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E R I C W I S E M A N , P H . D . V A T E C H D E P T . O F F O R E S T R E S O U R C E S & E N V . C O N S .
INTRO TO URBAN & COMMUNITY FORESTRY
[email protected] 540-231-5148
http://urbanforestry.frec.vt.edu
May 19, 2014
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Nationwide
• 3.8 billion trees in urban areas
• 74.4 billion trees in metropolitan areas
• ¼ of nation’s total tree canopy cover
Naturally occurring and planted trees found in and around areas of
dense human settlement
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Street Trees
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Park Trees
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Plaza Trees
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Riparian Buffers & Greenways
WHAT IS AN URBAN FOREST?
Residential Commercial
Industrial Undeveloped
WHAT IS A COMMUNITY FOREST?
A predominantly natural forest conserved and managed by local citizens for a range of collectively determined goods and services
The City of Arcata Community Forest Barnum Tract is a community forest
located in Northern California
WHAT IS URBAN & COMMUNITY FORESTRY?
Policy, planning, and management of trees and forests in urbanized areas to
sustain natural and human environments
Goals • Maximize benefits
• Minimize costs • Minimize risks
WHAT MAKES AN URBAN FOREST “TICK”?
Natural Factors Physiography
Climate Soils Biota
Anthropic Factors Land Use
Infrastructure Disturbance
Pollution
WHAT MAKES AN URBAN FOREST “TICK”?
Extent • Amount of urban tree canopy (UTC) • UTC distribution, connectivity, and patch size • Tree count and density (stocking)
Location • Land use • Land ownership • Tree placement in the landscape
Composition • Spp. richness, relative abundance, & relative importance • Tree size and age distribution • Tree condition and maintenance history
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND COSTS OF URBAN FORESTS?
Benefits • Environmental benefits • Social benefits • Economic benefits
Costs • Direct costs of tree management • Indirect costs of liability, nuisances, and mitigation • Opportunity costs of foregone civic activities
Valuation • Net benefits • Benefit-cost ratio • Structural replacement value
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Urban Forest Sustainability
The Forest
Resource
The Community Framework
Resource Management
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Resource Assessment
Management Goals
Management Plans
Feedback
What Do We Have?
What Do We Want?
How Do We Get There?
Are We There Yet?
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Envision the Urban Forest
Assess Natural and
Social Resources
Define Goals
Prescribe Strategies
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Sour
ce: R
.W. M
iller.
1997
. Urb
an F
ores
try: P
lanni
ng
and
Mana
ging
Gre
ensp
aces
. Wav
eland
Pre
ss.
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Urban Forest Information
Environmental Information
Green Space Information
Socio-Cultural Information
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Types of Tree Inventories • Complete Inventory (Census)
• Entire tree population • Resource intensive • Use: Comprehensive maintenance
• Partial Inventory (Sub-Census) • Critical portion of tree population • Limited inference space • Use: Prioritized maintenance
• Sample Inventory (Survey) • Representative portion of population • Statistical considerations • Use: Planning and education
HOW DO WE CREATE HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
• Many challenges are the result of human interactions with the environment
• Addressing challenges requires regional cooperation and public-private partnerships
• Challenges include:
- Pollution
- Climate change
- Severe weather
- Wildfire
- Insects & diseases
- Invasive plants
Sour
ce: D
.J. N
owak
et al
. 201
0. Su
stain
ing
Amer
ica’s
Urba
n Tr
ees a
nd F
ores
ts. G
TR N
RS-6
2.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES TO HIGH-VALUE, SUSTAINABLE URBAN FORESTS?
Sour
ce: D
.J. N
owak
et al
. 201
0. Su
stain
ing
Amer
ica’s
Urba
n Tr
ees a
nd F
ores
ts. G
TR N
RS-6
2. • Issues include:
- Lack of funding
- Lack of planning
- Lack of expertise
- Lack of cooperation
- Limited scope
- Inconsistent management
approaches
• Many challenges are the result of human interactions with the environment
• Addressing challenges requires regional cooperation and public-private partnerships