The Future of Wilmington's Urban Forest

The current state of our urban forest gives reason to be hopeful and reason to take action. Trees are essential infrastructure components that provide measurable benefits. The urban forest delivers an extraordinary return on investment, butif management issues are not addressed, our urban forest will continue to decline.

There are three things that you can do to improve Wilmington’s urban forest:

1. Make planting trees a priority.
   Each person can have a role in reaching Wilmington’s ambitious tree canopy goal. Whether you are a resident, a business leader or a government agency representative – you can join the growing effort to improve our urban forest. Plant a tree on your street, put trees in your budget, include trees in your long-range planning, or volunteer with tree planting efforts. (Permits for planting are free and available through the Tree Permit Request Form
2. Help secure adequate funding.
   Diverse and stable sources of funding are required for a sustainable urban forest. Add your voice to those who are working to leverage adequate funding for increased planting and tree maintenance.
3. Advocate for better urban forest policies.
   The policies and structures we put in place today will determine the future health and sustainability of our urban forest. Help us advocate for legislation that will ensure more effective planning, planting, and management of trees.

Collaboration is the key to success.

The creation of a sustainable urban forest in Wilmington will depend on a broad collaboration of residents, organizations, businesses, and government. With a concerted effort, we can improve the tree cover that beautifies our neighborhoods and increases the livability of our city.

• For the latest updates or to learn how you can get involved, log onto dehort.org.