In 2023, the Tree Commission completed the Norris Urban Forest Management Plan. The Norris Urban Forest is defined as all the trees that occur within the city limits of Norris, exclusive of the Norris Watershed, Norris Dam State Park, and the Tennessee Valley Authority Norris Dam Reservation. The focus of this plan is on the municipal lands that the Tree Commission is charged with managing. These include the road rights-of-way, maintained city parks and commons, and unmaintained forested city-owned tracts outside of the Norris Watershed. After extensive discussions and consideration of the results of a community attitudes survey, the following vision statement was adopted to guide the development of the plan:

"The City of Norris will maintain a healthy and diverse urban forest as an essential environmental, economic, aesthetic, and community asset for present and future generations."

Following an inventory and health assessment of trees on municipal lands exclusive of the watershed and other considerations and analyses, the Tree Commission identified the following goals for the management of the Norris Urban Forest:

• Operational: Manage the trees on municipal lands in a professional, sustainable, equitable, and safe manner while maintaining the current canopy coverage.
• Administrative: Effectively coordinate the activities of the Tree Commission and the Norris Public Works Department and other entities.
• Public Awareness and Involvement: Proactively inform the public about proper tree care and the value of trees.

Click here to view the Norris Urban Forest Management Plan.