North Central Research Station

Oak Health in the Midwest - Urbanization Impacts

Urbanization Impacts Oak Wilt Oak Decline Oak Cover Classification Metropolitan Area Scale Development Area Scale

The issue

Urban woodlands provide food and habitat for wildlife, set the stage for scenic nature retreats, and help to conserve energy, protect watersheds, improve air quality, and abate noise pollution. While urban woodlands are subject to some of the same insect and disease threats as their rural counterparts, they are growing in an environment that is generally stressful and may be at increased risk of damage from certain insects and tree diseases, including oak wilt. The seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area in Minnesota is a rapidly expanding urban area, renowned for its rich natural environment. The forests, mostly oak, that once covered nearly 70% of this area have been reduced to less than 10%. To protect the remaining resource and plan for the future, we need to manage the impacts of urbanization on our forest resource.

What are we doing about it?

We are classifying the oak cover across the Twin Cities metropolitan area and quantifying changes.

We are assessing the relationships between the changes in the oak resource and changes in urbanization at two spatial scales -- the metropolitan area scale and the development scale.

Research product

For additional information on the topic of urbanization impacts, refer to:

Conserving wooded areas in developing communities: Best Management Practices in Minnesota developed collaboratively by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, USDA Forest Service, Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee, and Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry.

Changing Midwest Assessment - describes the spatial distribution, direction, and intensity of the changes that have occurred on the biophysical and social landscapes of the region over the past two decades.