commissioner Prizia said. Jessica said staff has explored the option and that it's not off the table, though it requires staff time, training, and careful design.

The board voted unanimously to ask staff to include consideration of a citizen-science/participatory component in the urban forest management plan and to return with a plan for stakeholder engagement and grant deliverables. Staff said they would return with details on grant deliverables, the inventory scope and a stakeholder-engagement process.

The plan is an objective under the county's Climate Action Plan and staff said the inventory will sample size, species and condition in selected areas of unincorporated Alachua County. The county will coordinate across departments to determine where the inventory sample will provide the most useful data.