Jefferson counting on tree study; Jefferson, GA

Jefferson counting on tree study OnlineAthens.com:
Volunteers are using a time-consuming technique to measure the city's tree cover, but their low-tech method should bring more accurate, less expensive results.
David Manning/Staff Harry Bryan color-codes a map Thursday as part of Jefferson's effort to measure its tree cover and the town's impervious surfaces.
David Manning/StaffHarry Bryan color-codes a map Thursday as part of Jefferson's effort to measure its tree cover and the town's impervious surfaces. More than a dozen volunteers turned out this week to help measure the tree canopy and impervious surfaces by counting thousands of color-coded dots representing Jefferson's tree cover, bare soil, asphalt and water placed on aerial photos of the city.
Most cities measure tree canopy with satellite imagery and statistical analysis, but dot-counting is more accurate and much cheaper, said Connie Head, an arborist overseeing the city's Sustainable Community Forest Project.