---
title: "The Butler Trail at Lady Bird Lake Urban Forestry and Natural Area Management Guides"
slug: "butler-trail-lady-bird-lake-urban-forestry-natural-area-management"
tags: ["master plan", "urban forest management", "urban forest restoration", "Austin", "volunteer stewardship", "inventory", "framework"]
updated: 2022-01-13T21:47:42Z
published: 2022-01-13T21:47:42Z
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://fic.naturalareasnyc.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# The Butler Trail at Lady Bird Lake Urban Forestry and Natural Area Management Guides

This report, focused on the green and blue heart of Austin, Texas, was commissioned to proactively look at opportunities and issues to improve natural areas over the next four years, with an explicit focus on natural areas' health. Suggested recommendations include actions that would minimize degradation, enhance climate resiliency, improve users' experiences, and restore and expand the woodland where appropriate. This plan includes a site inventory, data acquisition, and ecological restoration guidelines for the 199 acres of urban forest land adjacent to Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail.

The city has used it to guide planning and budgeting for the forest around Lady Bird Lake and Butler Trail, though implementation has been difficult due to staff turnover. Additionally, the geographic structure of the document does not perfectly overlay with the existing boundaries, which has caused confusion.

### In a nutshell, this resource offers:

- A blueprint for the long-term management of this important resource at the center of Austin.
- Plans to heighten visitor experience and ecological integrity.
- A standard for natural areas management.

### How to use this resource:

- As an example of a framework that examines the needs and management of urban natural areas.
- As an example of conducting an in-depth plant and animal inventory, plus specific guidelines to expand or enhance vegetation areas where appropriate, divided by management units.
- A framework for implementation, including how and when to hire contractors, use volunteers, or use staff, and what time of year to accomplish each task.

**Author****:** The Siglo Group

**Date published:** 2015

**Point of contact:** The Trail Foundation, [hello@thetrailfoundation.org](mailto:hello@thetrailfoundation.org)

**Citation****:** The Siglo Group. 2015. *The Butler Trail at Lady Bird Lake: Urban Forestry and Natural Area Management Guidelines*. Austin, TX.

[Resource available online here.](https://www.thetrailfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Butler-Trail-and-Lady-Bird-Lake-Urban-Forest-and-Natural-Area-Management-Guidelines-2015.pdf)

[PDF document](https://cdn.document360.io/18a9acd7-787d-47fa-9b54-01592bb1d507/Images/Documentation/Butler-Trail-and-Lady-Bird-Lake-Urban-Forest-and-Natural-Area-Management-Guidelines-2015.pdf)

##

## Related

- [Austin Climate Equity Plan](/austin-climate-equity-plan.md)
- [Protecting the Urban Forest Through Tree Preservation and Land Development Regulations in Austin, Texas](/protecting-urban-forest-tree-preservation-land-development-regulations.md)
- [Advancing Management of Urban Forested Natural Areas: Toward an Urban Silviculture?](/advancing-management-urban-forested-natural-areas-urban-silviculture.md)