The Sustainability Advisory Board met April 8 to hear presentations on urban forestry initiatives and learn about a new city program to add student voices to advisory boards. Commissioner Emma Bode announced that the City Commission previously approved non-voting student seats on all major advisory boards, to be filled through recommendations from the ASMSU Student Senate. Terms will run one year, aligned with the academic calendar and starting each fall semester, to reduce barriers for student participation. The program will work with MSU's existing Boardroom Bobcats initiative, which places students on nonprofit boards throughout the valley.
City Forester Alex Nordquist and Lily McClain, restoration director for the Gallatin Watershed Council, presented on the Branch Out Bozeman partnership and the 2026 Urban Forest Management Plan. Since launching in 2021, Branch Out Bozeman has engaged 781 volunteers contributing over 2,000 hours, planting 783 trees and staking 6,900 willows across 15 locations. The program has distributed 21 free trees through a partnership with Cashman Nursery and leveraged approximately $200,000 in grants and donations. McClain emphasized trees as critical infrastructure for watershed health, stormwater management, and addressing urban heat equity in underserved neighborhoods.
Nordquist detailed the new Urban Forest Management Plan, currently under development through the end of 2026 with consultant input. The updated plan will shift focus from tree planting targets to citywide canopy cover goals, measured through aerial imagery flown every three years. He noted the current 28,500-tree inventory is maintained by four full-time employees and identified rental properties as a significant gap in tree equity. Board members raised questions about development review processes, community garden integration, and fruit tree planting feasibility. The board deferred adoption of its 2026-2027 work plan to the May meeting.