The City’s Urban Forest Master Plan

Irvine is currently ranked No. 1 in California and No. 2 in America in the Public Land Trust’s ParkScore Index, which is recognized as the national gold-standard comparison of park systems across the 100 most populated cities in the United States. The index is based on factors including park access, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Years ago, Mayor Larry Agran and other environmental activists got the City of Irvine to set a goal to plant 500,000 trees. “I’m proud to say we reached that goal, adding beauty and value to our entire community,” Agran said. Now, Mayor Agran wants Irvine to set a new goal due to the growth of the City and the urgency of climate change. “We need to plant thousands more trees to provide shade, help clean the air, sequester carbon, cool the City, and help us reach our Climate Action Plan goals,” Agran said.

To achieve this new goal, plans are underway for the City to build a sustainable urban forest. The Urban Forest Master Plan calls for approximately 67,500 new trees to be planted on both public and private property over the next 30 years to achieve a 30% tree canopy in Irvine. Proposals for the urban forest include repopulating the City’s Open Space Preserve with native oak trees; converting blacktop at our schools with small forested areas; adding more trees to our parks to provide shade; planting trees in medians and alongside major roadways; and planting thousands of trees at the Great Park.

Irvine residents are encouraged to review the Urban Forest Master plan here.

After reviewing the master plan, you can send comments via email to ufmp@dudek.com. Public comments are due by Friday, July 18th.

Let the City know where you would like new trees planted in Irvine. Your comments will ensure the Urban Forest Master Plan is reflective of Irvine’s community values and priorities.