assessing benefits of urban trees
TRANSCRIPT
ASSESSING BENEFITS OF URBAN TREES
Limited resources Personnel Funding
Harsh urban environment Soils Climate Growing space Vandalism
Poor tree health/longevityLack of appreciation
WHAT DO WE HAVE?
Tree health and longevityReturn on investmentOptimum environmental/social benefitEfficient management
WHAT DO WE WANT?
Ecosystem Services Role in the environment Residual benefit to humans
Human/Social Benefits Aesthetics Health Economics
Triple Bottom Line
WHAT ARE WE AIMING FOR?
Assess
Analyze
Plan
HOW DO WE GET THERE?
SCALES OF ASSESSMENT
Tree
Landscape
Region
Assess the resource
INDIVIDUAL TREE ASSESSMENT
Basis for management
Complete Measure every tree Complete assessment possible
Partial Pest problems Limited budget
Sample Larger study area Extrapolate data
INVENTORY TYPES
ArcGISSmartphone iPadHandheld GPS units
INVENTORY TECHNOLOGY
Locate available spacePrioritize plantingSelect speciesCombine layers - soils, hydrology, buildings, sun/wind exposure, pavement/root space, etc.
Plan for future growth and benefit
ANALYZE PLANTING SPACES
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES ASSESSMENT
Modeling softwareUrban forest analysis
Monetary value Carbon sequestration/pollutant removal Watershed analysis Energy savings
Integrate into inventory
Tie into GIS systems
Ex: Heat Island Impacts
VISUALIZE AND ANALYZE
Place treesAnalyze tree growth/ future benefitsOptimize individual tree/site benefits
PLANTING DESIGN
What do we have? Canopy coverage Land cover analysis Economic analysis
URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
What do we want? Where will we get the most benefit? What is the best potential tree canopy? Most efficient place to plant trees?
URBAN TREE CANOPY ASSESSMENT
PlannersLandscape architectsMunicipalitiesProperty managersCampus groundsMany others
WHO CAN USE THIS INFORMATION?
Basis for tree managementWork planningDevelop management plan Integrate into other plansUtilize for outreach
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THIS INFORMATION?
Cost:Benefit of planting, caring for trees
Environmental InfrastructureReal estate
SHOW THE ECONOMICS
Guidelines for the future Cost:benefit analysisPublic communication
MANAGEMENT PLANNING
