Why was a Forest Management Plan needed for Hendricks Park?
The 78-acre Hendricks Park site was acquired by the City of Eugene in 1906. Controversy among different user groups and stakeholders about how best to manage the park intensified after decades of diverse human activity and the establishment of a mature forest on much of the park. Mature trees began falling in the park with increased frequency, and homeowners and environmentalists disagreed on how best to manage the park’s forested area. The City convened a Department Advisory Committee with representatives from the key constituencies concerned about the park’s management. The City then hired Watershed Initiatives, LLC to help facilitate a series of meetings to identify common objectives and goals for the park to which all represented groups could agree. The DAC created the following vision statement to help guide the development of a management plan for the park: “The natural forested area of Hendricks Park provides unique ecological, historical, educational, recreational, and aestheti
