AWARD WINNING PUBLIC TREE MANAGEMENT

Shirley Vaughn, Davey Resource Group

Don Robertson, The City of Jacksonville

Today’s Objectives

• Understand what public trees are and should mean to you.

• Implement a systematic approach for tree management to:• Improve the overall health of the urban forest• Reduce future problems with trees• Increase their value as green infrastructure

All trees have potential to fail

Must manage trees within an acceptable level of risk…

They should be treated like a piece of equipment and managed like infrastructure.

To reduce risk and increase the benefits received, trees should be managed systematically.

SYSTEMATIC APPROACHTo public tree (green infrastructure) management

First. There are standards. Follow the national standards.

• ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011 Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management—Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)

• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) BMP for Tree Risk Assessment

Third. It is difficult to design for and then manage what you don’t know you have.

Second. Trees are more than just plants. Their shade cools pavement; they clean air and intercept stormwater runoff; soften your designs; slow traffic; and generally make people and places better.

• Trees reduce stormwater runoff by capturing and storing rainfall in their canopy and releasing water into the atmosphere.

• Tree roots and leaf litter create soil conditions that promote the infiltration of rainwater into the soil.

• Trees help slow down and temporarily store runoff and reduce pollutants by taking up nutrients and other pollutants from soils and water through their roots.

• Trees transform pollutants into less harmful substances.

Starting with our second point and just focusing on stormwater runoff.

Statewide study by Indiana DNR using i-Tree Streets

Year Completed

i-Tree Reference CityNumber of

Trees StudiedAnnual Stormwater Benefits (dollars)

 Rainfall

Intercepted Annually by Trees

(million gallons)

2006 Albuquerque, N.M. 4,586 $55,833 11.1

2005 Berkeley, Calif. 36,485 $215,645 53.9

2004 Bismarck, N.D. 17,821 $496,227 7.1

2007 Boise, Idaho 23,262 $96,238 19.2

2005 Boulder, Colo. 25,281 $357,255 44.9

2006 Charleston, S.C. 15,244 $171,406 28.3

2005 Charlotte, N.C. 85,146 $2,077,393 209.5

2004 Cheyenne, Wyo. 17,010 $55,301 5.7

2003 Fort Collins, Colo. 31,000 $403,597 37.4

2005 Glendale, Ariz. 21,480 $18,198 1.0

2007 Honolulu, Hawaii 235,800 $350,104 35.0

2008 Indianapolis, Ind. 117,525 $1,977,467 318.9

2005 Minneapolis, Minn. 198,633 $9,071,809 334.8

2007 New York City, N.Y. 592,130 $35,628,220 890.6

2009 Orlando, Fla. 68,211 $539,151 283.7

2003 San Francisco, Calif. 2,625 $466,554 99.2

2001 Santa Monica, Calif. 29,229 $110,784 3.2

PLUS• Improve public and worker safety• Improve storm preparedness/ triage after

storm events• May reduce infrastructure costs

Why trees are important to you--even if you are not an urban forester or arborist

Fact: Healthier trees are safer and produce more benefits.

With systematic, routine pruning trees are healthier.

Relationship between average tree condition class and number of years since last pruning (adapted from Miller and Sylvester, 1981).

First. There are standards. Follow the national standards.

Third. It is difficult to design for and then manage what you don’t know you have.

Back to the first and third points…

Why did we group these points together?

They go together.

• ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011 Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management—Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)

• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) BMP for Tree Risk Assessment

ANSI A300 Standards - Part 9: Tree Risk Assessment

• Level 1 = LIMITED VISUAL = a rapid assessment of a population of trees looking for trees with serious defects.

