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DC Street Trees Inventory: Assessing Urban Greenery's Health and Benefits

The DC Trees Inventory aims to locate, identify, and evaluate the health of street trees across Washington, DC. With approximately 15% of the city's canopy trees located on streets, this assessment provides vital data for urban planning, tree management, and community education. The project, involving university interns, community volunteers, and city staff, will enhance the ecosystem services provided by trees—improving air quality, reducing stormwater runoff, and increasing urban livability. The data collected will inform future strategies and promote responsible stewardship of DC's urban forest.

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DC Street Trees Inventory: Assessing Urban Greenery's Health and Benefits

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  1. DC Trees Inventory FinaleAugust 15th, 2002

  2. Street Trees Former Glory “..to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” ---William Blake, 1799

  3. Tree Cover in DC

  4. Overview DC Trees Inventory Locate, identify, and evaluate the health and condition of all street trees in DC

  5. Why an Inventory? • Planning:Form the baseline for DC’s Tree Strategy • Management:Enable DC Gov to take care of trees • Education:Data to calculate the value of the ecosystem services of trees

  6. Why Start With Street Trees? • Approx. 15% of all canopy trees in DC + higher % in downtown/commercial areas • Managed Under One DC Department with Responsibility to Coordinate Infrastructure Improvements • Dedicated Staff & Budget

  7. Street Tree Issues • Lack of root space & lack of root protections • Soil compaction • Damage to trunk and branches • Water conditions– esp. the lack of • Pollution • Disease & Insect Pests

  8. “Green Infrastructure” Benefits • Improve Air Quality • Reduce childhood asthma • Federal Highway Funds • $115.6 million for 2002 • Reduce Storm Water Run-off • Reduce by 1/3rd $1.3 billion WASA Control Plan • Cool Temperatures • Increase Urban Livability Increase commerce, reduce crime, attract residents

  9. Good Infrastructure Requires Investment…. • Work of Jim Urban, FASLA • Unequal growth of two honey locust specimens • Tree box (4’ x 4’ x 1.5’) vs. open space

  10. DC Trees Inventory - What? • Geographic Information System (GIS) database of all DDOT’s Street Trees • Not Street Trees in: • NPS • Rock Creek Park, Mall • DoD • Bolling AFB, Navy Yard • GSA • SE Federal Center • Private/Public Institutions • Universities, Hospitals, Natl. Zoo, Natl. Arboretum

  11. DC Trees Inventory - Who? • 35 University Student Interns • 21 High School Students • 338 Individual Citizen Community Volunteers • 101 Volunteer Partner Participants • AmeriCorps / NCCC • EagleCorps • Team Arboretum • 15 Staff Members = > 500 Citizen Forester Program participants

  12. DC Trees Inventory - How? • Base Inventory Data • Original aerial photo

  13. DC Trees Inventory - How? Base Inventory Data • Original aerial photo • Impervious surfaces • Buildings/walls/fences • Road centerlines • Trees

  14. DC Trees Inventory - How? Base Inventory Data • Original aerial photo removed • Impervious surfaces • Buildings/walls/fences • Road centerlines • Trees

  15. DC Trees Inventory - How? Daily Collection Areas • Minimize potential for double-counting tree sites • Contains approximately 100 tree sites • Base unit of work for scheduling/planning

  16. Scheduling & Planning • Teams assigned to collection areas

  17. Collection area data “packet” on the handheld computer • Increases speed of data collection • Enhances data quality

  18. DC Trees Inventory: Information Collected • Tree Specific Data • Location & Tree Box Information

  19. Sample Inventory “Page” • Site Info - 2 pages • Tree Info - 3 pages

  20. DC Trees InventoryWhat We’ve Found… • Overall numbers only slightly below estimates • In slightly better condition than estimates • DED a problem (6.7% incidence) • Need greater species diversity

