Monitoring and Assessment of Urban Forests and Trees

Any planning that involves the urban forest requires information and analysis of the urban tree canopy. Advances in remote sensing now allow the urban forest cover to be analyzed from national satellite (Landsat)-based maps (30-meter resolution), and census data. Northern Research Station (NRS) scientists are at the forefront of this work to fill in the data gaps and are assisting NRS region cities in setting goals and developing urban forest management plans.

Selected Research Studies

The Changing Midwest Assessment Internet Mapping
At the Changing Midwest Assessment (CMA) internet mapping server, public and public officials users can use an interactive, spatially explicit, web-based model to visualize changes that are likely in various likely future scenarios. The characteristics mapped include land cover, forest characteristics, plants and animals, and human demographics. given a range of alternative ecological, economic, and social scenarios.

The urban forest effects (UFORE) model
The Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model is a NRS program that analyzes field data and quantifies urban forest effects. Results from various cities are available for download from this site. Computer programs and field manuals are also being made available to allow people to easily quantify the structure, health, and effects of their own urban forests. This program is part of a suite of urban forest software known as i-Tree.

i-Tree
NRS scientists have worked with numerous collaborators to develop the i-Tree suite of urban forestry software that is designed to help assess and manage urban forests.

 

National urban forest assessment
NRS scientists are working with Resource Planning Act (RPA) staff to assess urban tree cover and functions nationally from the local to state to national scales.

 

Urban forest health monitoring
NRS scientists are working with numerous cooperators in pilot testing a national urban forest inventory and health monitoring system that would establish and monitor field plots within urban areas across the nation. These data can be used to asess changes in urban forest health and tree populations, and detect new pest and disease infestations.