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Inventory of Biodiversity
Urban and Suburban Carbon Farming ConferenceBiodiversity for a Livable Climate,
May 3rd, 2015
David LefcourtMCA, MCLP, ISA Municipal Specialist, TRAQ
City Arborist/Tree WardenCity of Cambridge, MA
[email protected]/tree
President – Society of Municipal Arborists
Past President – MA Tree Wardens’ and Foresters’ Association
Urban Forestry Division maintains over 19,000 trees throughout the city.
As compared to:
3,070 Parking meters6,600 Street lights
Over time, the value of a tree increases while the value other city assets decrease
Tree Diversity Throughout the City
Tree Diversity Throughout the City
Trees Species Throughout the City
Native*
Potential New Tree Wells
Beginning in Summer 2014, the Forestry Division identified roughly 2,600 potential tree wells
throughout the City.
The Forestry Division will continue to identify new potential tree wells over the next several years.
The overall goal will be to develop an outreach and funding plan to plant many of the proposed new tree
wells
How to Work with Others to Maintain Tree Diversity
• Neighborhood Tree Walks• Neighborhood Tree Talks• Public Outreach – Facebook, DPW Website,
EAB• Planting Trees with Volunteers• Citizen Science with Earthwatch Institute• Working with other Departments• Educating Contractors
Neighborhood Tree Walks
CambridgeportNeighborhood
Tree Talk
Cambridgeport vs. Citywide
9/15/2011 Cambridgeport City of CambridgeCambridgeport as
Percentage of Citywide Count
# of Trees 1,739 12,995 13.38%# of Planting Sites 57 624 9.13%# of Retired Sites 0 137 0.00%# of Stumps 23 234 9.83%
Tree DensityNumber of
TreesNAME Total Street Length Density
765 WELLINGTON HARRINGTON 30536.96 0.02505
1211 MID-CAMBRIDGE 51414.62 0.02355
560 AGASSIZ 23882.84 0.02345
1738 CAMBRIDGEPORT 74861.15 0.02322
892 AREA IV 40287.77 0.02214
1556 EAST CAMBRIDGE 73128.31 0.02128
1266 NEIGHBORHOOD 9 67418.83 0.01878
804 RIVERSIDE 43901.87 0.01831
1333 NORTH CAMBRIDGE 78165.94 0.01705
1906 NEIGHBORHOOD 10 112724.25 0.01691
266 STRAWBERRY HILL 17149.87 0.01551
410 MIT / AREA 2 36659.18 0.01118
199 CAMBRIDGE HIGHLANDS 19924.67 0.00999
Top 15 species in Cambridgeport by percentage:
Red maple 13%
Norway maple 13% Honeylocust 11%
Littleleaf linden 11% Pear 11%
Pin oak 5%Japanese zelkova 4%
Cherry sp 2%Japanese tree lilac 2%Hedge maple 2%London planetree 2%
Sophora 2%American linden 2%
Elm sp 2%Green ash 2%
°0 250 500 750 1,000125Feet
NCharles River
Top 10 Streets with the Least Dense Tree Coverage
Andrew StreetBlanche StreetEmily StreetKenwood StreetLaurel StreetRockwell StreetSalem StreetSperidakis TerraceTalbot StreetTudor Street
Top 10 Streets with Least Tree
Density in Cambridgeport
Boston GlobeMay 14, 2014
Fall Foliage Map
Working with Volunteers
Bare root tree planting project with local girl scout troop
Engaging the Youth
Help get young kids to adopt trees in the City
Citizen scientists spend the day measuring and assessing trees throughout the City of Cambridge
Collaborating with the Earthwatch Institute
Other projects in the works:
- Coring trees to determine historical growth rate data
- Development of an Urban Forestry management plan
Encourage residents and business owners to water
trees
Encourage residents and business owners to water trees
Water-By-Bike/Tree Ambassador
Honeylocust
Honeylocust
Honeylocust
Elm
Linden
No Trees
15
City of CambridgeEmerald Ash Borer
Management Plan
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Management Plan
• EAB was recently found at the Arnold Arboretum, which is about 6 miles away from Cambridge– Could arrive in Cambridge any time now. May already be present.– Depending on existing condition and/or size of tree, could take 3-7 years for EAB
to kill a tree– Standing dead ash present high risk to public safety due to how quickly branches
will fail
• There are roughly 883 City maintained ash trees (4.6% of overall City
maintained tree canopy)– Good – 769 trees– Poor – 114 trees
• Good trees can be protected through proactive treatment; trees in poor
condition need to be removed as potential high risk trees.
• It is more cost effective for the City to treat now as oppose to removing all dead ash trees 3-7 years from now
Trees and Construction
Get involved from the beginning
• Pre-design meetings• Tree walks to assess existing condition of trees• Continuously emphasize safe construction practices around the
trees• Tree protection• Fines for damage to trees• Stress the importance of the trees in the City and to its
residents
Avoid the Following When Working Around Trees:
• Wounding the tree• Exposing Roots to Elements for Long Periods• Cutting or Ripping Roots• Compacting Rooting Soil with Materials and
Equipment• Breaking Branches
Improving Planting ConditionsInstalling Structural Soil to Improve Soil Volume Utilizing Flexi-pave to Improve Tree Survivability
Thank You!
David LefcourtMCA, MCLP, ISA Municipal Specialist, TRAQ
City Arborist/Tree WardenCity of Cambridge, MA
[email protected]/tree
