Development of Urban Tree Canopy prioritization tools among USFS NRS research highlights for 2009

Research Highlights - Urban Natural Resource Stewardship - Northern Research Station - USDA Forest Service:
Urban tree canopy: The development of prioritization tools
Scientists from the Northern Research Station, the University of Vermont (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory, and other partners have developed tools for the high resolution assessment of urban landcover. These tools have been applied to a range of cities, including Burlington, VT; Boston, MA; New York City; and Baltimore and Cumberland, MD. Based upon these assessments, these cities have established urban tree canopy (UTC) goals and allocated resources to meet these goals.

Report issued on Vinton's existing and possible tree canopy-puts current coverage at 39%; Vinton, VA

The analysis of the City of Vinton’s urban tree canopy (UTC) was carried out by the Virginia Department of Forestry in collaboration with the City of Vinton and the Roanoke Valley—Alleghany Regional Commission. Assistance was provided by the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program (VGEP) at Virginia Tech’s Department of Forestry and by the Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL) of the University of Vermont.

The goal of the project was to apply the USDA Forest Service’s UTC assessment protocols to the City of Vinton. This analysis was conducted based on year 2008 data.

Research paper: Mapping urban forest tree species using IKONOS imagery: preliminary results

SpringerLink - Journal Article:
The preliminary results imply that to improve the tree species identification accuracy and achieve a practical application level in urban area, multi-temporal (multi-seasonal) or hyperspectral data image data should be considered for use in the future.

Technical report: Geospatial Assessment in Support of Urban & Community Forestry Programs; USA

Geospatial Assessment in Support of Urban & Community Forestry Programs — Urban Forestry South:
A study initiated to examine the strengths and limitations of existing methods for identifying forest opportunities in urban areas.
Geospatial information is an important component of urban and community forestry assessment in the Northern Area. The syn-thesis of geographic data can help inform the decision making process at a range of scales, from prioritizing communities within a state to targeting individual properties for tree plantings. For accurate and meaningful information to be gained from these assessments it is crucial that any geospatial assessment employ datasets and tools that are appropriate to the scale of analysis.

VA Department of Forestry issues Urban Tree Canopy assessment of Roanoke, VA

Object-based image analysis and LiDAR provide tools for tree canopy assessment for greener cities

Assessing Urban Tree Canopy for Greener Cities


An increasing number of urban planners and local authorities want to improve air quality, reduce energy consumption and ease storm water flows in their cities. A sufficient number of healthy trees is essential to
achieving these ambitious goals.

Researchers at the University of Vermont, working in conjunction with the U.S. Forestry Service, utilized eCognition to develop an application that assesses and quantifies urban tree canopies (UTC). By integrating data from aerial photos, LiDAR and taxation maps, the application determines the tree canopy coverage in urban areas, quantifying how much tree cover is on public land and how much is on private land. Major U.S. cities already use this information to accurately quantify the amount of potential additional tree canopy.

City drafts new rules for tree protection during construction, forms partership with UW-Madison to assess tree canopy; Madison, WI

Good news for Madison's urban forest - Isthmus The Daily Page:
Madison Ald. Marsha Rummel says it's about time. The city of Madison is now drafting new rules requiring the protection of trees during construction and levying fines for violations.
'It's better because it's going to be upfront, and the expectation is that everybody is there to protect trees,' says Rummel of the new policy, which will likely be presented to the city's Board of Public Works next month.
Meanwhile, an auspicious new partnership between the university and the city forestry department has the potential to increase the total amount of city tree cover and eventually help improve lake water quality by reducing runoff.

Columbus to enter into UTC assessment project with ODNR; Columbus, OH

Columbus Local News: > Archives > Region > News > Youth and Family board funding likely held to '09 level:
Other resolutions authorized Finance Director Michelle Kelly-Underwood to enter into an agreement with a company to provide property and casualty insurance for the city, and authorized Service Director Butch Seidle to cooperate with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to implement an urban tree canopy assessment program.

Tree study puts city's UTC at over 55%; Jefferson, GA

Tree study puts most of Jefferson in the shade OnlineAthens.com:
Jefferson has enough trees for now, but it's going to take work to maintain enough tree cover to keep the town cool and green through the next decade.
The results of a painstaking count of the trees, parking lots and rooftops in Jefferson released this week show that trees cover 55.8 percent of the city surface.
That will take work to maintain, said Connie Head, an arborist overseeing the city's Sustainable Community Forest Project.
'They've got a really good baseline,' Head said. 'But I consider (the 55.8 percent tree coverage) to be fragile. It could deteriorate if they're not careful.'

Virginia Tech to undertake investigations to improve knowledge and management of forest resources in urbanized areas; Blacksburg, VA

Investigations to Improve Knowledge and Management of Forest Resources in Urbanized Areas - VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE:
The goal of this project is to improve knowledge and management of forest resources in urbanized areas. In pursuit of this goal, investigations will be conducted to achieve the following objectives: (1) examine ecophysiological function of urban forests and biophysical constraints to urban forest productivity; (2) investigate arboricultural practices that influence urban tree establishment, growth, health, and safety; (3) analyze urban forest structure, function, and value with emerging inventory and geospatial technologies. This project will be conducted during a five-year period commencing in December 2009. Expected benefits of the proposed project include: (1) increased knowledge about urban forest soils and their influence on landscape tree performance; (2) improved arboricultural techniques for tree maintenance; and (3) better understanding of urban forest extent and composition at the municipal scale. The research and technical outcomes of the proposed project will have broad impacts on urban forest science and management, and ultimately urban society. Numerous researchers are investigating the subjects described above in specific contexts across the country. As the results of the proposed research are synthesized with the work of others, new concepts and practices will emerge that advance urban forestry and improve urban environments.