  21. Street Tree Site Composition

  22. Condition Ratings

  23. Street Tree Species Mix

  24. Elm Street Trees by Ward Condition of Elms by Ward

  25. DC Trees Inventory as Planning, Management Tool • Identifying Planting Opportunities • Managing Removal of Dead Trees • Caring for Trees - Dutch Elm Disease

  26. Map of Planting Opportunities

  27. Dead Trees, by Size

  28. Map of Dutch Elm Disease

  29. DC Trees Inventory for Education & Advocacy • With the Inventory, can calculate: • Ecosystems benefits • Compensatory (CTLA) value • “Hybrid” (Ecosystems + CTLA) value calculations

  30. Urban Ecosystems Analysis* • “CityGreen” Analysis of DC Trees: • Air Quality Benefit • 878,157 Lbs. Removed = $2,167,182 per year • Storm Water Benefit • 68,763,823 x $5/cu ft = $343,819,115 construction cost American Forests, “Urban Ecosystems Analysis for the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area,” February 2002

  31. Urban Forest Value in Other Cities * Source: Nowak et. Al, Journal of Arboriculture, July 2002, using Council of Tree and Landscape Appraiser # Assumed

  32. Next Steps • Further Analyze Data • Bring Analysis back to DC neighborhoods at “Tree Summit” events • Develop Comprehensive DC Trees Strategy for Street Trees • Start Inventory of Non-Street Trees Next Summer…

  33. Inventory Objectives • >95% Data Quality • Finish by August 15th • Participant Satisfaction

  34. Inventory Field Organization • Structure • Outreach • Recruitment • Training • Operations • Results

  35. IT, Gov’t, Industry Professionals Student Interns (35) 40 hrs/wk Community Volunteers <1 day\wk Community Volunteers >1 day\wk Inventory Field Organization

  36. Field Organization Outreach • Come Learn about Trees, Meet People, and Help DC! • Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANCs) • DC Civic & Citizen Associations • Other Neighborhood Associations • Community Organizations • Garden Clubs • DC Environmental Network • Meetings, Print, Radio, email

  37. Field Recruitment • Student Team Leaders • Landscape Architecture, Forestry, Environmental Sciences, Planning majors • Local Recruitment • National Outreach

  38. Field Recruitment Volunteer Partners • DC High School Students • EagleCorps • AmeriCorps • National Arboretum

  39. Field Training • DC Citizen Forester Program • Integral to GCA Casey Trees Mission • 1st Urban Forestry Program in DC • Any individual who volunteers their time to promote environmental stewardship in their community • Training (35 hrs) and Service (50 hrs)

  40. Field Training • April – July • Locations across DC • 18 Training Sessions (5 hrs) • 12 Field Trips (3 hrs) • >500 people trained • Passionate about Trees • Commit 5 days of Inventory Service

  41. Field Operations • June 3 – August 13 • > 100 people (avg) on DC streets everyday • Full Days, Half Days • Different Teams everyday • June 3: 8am field office / 9am field • > July 8: 7am field office / 8am start • Seven hours in field • Consults, download data, Team mtg • Contact Volunteers for next day

  42. Field Results • Unprecedented operational scale • >500 participants • Many ages • Volunteers from many areas of DC • Highly visible

  43. “Typical” Field Day

  44. “Typical” Field Day

  45. 1187 Collection Areas 106,000 Trees 25,000 spaces without Trees 2500 Metro trips 4000 Van miles 42 days > 90 degrees 8 code red days 400 gallons of water 4 rainy days 100’s of calls to City’s Call Center 727-1000 37 calls to dead bird hotline 1000’s of people talked to 2 days off in a row 2 times Field Results

  46. Field Safety Results • NO calls to the Police • NO trips to Emergency Room • NO injuries on the job • NO dog bites • 2 Bee Stings • 1 case of Poison Ivy • Some cuts & scrapes from clipping guy wires • Lots of blisters in the beginning

  47. Status: July 19

  48. Status: August 1

  49. Status: August 13

  50. Inventory Results WE DID IT!!

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