• Level 2 = BASIC = visual inspection of the crown, trunk, and exposed roots from all sides. May include: binoculars, mallet, probe, shovel

• Level 3 = ADVANCED = a close look for root rot, trunk decay, problems in the crown or other factors that require specialized training or equipment

ISA BMP for Tree Risk Assessment• Companion publication to ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011

Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management—Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)

• This Best Management Practices (BMP) publication is intended to serve as a guide for arborists to:

• Assess tree risk as accurately and consistently as possible

• Evaluate that risk

• Recommend measures that achieve an acceptable level of risk

ISA BMP for Tree Risk AssessmentHas two matrices:

1) Matrix to estimate the likelihood of tree failure impacting a specified target

2) Matrix which builds upon the likelihood matrix which assigns a risk rating by incorporating consequences to the failure

Based on the assessment, trees are assigned risk that comes with recommendations for action:

• Extreme - recommend that mitigation be done as soon as possible• High risk - recommend mitigation measures be taken• Moderate risk - recommend mitigation and/or retaining and monitoring• Low risk - recommend retaining and monitoring as well as mitigation that does not include removal

of the tree

Likelihood of Failure and Impact

Consequences

Negligible Minor Significant Severe

Very Likely Low Moderate High Extreme

Likely Low Moderate High High

Somewhat Likely Low Low Moderate Moderate

Unlikely Low Low Low Low

Quick and to the point, what you look for during the assessment:

• Large dead branches

• Cavities in trunk and main branches

• Mushrooms

• Cracks and splits

• Lean

• Changes in grade

• Targets

Level 1: Windshield Survey

• Two people—one drives and one collects data

• This type of inventory is mainly for small areas; neighborhoods

• Need map of the area

• Know what you are looking for

• Have to take notes

Level 2: Tree Inventory

• Address/Location—know where the tree is for hazard abatement and maintenance cycles

• Species—know what the tree is to predict equipment and maintenance needs

• Condition—understand what can be done to elevate tree health or increase public safety

• Size—how big the tree is affects equipment needs and production time and debris load

• Defects—can it be “fixed”?

• Maintenance Recommendations—work planning and risk reduction

• Further Inspection—to determine defects not visible from the ground, IPM, or PHC

What do you get from the inventory—DATA. It is a database. You find out what you have so you can manage it better.

ID AREA COMMON BOTANICAL DBH STEMS

1 Urban/Business Callery pear Pyrus calleryana 3 1

2 Urban/Business Callery pear Pyrus calleryana 7 1

3 Urban/Business Red maple Acer rubrum 8 1

4 Urban/Business Live oak Quercus virginiana 8 1

ID COND. MAINT. INSPECT NOTES DATE X Y

1 Fair Training Prune No girdling roots 1/30/2013 2193297.256122 669694.297696

2 Good Routine Prune Nocodominant

leaders1/30/2013 2193297.256122 669672.717317

3 Poor Removal 1 No included bark 1/30/2013 2193296.057212 669653.135121

4 Good Routine Prune No 1/30/2013 2193296.057212 669635.950745

When do you do tree inventories/assessments?

• When you need to better estimate:

• Work loads

• Equipment needs

• Budgets

• Schedules

• Before you plant trees

• Before/after storms

• Before construction

• To understand the benefits trees provide

11%

8%

17% 13%

7%38%

6%

Ilex

Magnolia

Lagerstroemia

Acer

Pinus

Quercus

Other

Inventory DATA can help determine tree planting and maintenance needs and schedules.

0.00%3.05%

41.24%

49.43%

4.57%0.00% 1.71%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor Critical Dead

29.10%

21.10%

25.17%

13.90%

5.90%

2.70%1.52%

0.30% 0.34%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

1" - 3" 4" - 6" 7" - 12" 13" - 18" 19" - 24" 25" - 30" 31" - 36" 37" - 42" 43"+

Size class distribution

Condition

Species diversity

Inventory DATA provides information needed for long –term budgeting

$146,000 for 340 tasksFY 2008• Priority Removals• Priority Prunes• Tree Planting

$198,000 for 580 tasksFY 2009• Priority Removals• Priority Prunes• Tree Planting

$167,000 for 1,430 tasksFY 2010• Routine Pruning Cycle• Structural Pruning Cycle• Tree Planting• Some Lower Priority Removals and Prunes

$100,000 for 1,040 tasksFY 2011• Routine Pruning Cycle• Structural Pruning Cycle• Tree Planting

$100,000 for 1,040 tasksFY2012• Routine Pruning Cycle• Structural Pruning Cycle• Tree Planting

Inventory DATA tells you and others how much trees work for you and them.