UVM Spatial Analysis expert completes UTC analysis of mid-Atlantic cities, gets awards from Virginia and Germany for UTC analysis work

The SAL, in conjunction with the Virginia Dept. of Forestry received a bronze medal from the Association of Natural Resource Educational Professionals (ANREP) for our urban tree canopy work in Virginia.

The SAL recently completed tree canopy assessments for the City of Virginia Beach, Virginia and Howard County, Maryland.

The City of Bowie, Maryland is establishing an urban tree canopy goal based on an assessment conducted by the SAL and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, RSENR Geospatial Analyst, gave a presentation on "Mapping the Green Infrastructure" at the 2009 eCognition User Meeting in Munich, Germany.

Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, RSENR Geospatial Analyst, received an award from 1986 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Gerd Binnig in recognition of his expertise employing the object-based image analysis techniques developed by Dr. Binnig to advance the understanding of urban ecosystems.

Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, RSENR Geospatial Analyst, gave a workshop on object-based image analysis techniques for extracting information from high-resolution remotely sensed data at the 2009 AmericaView fall technical meeting at the USGS EROS Data Center in Sioux Falls, SD.

State of PA recruiting for Chesapeake Bay urban forester position - duties related to urban tree canopy targeting in the state; PA

Chesapeake Bay Forester

Urban Forestry

Job Description: Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Assessments

A Chesapeake Bay Forester (Forester) will be hired through PA Community Forests and housed with the DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Rural and Community Forestry Section in Harrisburg. The individual will establish a replicable method for communities to proceed through the UTC process. This will include information on how to obtain imagery data, how to get those data analyzed, how to set UTC goals, and how to develop a management plan using the information from the imagery along with the goals that have been set.

Del Mar College's Integrated Geospatial Education & Technology Training program offers course on Urban Tree Canopy analysis

Topic: Urban Environmental Management


Urban Tree Canopy

Problem Statement: Cities are heat islands for capturing carbon dioxide from a concentration of vehicles and buildings.

Urban forests help mitigate those effects. Can we quantify some of those effects using remote sensing imagery?

Level: beginning

Software: ArcGIS, ENVI, Powerpoint, Word

UTC report published - finds Charlottesville has over 46% UTC; Charlottesville, VA

A Report on the City of Charlottesville's Existing and Possible Urban Tree Canopy

The analysis of Charlottesville’s urban tree canopy (UTC) was carried out by the Virginia Department of Forestry in collaboration with the City of Charlottesville and the Chesapeake Bay Program. Assistance was provided by the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program (VGEP) at Virginia Tech’s Department of Forestry
and by the Spatial Analysis Laboratory (SAL) of the University of Vermont.

The goal of the project was to apply the USDA Forest Service’s UTC assessment protocols to the City of Charlottesville. This analysis was conducted based on year 2008 data.

Million Trees LA shares opportunities for involvement, results of UTC analysis; Los Angeles, CA

Making a Million (Happen) NBC Los Angeles: "There are many, many ways to get involved via Million Trees LA, too, like donating, and even planting your own (there will be some reading and advice, so do a bit of research before going to the nursery).
And if you want to really geek out, in a goodly geek way, there's a whole tree canopy analysis of our city that is quite fascinating."

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.

Volunteers use modified "click-n-classify" method to assess UTC, other land cover; Jefferson, GA

gainesvilletimes.com - Jefferson keeps close eye on its trees:
In general, people don’t pay much attention to trees unless one is about to fall on their house, but that is not the case for a group of Jefferson volunteers.

They are busy scouring aerial maps of the city to account for existing tree coverage, or canopy, as a part of the Jefferson Sustainable Community Forest Project, which was made possible by a Georgia Urban and Community Forestry Grant.

“Volunteers will analyze the landscape cover of the city from 20 aerial maps. Each map is covered with a grid of yellow dots and volunteers will be categorizing the dots by the land cover beneath it,” said Connie Head, project coordinator and urban forestry consultant.

Volunteers sought to help measure canopy; Jefferson, GA

Volunteers sought for tree project OnlineAthens.com:
The Jefferson Heritage Tree Council is seeking volunteers to help measure the city's tree canopy and impervious surfaces as part of the city's Sustainable Community Forest Project.

The council will hold a drop-in workshop at the Jefferson Civic Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Volunteers will be asked to examine large aerial photographs and color-code the trees, industrial facilities, farm land and other features.

City Department of Planning and Economic Development works with Council to adopt UTC goal based on UVM analysis; Bowie, MD

Memo to Council,Urban Tree Canopy, 10-21-09

Master Gardener gives tips on recognizing hazardous trees before the storm; Visalia, CA

Master Gardener: Recognizing hazardous trees before the storm visaliatimesdelta.com Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register:
Master Gardener: Recognizing hazardous trees before the storm
Michelle Le Strange • Master Gardener • October 1, 2009
As we enter October we hope that the rainy season will soon begin. But are your older trees ready for a big storm? Every year we hear about trees falling into power lines or smashing into the roof of a house.
Are you concerned about a tree falling over, or a large limb crashing down on your house or car? It is during the season of rainy and windy weather when trees that have become hazardous make their presence known.
But how can you tell if you have a hazardous tree before the branch lands on your house?