Assessing Street Tree Populations with iTree Tools

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• Assessing Street Tree Populations with iTree
  Tools

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STRATUM prior to data collection

• Goals / Setting expectations
• Data fields to support goals
• Resources
• Conducting inventory
• Paid staff?
• Contractors?
• Volunteers?
• Technology
• Sampling
• How much GIS savvy and software/hardware is
  necessary?
• Interaction between GIS and iTree software
• Using the random plot generator

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Know the client and clients needs

• Identify the client
• Identify the assignment
• STRATUM has a LOT of reporting options providing
  all may not be helpful
• What does the client want to know?
• What else did you find out that may be of
  interest or value?

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Know the client and clients needs

• Examples of clients and needs
• Client Mayor
• Assignment Quantification of ecosystem services
• Client City forestry department
• Assignment Report on present tree condition and
  maintenance needs
• Client NGO
• Assignment Report on stocking levels and
  enhancement opportunities for planting projects
• What you report on should be based on your client
  and their needs (!)

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Data needs

• Existing data?
• Run on-hand data through STRATUM
• Sample inventory to be collected?
• Full inventory to be collected?
• Define species list
• Full list is very long you will save time of you
  truncate to expected species

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Custom configuration
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Custom configuration

• Customize existing data collection tools
• Create new (Add Other 1, 2, 3 question)

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Process issues

• Will data be collected on PDAs or paper?
• Is there any stratification (management zones)?
• NOTE You cannot stratify random sample by
  management zones you can sub-sample each
  management zone or post-stratify in to management
  zones

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Costs and benefits

• Benefits data comes pre-loaded
• Local info is available from source such as
  http//www.psc.state.md.us/psc/gas/gasCommodity.ht
  m
• Program costs may be obtained from local managers

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Logistics

• Who will conduct?
• Contractors
• Spec it right and let em run
• Volunteers
• Stay tuned for next talk
• Paid staff
• Most control if it is a luxury you can afford
• Go to assignment is buy-in (community
  volunteers) an objective)?

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Logistics (cont.)

• Are you a local?
• Likely for volunteers
• You will know where to park, where it is safe,
  etc.
• Are you not local?
• Likely for contractors and possibly for paid
  staff
• Will need to know where to park, does it cost,
  how much
• Will need to address safety concerns in your
  protocols

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Tools

• Biltmore
• Quick DBH safety measure
• If ecollect
• PDA
• Extra styli! They are easy to drop
• GPS
• If hard copy collect
• Paper
• Pencil

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Notification

• Regardless of who performs, recommend that you
  carry some form of identification associated with
  your project
• Carrying a this is who we are, what we are
  doing, and why letter for distribution to
  curious citizens is recommended

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Tech savvy

• How much do you need?
• Probably impossible to do with none
• Difficult to do with some
• If you have a lot (GIS, GPS, Access, Excel), you
  can get a great deal of flexibility and do more
  than the standard issue

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Do you need GPS?

• NO
• iTREE does not presently have a GPS component
• There is a spatial component that is not
  required, but lat-long must be entered manually
• Specific locations would likely provide little
  value

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Is there a benefit to GPS?

• Yes
• I used to track pending and completed segments in
  the field.

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Using the random plot generator

• Install the random plot generator per the iTREE
  manual
• You will end up with a Random Select Roads tool
  on your toolbar

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Sample size how big?

• Sample inventories are generally a 3-6 sample of
  total street segments
• General guidelines for sample sizes in
  communities based on human populations
• For communities with less than 50,000 persons,
  sample size is 6 of total street miles
• For communities between 50,000 and 150,000
  persons, sample size is 5
• For communities between 150,000 to 250,000
  persons, sample size is 4
• For communities over 250,000 persons, sample size
  is 3

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Use in field
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• STRATUM prior to data collection
• Maryland Department of Natural Resources