Cass City is home to nearly 2,500 residents benefiting from public trees in their community. Cass City Public Works manages all trees, stumps, and planting sites along the street right-of-way (ROW) and throughout public parks, and other public spaces. Between May and June of 2025, DRG performed an inventory of Cass City’s public trees and developed this Tree Inventory Analysis & Maintenance Strategy. Consisting of three sections, this plan considers the diversity, distribution, and condition of the inventoried tree population and provides a prioritized system for managing the Cass City’s public trees.

The sections of this plan are as follows:

● Section 1: Structure and Composition summarizes the inventory data with trends representing the current state of public trees.

● Section 2: Functions and Benefits summarizes the estimated value of benefits provided to the community by public trees’ various functions.

● Section 3: Recommended Maintenance details a prioritized maintenance schedule and provides an estimated budget for recommended maintenance activities over a five-year period.

We have designed this Tree Inventory Analysis & Maintenance Strategy to help the community understand the current state of its public trees, set future goals and benchmarks, anticipate future program needs, and focus on initiative-taking maintenance.

The Urban Forest Program Continuum (shown on Page 2) outlines the steps to effectively and sustainably manage and care for Cass City’s urban forest. The continuum includes other plans that can support Cass City’s urban forest, including:

● Urban Forest Management Plan which establishes a detailed 3- to 5-year work plan to address risk and maintenance needs using current tree inventory data to streamline Cass City’s urban forest management program.

● An Urban Forest Master Plan engages stakeholder and community members to provide a comprehensive vision for the future of the city’s urban forest, with recommendations and a road map of action steps to reach Cass City’s urban forestry goals.

This project supports Cass City’s vision to promote and enhance community well-being through public tree conservation and improved forestry management practices. This Tree Inventory Analysis & Maintenance Strategy offers expert commendations for preserving and expanding urban canopy so the environmental, economic, and social benefits it provides are maximized today and for future generations. A grant was administered through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Community Forestry Program with funding provided through the USDA Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program. There was a 50/50 match provided by the Village of Cass City to cover the cost of the project. Cass City is thankful for the grant funding it received from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Community Forestry Program, in cooperation with USDA Forest Service's Urban and Community Forestry Program. This program is designed to encourage communities to create and support sustainable urban forestry programs throughout the United States.