Not Just Dots on a Map: How Geography Influences Real World Decisions Part 1
Horticulture and Garden Operations Mini Series: Why Trees Matter
1. Why Trees Matter APGA Conference 2010 Bruce Cubberley Assistant Professor, Landscape Horticulture
2. Why Trees Matter aka the Next STEP Program Ohio State University Extension Secrest Arboretum (OARDC) Ohio DNR Urban Foresters Ohio State University researchers Private tree industry researchers Davey Tree Expert Company Rainbow TreeCare
3. Why Trees Matter Programs Ohio Street Tree Evaluation Program Tree Research Evaluation and Education i-Tree Case Studies Master Gardener Tree Specialization Training Greening Of The Highways (Vineland Research Station—Ontario, Canada)
4. Ohio Street Tree Evaluation Project Started by L.C. Chadwick in mid-60s 96 Original Sites; Now Over 140 Sites Which trees are best for our community forests The “best bang for the buck(eye)”
17. i-Tree is Scale-able From regional canopy goals in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District of Seven Counties… …To a London planetree in your yard: or a yard of someone you know. Simply identify and measure the tree.
25. From i-Tree: treebenefits.com Trees act as mini-reservoirs, controlling runoff at the source. Trees reduce runoff by: Intercepting and holding rain on leaves, branches and bark Increasing infiltration and storage of rainwater through the tree's root system Reducing soil erosion by slowing rainfall before it strikes the soil
30. Trees Count! New York City’s Street Tree Census NYC Forestry Programs
31. The New York City Story I Feb 1995: Fiona Watt hired as City Arborist for Parks and Recreation Parks Commissioner Henry Stern asks her to do a comprehensive inventory of NYC trees – that year! TreesCount is born: 498,470 counted Over the next 10 years: Tree budget cut 50%.
33. New York City Story II 2005: Second TreesCount Tree Inventory conducted. NYC Linked with USFS Stratum i-Tree Analysis Benefits documented: $122 million annual benefits from trees. $5.60 for every $1.00 spent Tree budget increased from $22 million to $62 million.
Hinweis der Redaktion
i-Tree is also very scalable, including providing informatin for individual trees. Want to tell your customer the benefits of trees in the landscape you design? Go to treebenefits.com, type in their zip code, enter a species of tree and its size, then show them what benefits it will provide once it grows to that size. For a large 36 inch pin oak that will grow in Wooster if you plant it , there is $265 dollars in annual benefits.
Including $144 in stormwater remediation benefits, by that tree eliminating 14, 565 gallons stormwater runoff per year.
And $70 increase in property values due to this 36 inch pin oak.
And the conservation of electricity and natural gas resources.
And improvement of air quality benefits.
As well as reduction of atmospheric carbon and the role this can play in environmental effects of increasing carbon dioxide.
And kooking at the i-Tree analysis of these two plantings, the environmental and aesthetic benefits of the honeylocust planting was eight times the benefits of the hawthorns. Tree selection matters!
The first Census was in 1995. The goal was to count all trees identified as street trees (those in yards and parks were not included) in the five boroughs of New York City. They did it, and counted and collected information on about a half million trees. They wanted information on species numbers, hazared condition of trees, and of course they also hoped that enlisting over 1300 volunteers would result in a buzz that would reslult in political clout to increase badly-underfunded tree care budgets. Alas, the result was that due to a number of factors, between 1995 and 2005, the street tree budget was cut about in half. Not encouraging.
But here is the next chapter of the story. A second Trees Count! Program was conducted in 2005. The difference was that this time the i-Tree program was in development, and provided data documenting the annual benefits of trees: about $122 million, or $5.60 for every $1.00 spent. The result: New York City’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg increased the street tree budget from $22 million to $62 million. The benefits of trees were far clearer with the i-Tree analysis and the desire for sustainable, green programs.