Trees provide real monetary savings. Remember they are not just plants.

• JAX Stratum here

Inventory DATA tells you what you have to work around or with…Helps make your designs more successful.

DATA IS KNOWLEDGEFor better or worse

You know what needs to be done; and not be done.

Budget and Schedule

$146,000 FY 2008

• 60 Priority Removals• 200 Priority Prunes• 80 Tree Planting

$198,000FY 2009

• 30 Priority Removals• 400 Priority Prunes• 100 Tree Planting

Tree Planting

11%

8%

17% 13%

7%38%

6%

Ilex

Magnolia

Lagerstroemia

Acer

Pinus

Quercus

Other

Species Diversity

What to do and what not to do when planting green infrastructure.

• JAX Stratum here

What to do and what not to do when planting green infrastructure.

• JAX Stratum here

AWARD WINNING TREE CARE = TREAT THE TREE LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE

Knowledge

Site

Species

Drawing/Site Plan

Follow Up Care/Routine Pruning

What happens when you don’t treat a tree like infrastructure?

The tree may become a liability instead of an asset.

1. Does it have adequate planting space?

2. What are the soil conditions?

3. What about natural light?

4. Will it get water or need irrigation?

SITEWhen looking at a site to plant a tree to become a long lived piece of infrastructure, instead of a problem, ask these questions before placing it on a plan:

SPECIESAfter selecting the right place for a tree, then purchasing the best stock becomes paramount.

• Endless varieties of trees to fit a site’s space requirement

• Try to buy trees grown in your hardiness zone

Buy high-quality stock. Use the Florida Grades and Standards

DRAWING/SITE PLANWhen planning for a tree, think what you are trying to achieve through the tree?

Trees can provide functions that can decrease infrastructure costs

• Cooling effect• Screening/buffer• Shade • Stormwater

absorption and diversion

• Energy savings• Flowers/fall color• Wildlife habitat

• Place it properly• Plant it correctly• Irrigate• Provide PHC• Provide IPM• Prune on cycle• Inventory every five years• Manage the tree as infrastructure• Reap the benefits…

FOLLOW UP CAREAfter planting the right tree in the right place, budget and care for it. Really make the tree an integral piece of the drawing/site plan.

• Beautify your life

• Provide oxygen and cooling shade

• Filter out pollutants

• Deflect noise and wind

• Reduce runoff

• Habitat for wildlife

• Reduce stress

Why trees are important to you--even if you are not an urban forester or arborist

What benefits?

AWARD WINNING TREE CAREROUTINE PRUNING—IMPROVES CONDITION

Miller and Sylvester, 1981

Why prune small trees?

• Best time to correct any problems

• Remove dead, dying, broken, and damaged limbs

• Create strong scaffold branch structure

• Develop good branch spacing

• Establish a central leader

• Small wounds close quickly

To make them better trees when they are mature

in age!

Small Tree Pruning

Why prune mature trees?

• Remove dead, broken, dying branches

• Improve tree structure

• Enhance vigor

• Safety

• Light penetration

• View

• Clearance

To increase public safety and benefits.

Mature Tree Pruning

• Mature trees are less tolerant of pruning than young trees.

• Never remove more than 25% of canopy.

• Try to keep wounds small. Mature trees have less energy to close wounds and defend against decay.

RECAP

The best defense is a good offense• Know what you have and what you are playing against.• Treat trees like infrastructure. Because they are infrastructure.• Maintain trees systematically. You know what preventative

maintenance can do…

QUESTIONS

Shirley Vaughn, Davey Resource Group (904) 803-0557

Don Robertson, The City of Jacksonville (904) 472- 2854