The Value of Your Urban Forest: i-Tree Tools www.itreetools.org Al Zelaya The Davey Institute

How do we communicate the value of the resource at risk? Evanston has over 4,000 ash trees on its parkways and in its parks, which is about 12% of the City of Evanston’s 33,000 public trees. Emphasize that there are numerous opportunities but also we are under greater scrutiny. Bridge building is in, Tree planting is not. The need for justification is becoming more critical. Urban forestry projects in Virginia Beach have been linked with wasting money by the media- 3.75 million for UTC protection. Coburn's amendment would prohibit spending on casinos, zoos, golf courses, swimming pools, parks, museums, theaters and highway beautification projects. The amendment, approved 73-24. From the USCM Main Street Economic Recovery Plan: “Today we are reporting that in 427 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country, a total of 11,391 infrastructure projects are “ready to go.” These projects represent an infrastructure investment of $73,163,299,303 that would be capable of producing an estimated 847,641 jobs in 2009 and 2010.”

Evanston resource at risk to EAB 3500 ash street trees 10.5 % of public trees $3.18 million structural value 4.9 million gal/yr of rainfall intercepted worth $135,000/yr $122,000/yr energy savings $20,350/yr in air quality improvement $113,000 annual CO2 value Evanston resource at risk to EAB Emphasize that there are numerous opportunities but also we are under greater scrutiny. Bridge building is in, Tree planting is not. The need for justification is becoming more critical. Urban forestry projects in Virginia Beach have been linked with wasting money by the media- 3.75 million for UTC protection. Coburn's amendment would prohibit spending on casinos, zoos, golf courses, swimming pools, parks, museums, theaters and highway beautification projects. The amendment, approved 73-24. From the USCM Main Street Economic Recovery Plan: “Today we are reporting that in 427 cities of all sizes in all regions of the country, a total of 11,391 infrastructure projects are “ready to go.” These projects represent an infrastructure investment of $73,163,299,303 that would be capable of producing an estimated 847,641 jobs in 2009 and 2010.”

Can you justify your needs Took about an hour to feed info from Evanston survey into i-Tree Not hard to achieve, can take as little as an hour. Must budget for outcomes

Increasing Public Scrutiny Public transparency is becoming the norm and projects will be scrutinized. Kudzu, a fast growing non native vine, was originally introduced into the Southern US from SE Asian as an erosion control measure. Bad move. The vine grows 12" or more a day in the Summer and can completely envelope mature trees within a few years time. They carpet the ground, grow up the trunk and choke the trees ability to gain sunlight, killing them. Kudzu climbs power poles – ultimately shorting them out, they will even grow across pavement. It's a prolific species. A fully covered tree, or area of trees, looks green and healthy – out of site out of mind, but the towering "kudzu monsters" as my kids call them are really 60-to 90 feet, multi ton columns of now dead wood. It's not a matter of IF they fall, but when, and they tend to clear a path on their way down. When the trees are near roadways or structures this can cause significant damage/expense/injury it can be serious hazard. A good sized oak will slice through a typical structure like a knife thru butter – all the way to the foundation, or down power lines, or cause unhappy results on roadways. So the question is: What is the least expensive way to deal with this? Given the cost to fix things, and the potential for litigation – prevention would appear to cost less than dealing with the aftermath. I say let the prisoners do it.

i-Tree Background August 2006 launch; 2 years ago. i-Tree Cooperative was formed to deliver all Forest Service applications in a single software suite. 20+ yrs of FS research no available in usable form. Research and tools, developed with public funds, and made widely available for public benefit. DDSR, feedback from users drive updates & enhancements; V3.0 is now out.

i-Tree Includes… 2 Urban Forest Assessment Tools 3 Urban Forest Management Utilities Assessment tools i-Tree Eco, formerly UFORE

Inventory vs. Assessment Tools Inventory good for tracking day-to-day

Inventory vs. Assessment Tools Used to get $ for fighting invasives Park ash trees at risk

Value of Resource at Risk EAB Structural Impacts: 17.4% Canopy Loss $221 Million structural damage (citywide) Milwaukee Ecosystem Assessment (2008) EAB Functional Impacts: $243,785 less pollutant removal $138,000 less energy savings (cooling costs) $261,000 reduction in storm water benefits (1996 study) The ability to use i-Tree data to make compelling arguments that are relevant to local issues as with the City of Milwaukee in not only justifying the structural impacts that are at risk but the loss of environmental service. They have chosen to chemically protect their trees from EAB and they have solid data to justify their decision. Forest Structure 3.4 Million Trees 21.5% Canopy Cover Estimated 587,000 ash trees (17.4%) 10

Benefits-Based Approach Strategic Mgmt & Advocacy i-Tree Tools Comprehensive Value Environmental Services The common denominator that I will keep emphasizing is how the tools are used in strategic planning and decision making which ultimately leads to advancing policy initiatives. I would argue, given the state of the union and the world today, it is going to be essential for the urban & community forestry world to justify that what we all do…..matters! This diagram has been rearranged to show a progression toward strategic management emphasizing the difference between tradition inventory tools which limit you to a lower level of understanding. i-tree assessment tools (Environmental Services) will allow you to progress to a higher level of understanding and influence. Structure

i-Tree Eco Overview (UFORE) There is true power in having compelling data that you can present to decision makers. Keith mentioned that Minneapolis was able to increase their budget fairly substantially. (UFORE)

