City officials have published an inventory of Boston’s street trees, laying the foundation for a variety of projects under the urban forest

plan. An interactive map denoting every street tree in the city and their species, as well as empty plots that could someday hold trees, is publicly available online.

Originally published in November, the study was conducted in May. It’s maintained a relatively low public profile until now, with the Parks and Recreation Department publishing a blog post as recently as January 20 to try and get the word out.

“The importance of this survey is twofold. We want a snapshot of how things are now and information on how to handle things in the long term,” said Maggie Owens, a planner and analyst for the Parks and Recreation Department. “Now that we know what Boston’s forest looks like, we can better determine where work is needed and where it’s been happening. It lets us be more proactive than reactive in our tree care.”

Creating a catalog of all of Boston’s street trees is no mean feat. Partnering with forestry and software firm PlanIT Geo, the city spent $120,000 to complete the survey.

That investment is motivated by the urban forest plan, a blueprint the city has developed to expand Boston’s tree canopy with an eye on climate change.

Officials plan to protect residents from rising temperatures by protecting the trees, which cool streets through their presence.

The city is also hoping the survey can improve the relationship between local officials and residents. The online map helps inform people about the trees in their neighborhood, and gives them the information they need when making requests of city officials.

“There’s a lot of interest from community groups in keeping the maps updated and getting involved in their neighborhood’s forestry,” said Owens. “People have tons of ideas about how they’re going to use it to talk to us, opening a two-way communication. It’ll help us hear what they’re trying to say.”

Another element of both the tree inventory and the urban forest plan is concern for the city’s ash trees in the face of the emerald ash borer beetle.

Only 4% of the city’s trees are at risk, but a distinct overlay on the online map will help give residents a heads up if there are any near them.

“We haven’t planted ash trees in a while, but they used to be planted in long rows down streets,” said Owens. “We now know that biodiversity is important so that when something like the ash borer comes along it doesn’t devastate an entire neighborhood. The Parks Department has had information on what trees are at risk for a while, but people requested that it be public so they can be prepared for inspection or removal.”

There’s still room for the city’s understanding of its trees to grow.

The current map is limited to the trees lining public streets, and even if the city gets access to information on the rest of Boston’s canopy, refining that data into an accessible format can be difficult. “This map is going to be really transformative in our work, both in the urban forest plan and our everyday tasks. It doesn’t, however, give us insight into our parks system. Civic groups help out a bit with that, but it’s something we’ve heard a great demand for. It also doesn’t get at trees on private property. We may require some creative thinking for us to get information on the trees in those areas,” said Owens.