Quarterly Meeting
City of Cleveland Urban Forestry Commission
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
4:00 p.m. — 5:30 p.m. EDT
601 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Cleveland, OH 44114 (Directions)
Cleveland City Hall, Room 514 (or watch on YouTube)
The commission formerly known as the “Tree Commission” was established in the early 1990s and went dormant in the early 2000s. New legislation was introduced in 2021 by Cleveland City Council members to amend and revive the Tree Commission in the Codified Ordinances (Chapter 163, Sections 163.01 to 163.04).
Now known as the Urban Forestry Commission (UFC), its purpose is to advise the mayor and City Council on policies and regulations that will increase the tree canopy and vibrancy of our neighborhoods. Under this scope, the UFC will provide advice and strategic planning on how the city can implement best practices to maintain and grow Cleveland’s tree canopy. The work of the UFC will play an integral part in improving citywide tree canopy revitalization plans. Their duties include assisting with the adoption of an urban forest management plan, developing and updating a comprehensive inventory of trees, providing recommendations on policy and plans, monitoring the implementation of city plans, soliciting grants or funding contributions, and much more.
Commission members:
- Xavier Bay (City Planning, Cleveland)
- Jose Hernandez (Public Utilities, Cleveland)
- Bernie Jackson (Cleveland Public Power)
- Mikal Jeanbaptiste (Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc.)
- Jennifer Kipp (Urban Forestry, Cleveland)
- Dan Leamon (resident, health specialist)
- Samira Malone (Cleveland Tree Coalition)
- Sarah O’Keeffe (Director of Sustainability and Climate Justice, Cleveland)
- Grai Oleksy (Cleveland Museum of Natural History)
- Tom Schreiber (Western Reserve Land Conservancy)
- Jenny Spencer (Ward 15 City Council Member)
- Divya Sridhar (Cleveland Neighborhood Progress)
- Rick Switalski (Capital Projects, Cleveland)
- Roger Tokars (resident, NASA engineer)
- Youth resident (vacant)
Check for the agenda here ahead of the meeting.
Watch the meeting:
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sustainablecleveland7281/streams
It may also be On TV20’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ClevelandTV20/live_videos
And on TV20’s website: http://www.tv20cleveland.com/watch-now/
Find past Documenters coverage of this meeting here: https://cleveland.documenters.org/reporting/?agency=689
Find videos of past meetings – along with their agendas, minutes, and presentations – here
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Agency Information
City of Cleveland Urban Forestry Commission
The commission formerly known as the “Tree Commission” was established in the early 1990’s and went dormant in the early 2000’s. New legislation was introduced in 2021 by Cleveland City Council members to amend and revive the Tree Commission in the Codified Ordinances (Chapter 163, Sections 163.01 to 163.04).
Now known as the Urban Forestry Commission (UFC), its purpose is to advise the mayor and City Council on policies and regulations that will increase our tree canopy and vibrancy of our neighborhoods. Under this scope, the UFC will provide advice and strategic planning on how the city can implement best practices to maintain and grow Cleveland’s tree canopy. The work of the UFC will play an integral part in improving citywide tree canopy revitalization plans. Their duties include assisting with the adoption of an urban forest management plan, developing and updating a comprehensive inventory of trees, providing recommendations on policy and plans, monitoring the implementation of city plans, soliciting grants or funding contributions, and much more.