Assessing Urban Ecosystems i-Tree Eco assesses: Structure Function Energy Air pollution Carbon Value Management Health Pest impacts Typically sample driven, non-standard intensive field data. 30-200 1/10th acre plots Barcelona, Spain

Eco Foundation: Local Data Sample or Inventory Local information: Weather Pollution Environmental variables Hourly simulations Usable on a number of scales, from household to state-wide Used on various schools in a system Uses local information

Using i-Tree Eco Step 1 - Determine Study Area

Step 2 - Determine What Data to Collect Using i-Tree Eco Step 2 - Determine What Data to Collect Sample or inventory? Required core variables (spp, dbh) Crown parameters Tree health (dieback) % Canopy Missing Crown Light Exposure Optional variables Distance to buildings Shrub data Ground cover data Tree = any woody vegetation, except vine, with a DBH ≥ 1 in

Using i-Tree Eco Step 3a– Determine number of plots Typically 200 1/10 acre plots

Using i-Tree Eco Step 3b– Lay Sample Points Random Grid Pattern Stratified by LU Random Pattern

Using i-Tree Eco Step 4 – Set Up Project

Using i-Tree Eco Step 5– Train Crews / Collect Field Data / QA-QC

Using i-Tree Eco Step 6– Enter Data and Submit to F.S.

Automatic Report Generator

Potential Pest Impacts Report

i-Tree Eco Helps You: Quantify ecosystem services and values Determine magnitude and distribution of resource Improve planning and management Empower advocacy Link with environmental regulations Monitor change

i-Tree Streets Overview There is true power in having compelling data that you can present to decision makers. Keith mentioned that Minneapolis was able to increase their budget fairly substantially. (STRATUM)

Assessing Street Tree Populations Streets assesses: Function Energy Air pollution Structure Stormwater Carbon Property Value Value Management needs Pest Detection Module (Beta) Background information on STREETS- advantages & disadvantages between UFORE.

Streets Foundation: Reference City Research Regional Tree Guide studies to develop growth models of representative street trees and their dimensions as a basis for Benefit-Cost Analysis. This is your resource for methods

Reference City Research Info for better tree mgt Can use existing inventory Full inventory can take a couple days to input

i-Tree Streets: Information for Better Tree Management Input: Sample street segment inventory (3-6%) Or import an existing inventory Price adjustments, mgmt. costs Output: Graphs, charts, tables Benefit: Baseline data to more effectively manage & advocate for the street tree resource Allows managers to evaluate current benefits, costs, and management needs.

$2.94 in benefits for every $1 spent Almost $3 dollars of benefits for every dollar spent on Pittsburgh’s Municipal Forestry program.

Using i-Tree Streets Discuss the i-Tree Manual- What it was and how it follows a more logical progression of completing a project.

Phase I: Getting Started Existing inventory? Conduct inventory? Study area Inventory type Sample or complete Data collection PDA, paper or other Project parameters Data fields (Species & DBH) Other inputs: benefit prices, city data The first phase is all about planning and decision making.

Phase II: Project Establishment Configure project inputs: City Info Annual Costs Benefit prices Data fields Species Set-up PDA

Phase III: Out in the Field Locate trees or sample segments Data collection PDA or Paper forms Data definitions QA/QC Use MSP zone map

Phase IV: Running i-Tree Upload or manual data entry Import existing inventories Error checking Rechecking data in the field Reporting results Exporting results

I-PED Pest Detection Module (beta) Standard protocol for pest & disease recording Portable Future integration with data repository Use MSP zone map

Streets Helps You: Justify and leverage funds Quantify Street tree benefit values Empower Advocacy Plan, prioritize, and budget Benchmark progress You need to understand what you want before embarking on a project, streets can help you do many things. It may be all or one of these things.

Linking Trees to Community Values EAB Functional Impacts $243,785 less pollutant removal $138,000 less energy savings (cooling costs) $261,000 reduction in storm water benefits (1996 study) EAB Structural Impacts 17.4% Canopy Loss $221 Million structural damage (citywide) The ability to use i-Tree data to make compelling arguments that are relevant to local issues as with the City of Milwaukee in not only justifying the structural impacts that are at risk but the loss of environmental service. They have chosen to chemically protect their trees from EAB and they have solid data to justify their decision. Milwaukee Hours  1,064 man-hours for data collection $30,681.79 for salaries and fringe benefits.  PDA's (3), I think at about $500 each.  (confirming with Ian)   The grant for the billboards was for $25,000, so we just slightly exceeded our minimum in-kind match.  Truly a win-win project for the city and i-tree.    David B. Sivyer Forestry Services Manager Zeidler Municipal Building 841 N Broadway, Room 619 City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 p. (414) 286-3729 f. (414) 286-8097 david.sivyer@milwaukee.gov

www.itreetools.org for more information al.zelaya@davey.com Using i-Tree Results to Advance Your Program