Elizabeth Baldwin Park, with its century-old live oaks, serves as a key site for urban forestry evaluation in Houston’s Midtown District. The Baldwin Park Urban Forestry Management Plan, using i-Tree software, assesses the condition and distribution of the park’s trees and outlines the need for a structured approach to preserving, expanding, and managing the urban forest. Community interest has grown around protecting the aging trees, planting new ones, and addressing potential hazards.
The study emphasizes that the park’s Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) dominate the canopy, positioning Midtown to lead Houston’s urban forestry efforts. By leveraging the data, Midtown can contribute to the city’s environmental sustainability goals and replicate this model across the district, supporting the long-term health of Houston’s urban forests.
Budget Allocation and Prioritization
Funding for Midtown’s urban forest should be flexible and shift annually based on a comprehensive tree inventory and analysis. This includes identifying vacant planting sites, tree species distribution, and maintenance needs. National guidelines suggest 58% of the budget be allocated to pruning and removal, with the rest for planting and management.
Tree Canopy Diversity Strategy
Midtown’s canopy is currently dominated by Live Oaks (over 60%), which poses risks in case of disease or pests. A strategy to diversify the tree population recommends limiting newly planted Live Oaks to 10%, ensuring no species exceeds 10% and no genus exceeds 20% of the total population.
Annual Tree Planting and Maintenance Goals
Midtown should aim to plant 150 trees annually while focusing on pruning (30%) and tree removal (28%) as part of regular maintenance. Diversification and ongoing maintenance will ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the urban forest.
At the beginning of the project, the team identified four goals derived from the previous planning efforts and input from the client team, arts organizations and the community. The goals were validated and confi rmed by participants of the CAMP Vision Workshop.
Develop a management structure for implementing and maintaining midtown’s cultural arts and entertainment district designation.
Ensure that cultural arts and entertainment is inclusive of all forms of expression and includes diverse programs, policies and projects that are accessible to all.
Support and strengthen existing cultural art venues and amenities.
Inspire creativity in the public realm.
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