Urban Forest Inventory: A Primer

1
Urban Forest InventoryA Primer

• Bill Hubbard
• Southern Regional Extension Forester

2
Introduction to urban forest inventories

• Definitions
• Purposes
• Uses

3
Inventorying the Urban Forest A Primer

• Introduction to urban tree inventories
• Tree inventory basics
• Conducting the street tree inventory
• Analyzing the data
• Using and presenting the data
• Related issues and opportunities

4
Urban forest inventorying is collecting
relevant information on forests within
municipalities or urban areas

• This includes information on
• Street trees
• Park and other public trees
• Private and utility trees
• Other forest characteristics
• Wildlife
• Soils
• Associated vegetation
• Etc.

5
Purpose and use of street tree inventoriesProvide
s factual information on

• Individual tree basis
• Health
• Location
• Maintenance needs
• Size
• Potential value
• Planting spaces
• other

• The urban forest
• Health
• Species diversity
• Value
• Maintenance schedules
• Miscellaneous characteristics
• other

6
What else?

• Assessment of your urban forestry assets
• Important step in effective green infrastructure
  management
• Important component of the urban forest
  management plan
• Useful for education and advocacy
• Maintenance, hazard tree reduction and tree
  planting plans can be developed from inventory.

7
Street tree inventory basics

• Planning
• Determining objectives
• Types of inventories
• Measurements taken
• Equipment needed
• Data recording options
• Data storage, analysis reporting options

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Planning is a necessity

• Determining objectives
• Determining the geographic and time boundaries
• Determining the type of inventory
• Determining the available resources
• Preparing for the inventory

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Savannah Master Tree Plan

• Ensure the safety
• Ensure the health
• Ensure the aesthetics (beauty)
• Ensure the cost-effectiveness
• Not on there --- Ensure the environmental
  benefits?

10
Types of street tree inventories

• Remote e.g. canopy
• Windshield
• Partial vs. complete
• On-the-ground
• Sample or partial
• 100 or complete
• Frequency
• Continuous
• Periodic

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Conducting the inventory

• Logistics
• Who will conduct the inventory?
• Sub-contractors
• Staff
• Volunteers Interns
• What will be measured?
• Collecting and storing the data
• Tree Assessment Tools
• Pocket PC (PDA)
• GPS Unit
• Desktop PC
• Software
• Quality control

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Measurements

• Tree location
• Species
• Size (stem diameter, height, crown diameter)
• Condition
• Management needs
• Maintenance
• Hazard rating
• Disorders, defects and injuries
• Removal
• Planting recommendations
• Infrastructure details
• Other

13
Tools of the Trade

• Distance tape
• Diameter tape
• Relascope or clinometer (optional, for tree
  height)
• Aerial photographs
• City maps (showing rights-of-way)
• Safety equipment
• Data capture recording equipment
• Other

14
Pre-inventory preparations

• Development of coding systems
• Tree locating systems
• Other specifications
• Crew training
• Equipment procurement training
• Use of consultant

15
Data capture recording options

• Data sheets Spreadsheets

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Data capture recording options

• Data Recorders, Pocket PCs and PDAs

17
Data recording/analyzing options

• GIS GPS

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Other issues

• Communication is key!
• Training and professionalism is essential
• Practice inventories
• Media can work both ways
• Quality control
• Preplanning

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Analyzing street tree data

• Logistics
• Use of the computer
• Quality control

20
Using street tree data

• Data summaries
• Urban forest management plan
• Proactive urban forest management strategies

21
Analyzing displaying data

• Computer software and websites

22
Data summaries

• Condition
• Size
• Diversity
• other

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Tree condition classCity of Gainesville, Florida
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Size distributionCity of Gainesville, Florida
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Species DiversityCity of Gainesville, Florida
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Species DiversityCity of Gainesville, Florida
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Where to go for more information assistance

• Your state forestry agency
• Your state Extension agency
• Private urban forestry consultants
• Private certified arborists
• The internet

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An Example of Online Urban Tree Inventory
Resources

• Urban Forestry South
• www.urbanforestrysouth.net
• TRIMS Tree Inventory Software
• www.trims.com
• A Guide to Street Tree Inventory Software
• www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/uf/streettree/toc.htm
• i-tree Tools for Assessing Managing Community
  Forests
• www.itreetools.org

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Conclusions

• Plan the inventory
• Conduct with care and precision
• Analyze data for strategic purposes
• Use quality control

30
Acknowledgements

• This publication/training was funded in full or
  in part by the USDA Forest Service Urban and
  Community Forestry Program as recommended by the
  National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory
  Council (NUCFAC).