Coral Springs aims for 40% canopy by 2035 after completing a massive tree inventory
Coral Springs, Florida – The Arbor Day Foundation has named Coral Springs a Tree City USA for over 30 years, but until recently, local officials were unaware of the precise amount of trees on city-maintained and public property.
The solution arrived last year when city officials utilized a $49,700 grant from the U.S. Forest Service to inventory 23,548 trees in 2023 and 2024. According to city papers, city officials are using this information to create a master plan for tree care and urban forest management.
In order to increase the trees’ resilience, they also put in place a tree care program that included a structural trimming program for young trees.
To carry out a thorough tree inventory in 50 parks, 15 public buildings, and over 250 miles of medians, cul-de-sacs, and rights-of-way, city officials engaged consultants.
There are 11,916 trees in the parks. 2,493 trees were discovered at the public facilities during the inventory. Additionally, there are 9,139 trees throughout the city’s rights of ways, cul-de-sacs, and medians.
With 4,898 trees, the live oak is the most prevalent tree species and accounts for roughly 21% of the city’s public-land urban forest.
Coral Springs is home to 8,686 palm trees of various kinds, such as royal palms and cabbage palms. They make up around 37% of the city’s tree population.
1,917 bald cypresses, or roughly 8% of the total number of trees, were discovered during the inventory. Jacaranda trees are the least prevalent species in the city, with 16 trees counted by the experts.
According to local records, the city is also home to 1,298 palms and 271 trees that are classified as invasive species.
The majority of the city’s trees – 11,946 or 37% of them – are categorized as young based on trunk diameter. The percentage of mature trees in Coral Springs is a mere 0.04%.
Seventy percent of the city’s trees are in good shape, twenty-five percent are in fair condition, and five percent are dead or in terrible condition, according to the consultants.
The majority of respondents (96%), according to the city’s poll of multiple homeowners associations and tree inventory, acknowledge the value of trees. However, according to city documents, 68% of people also fear them.
Increasing the city’s tree canopy to 40% by 2035 is one of the objectives outlined in its comprehensive master plan. According to city documents, it is currently over 30%.
City authorities created a number of movies addressing issues including choosing, planting, and caring for trees as part of that endeavor.
