Takoma Park Trees

1
Takoma Park Trees

• Where? What? When? Why?

2
Parameters

• 2.5 square miles
• 42 miles of road
• 17,000 residents
• 4,000 street trees
• 1,240 park and parcel trees
• 250 removal permits annually
• 100 protection permits annually

3
Original Inventory Davey Resource Group, 2001

• 4,697 trees, stumps and sites
• 58 genera 110 species
• Quercus comprised 25 of inventory, Acer 16 and
  Prunus 7.2
• 38 lt6, 51 gt6but lt 24, 11 gt24
• 61 trees Excellent, 2,197 Good, 1,570 Fair, 462
  Poor, and 37 dead.
• 157 recommended removals, 461 Hazard Reduction
  Pruning, 3,709 maintenance pruning

4
Flat files and maps

• Street tree data in spreadsheet format
• Web based forest management software
• Work order forms
• Reports available
• Finance tracking

5
Learning GIS Data Management
Transforming flat file datasets to georeferenced
GIS information can require negotiating several
corners, but it can be done.
After 6 years what was still good? What parcels
were what? When 16 trees were on one lot? How can
faulty data be used/corrected?
6
Parks and municipal property

• Tree in parks and undeveloped property were
  mapped using ESRI
• Included all city owned parcels excepting ROWs
• The same set of web based management tools were
  available for this set of trees.

7
Resources

• No field staff dedicated to tree care
• 110,000 budget for tree work
• 10,000 plus various fees for planting
• 15,000 for resource management

8
Information requirements

• Existing trees
• Existing tree spaces and limitations
• Utilized tree spaces
• History of tree work
• History of tree spaces
• Requested tree work
• Requested tree installations
• Special tree needs

9
Edited Data

• To make the data usable
• Georeference
• Refer to spaces not trees
• Relate to tree data
• Create additional data sets with history of trees
  including work or requests for service

10
GEO Database Design

• Site information
• Address
• Which side of road
• What block of road
• What size space
• Is there overhead conflict, underground
• Is it occupied (link to following table)
• History of trees in space (another linked table
  with perhaps other linked tables)
• Other issues
• Information for current tree, if present
• Type
• Date planted
• Source
• Size
• Pruning\problems history (maybe another table
  with dates, amounts, contractor, costs, reason)
• Public complaints requests
• Date
• Request
• Response

11
In the meantime

• Use what we got
• Work to enter data
• Edit incorrect data
• Make others aware of potential
• Combine with other data sets for mapping and
  analysis.

12
Green waste, or gold ?Takoma Park

• Uses raw wood chips from our trees for mulch in
  some areas
• Buys locally manufactured chips for playgrounds
  and locally produced mulch for gardens

13

• Takoma Park
• Recycles yard waste excepting grass clippings for
  reuse by TP citizens or other people within 10
  miles
• Cooperates with citizens desiring stove or
  fireplace wood

14
Has been working with Woodmizer owners and other
woodworkers