Urban Forestry Strike Team (UFST)

1. Urban Forestry Strike Team (UFST) October 6, 2009 Daniel Westcot Community Forester Georgia Forestry Commission 5960 Hwy 17 S Guyton, GA 31312

2. Objective of UFST • Develop a professional response team to assist communities with urban forestry issues following natural disasters • Certified Arborists • Formal training • Provide additional professional opportunities for state agency employees to assist communities following disasters

3. How did it all get started? • 2003 – Hurricane Isabel hits North Carolina and Virginia Coastline • States worked to develop a group of trained professionals to help affected communities

4. First Professional Response • Katrina (ISA, SMA, Others) • Professional response • ISA • SMA • Davey Resource Group • Certified Arborist volunteers • 10 Gulf state communities

5. UFST – Disaster Response Timeline Potential Tree Planting Site Protocol Risk Assessment Protocol SDAP Pre- SDAP Post- 3-60 days >2 years 12-72 hrs 2 – 24 months Federal Disaster Declaration Disaster Strikes Response and Recovery Phase SDAP pre-storm: Not currently in SGSF/Region 8 plan for UFST SDAP post-storm: FEMA debris management standards apply Risk Assessment Protocol: FEMA standards may or may not apply Potential Tree Planting Site Protocol: Local planting guidelines apply

6. UFST Incident Command System Modeled Structure

7. UFST – Training and Respond Capacity Training (as of today) (Kinston & New Kent) 9 Team Leaders (TL) NC, VA 31 Task Specialists (TS) AL, AR, KY, NC, TN, TX, SC, VA 5 trained in NA Florida 2009 Training (Brooksville) 9 Team Leaders AR, FL, GA , NC, TX , VA 24 Task Specialists FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, OK, SC, VA 2009/2010 Storm Season Capacity 18 Team Leaders 46 Task Specialists

8. UFST – Response Summary • 2007 – Oklahoma Ice Storm (4 communities) • 2008 – Baton Rouge – Hurricane Gustav • 2009 – N. Arkansas Ice Storm (6 communities) • 2009 – W. Kentucky Ice Storm (6 communities)

9. Types of Responses • Landscape Scale Urban Damage Assessment • Hurricanes & other wind events • Ice Storms

10. Post Storm Recovery • Estimate of Debris Removal Amounts and Cost • Identification/Location of Trees for Removal • Identification/Location of Trees to Prune • Identification/Location of “Non-Storm” Hazard Trees • Generation of Map and Data for FEMA Reporting

11. Orientation Meeting • Initial meeting with UFST team leader and government officials • Meeting with team leader, government officials and FEMA officials • Changes made to feature file for data collection to address data needs

12. On-Site Training • FEMA Specifications • Local Jargon • Update on Data Recorders • Operating Procedures

13. UFST – Feature File Setup Initial Feature File • Risk Park - Point • Risk Street – Point • Stump – Point • Line - Line

14. Data Collected for Risk Street / Park Data Collected on Each Tree • Genus • DBH • Target – (Score 0 – 4) • Size Part • Probability Failure – (Score 0 – 4) • Risk Management Action • FEMA Management • Hangers – (Number) • Public Tree or Not • Team Crew • Field Notes

15. Data Collected for Stumps Data Collected for Each Stump • DBH • Length of Stump • With Tree or Not • Team Crew

16. Things To Look For

17. Things To Look For

19. USFT – Baton Rouge Results • 500 Miles of City Streets • 5,498 Street Trees • 1,882 Park Trees • 208 Stumps

20. UFST – Baton Rouge Results

21. So how does this help the city? Benefits to the City • Gives FEMA precise numbers for reimbursements • Helps the City negotiate contracts with tree service companies • Gives tree service companies detailed information on tree condition and location • Not only helps assess the damage in the community but allows the city to get a partial tree inventory • Data can be used to estimate percent canopy loss

22. Future of UFST • Region 8 – Response Funding • FEMA Region IV (Atlanta) – Scope of Work • Task through ACOE & USAD FS (ESF 3) • EMAC – Packages • State EM Coordination • Northeastern Area • Tree Wardens • Consultants

23. UFST Information • USFT Website • www.ufst.org