Oklahoma City Parks Tree Inventory | Interactive Map | Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Tree Canopy Assessment
Since 1991, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation has invested in beautifying and improving public lands in central Oklahoma through our Margaret Annis Boys Trust and our Parks & Public Space Initiative.
Oklahoma City Parks Master Plan
In 2012, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the City of Oklahoma City hired the national consulting firm Wallace Roberts Todd to develop a long-term plan for the funding, maintenance and improvement of the community’s public parks. The plan builds on other studies and supports ongoing efforts including the city’s comprehensive plan, planokc.
The Oklahoma City Parks Master Plan identified six strategic directions of growth and specific action steps to move the parks system forward. In addition, the Parks Master Plan offers funding suggestions and recommendations for community and business partnerships to help support the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. In 2020, the Community Foundation and City of Oklahoma City partnered once again to commission the 2020 Update that provides anticipated updates on the progress OKC Parks has made in recent years.
Oklahoma City Parks Tree Inventory
The Oklahoma City Parks Master Plan recommended maintaining and improving the physical assets of existing parks and implementing a tree planting and replacement program. In 2016, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation partnered with the City of Oklahoma City Parks & Recreation Department and Oklahoma Forestry Services to facilitate a tree inventory in Oklahoma City parks conducted by Davey Resource Group.
The inventory project connects tree planting with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to efficiently plan why and where trees are planted in our public parks system. The project mapped and identified 19,632 trees in the developed areas of 134 Oklahoma City public parks, providing data sets on each tree including variety, height, canopy cover and health condition. The project also assessed the environmental benefits throughout Oklahoma City parks related to air and water quality and storm water management.
Interactive Map
The Oklahoma City Parks Tree Inventory data is available to the community through an interactive online mapping website called MyTreeKeeper. Free to the public, MyTreeKeeper allows you to locate and identify all inventoried trees in Oklahoma City parks and find details on environmental benefits, presence of overhead utilities, species, total tree height, number of stems, crown width and diameter.
Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Tree Canopy Assessment
In 2019, the Oklahoma City Community Foundation teamed up with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) and Oklahoma Forestry Services to commission the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Tree Canopy Assessment. Conducted by Davey Resource Group, the project provides baseline data for managing the city’s urban forest through a comprehensive, 536-square-mile study of tree canopy in the Oklahoma City Metro area. The final report and accompanying geocoded maps illustrate how trees provide environmental, functional and aesthetical benefits to parks, trails, schools, watershed and neighborhoods throughout our communities. This data will help shape our community’s approach to beautification, quality of life and environmental sustainability including air quality and stormwater runoff planning, as well as the location and type of trees that should be considered for planted going forward. Read the final Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area Tree Canopy Assessment.