{"id":5348,"date":"2011-02-09T09:37:05","date_gmt":"2011-02-09T14:37:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/?p=5348"},"modified":"2011-02-14T08:17:25","modified_gmt":"2011-02-14T13:17:25","slug":"counting-trees-and-planning-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/news\/2011\/02\/09\/counting-trees-and-planning-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Counting trees and planning for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><center><iframe src=\"http:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/19523760?portrait=0\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<strong>Raleigh&#8217;s Urban Forester Sally Thigpen discusses her work and the street tree inventory underway this month.<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Ben Brusie stands near Granada Drive and Tyson Street, facing a house. He counts his paces &#8212; 15\u00a0 \u2013 and walks onto the lawn.<\/p>\n<p>Wearing a bright yellow helmet and an odd-looking backpack, Brusie examines the nearest tree, making notes on a tablet device. He then holds a stick up to the tree, makes another note and moves on, counting his paces.<\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t already, you might see Brusie or someone like him wandering around your street.<\/p>\n<p>He is not trespassing, and no, he\u2019s not checking for UFOs. Bruise is an urban forester, part of a team taking a street tree inventory in Raleigh this month.<\/p>\n<p>Raleigh\u2019s first street inventory, to be exact.<\/p>\n<p>And long overdue, according to Sally Thigpen, Raleigh\u2019s urban forester.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s critical,\u201d Thigpen said. \u201cIt is very routine for urban forest management to pursue and get a street tree inventory for your city. Charlotte\u2019s got one, Greensboro\u2019s got one &#8230;\u00a0 It\u2019s kind of like Urban Forest Management 101: Get a street tree inventory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center><img src=\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/tree-count-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><br \/>\nBen Brusie counts trees in the city right-of-way. Photo by Jennifer Wig.<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>What is a Street Tree Inventory? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A street tree inventory is a complete survey of all trees and planting sites within the city right-of-way or on city-owned land such as parks. This data will enable Thigpen and her team to better manage Raleigh\u2019s urban forest.<\/p>\n<p>Thigpen and her crew of eight maintenance workers have a lot of ground to cover: more than 1,100 miles of street right of way, 9,000 acres of parks, about 63 miles of greenways and all the city cemeteries and properties.<\/p>\n<p>After a large ice storm, her crews are out in full force, cleaning up dead limbs and removing potential hazards. The only trees they don\u2019t manage are those planted under power lines, which are maintained by Progress Energy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty daunting resource that we have to maintain,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to make sure the trees are safe for people using the public right of way and our trails, that there aren\u2019t any hazardous trees that could impact pedestrians and vehicular traffic. And because don\u2019t have a really good grasp of what our resource is, we are very much reactionary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img src=\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/neighborwoodsbox.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"right\" \/><strong>Why do we need one? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thigpen relies on inspectors, parks and recreation staff and citizens to report when city trees are old, decaying or hazardous.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing what kind of trees are planted in the city, where they are and what condition they are in will enable Thigpen and her crew to work more efficiently. The data will help identify where trees are needed, help them prioritize which trees need to be pruned or removed and will document the benefits of the urban forest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt allows us to create a strategic plan on how we\u2019re going to manage the resource into the future, what our needs are going to be to do it effectively,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The inventory began in early 2010 with interns who are studying forestry at NC State. Working part-time, the interns managed to collect the species, size and condition information of trees in the Northeast section of Raleigh \u2013 about 25-30 percent of the city.<\/p>\n<p>Thigpen used a grant of $10,000 from the Division of Forest Resources, plus a match from the city, to pay for that portion of the project. Money from the city\u2019s Sustainability Fund &#8211; $175,000 \u2013 will pay for an outside firm, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.davey.com\/business\/davey-resource-group.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Davey Resource Group<\/a>, to collect data for about 70,000 trees inside the Beltline.<\/p>\n<p>With full-time crews, Davey will have its section complete at the end of February. At that point, the tree survey will be about 60 percent complete. Thigpen is still seeking funding for the final portion, but hopes to find grant money or city funding to complete the project by the end of 2011.<\/p>\n<p>The data gathered will be invaluable, she said, from knowing just how much carbon the city\u2019s street trees are sequestering to how much space out there still needs trees.<\/p>\n<p><center><img src=\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Caption-Trees-good-for-planting-in-an-urban-environment..jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can identify areas in the city that have fewer street trees and we can target those for planting rather than saying, \u2018Oh I know there\u2019s a new neighborhood that just went in in southeast Raleigh. Let\u2019s go offer them some trees.\u2019 Now we can really do it much more equitably and with a much clearer picture of what the needs are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Knowing the type of trees in Raleigh will help prevent a widespread wipeout from disease, Thigpen said. Many cities, including Cary, are losing stands of Hemlock trees to a non-native bug, the <a href=\"http:\/\/images.google.com\/imgres?imgurl=http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/naturescience\/images\/HWA.jpg&amp;imgrefurl=http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/grsm\/naturescience\/hemlock-woolly-adelgid.htm&amp;usg=__dwF_O9_osRKnTGJZ5vrdjvFNQmo=&amp;h=279&amp;w=225&amp;sz=24&amp;hl=en&amp;start=0&amp;sig2=IsEz4--Bkp1Uo5bcP\" target=\"_blank\">wooly adelgid<\/a>. Midwestern cities, heavily planted with a type of Ash, have been decimated by the Emerald Ash Borer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo when I look at some of the numbers we have now, that shows us that we have 20, 25 percent Maple, that makes me concerned,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to increase our diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The public will also have access to the tree information through <a href=\"http:\/\/imaps.co.wake.nc.us\/imaps\/\" target=\"_blank\">iMAPS<\/a>, and will be able to see that the huge tree near their neighbor\u2019s house is a 28-inch red Maple in great condition.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s that guy doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So back to Ben Brusie and his coworkers from Davey Resource Group. The company conducts street tree inventories nationwide. Brusie and his cohorts are arborists certified by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isa-arbor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">International Society of Aboriculture<\/a>. Brusie\u2019s yellow pack holds a GPS tracker, sticking up to locate his signal. In his hands, Brusie holds a tablet with the map \u2013 sort of like looking at Google maps on your phone or iPad. His version also shows the lines depicting the city\u2019s right of way and his exact location. At each tree, he enters the location and address. He notes the tree\u2019s scientific name and common name. He then uses a measuring stick called a Biltmore stick to measure the tree\u2019s diameter at breast height.<\/p>\n<p>Then he moves on, counting 15 paces down the street. If no tree is there, he observes whether one could be planted. Is there room? Are there power lines in the way or a fire hydrant? And so on.<\/p>\n<p><center><img src=\"http:\/\/www.raleighpublicrecord.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/tree-count-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><br \/>\nPhoto by Jennifer Wig.<\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why is an urban forest so important? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It may seem like a lot of time, energy and money is spent worrying about the number and condition of the city\u2019s trees. But the trees have many benefits.<\/p>\n<p>On average, a tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime. Trees can also help a city with stormwater mitigation, erosion control, improving water quality, reducing a building\u2019s energy costs and supporting urban wildlife.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from that, people just feel safer when there are more trees, Thigpen said. More people walk in tree-lined areas because it\u2019s a buffer between them and vehicles, she said.<\/p>\n<p>And believe it or not, money really does grow on trees. Studies indicate that people who shop in areas with big trees actually spend more money than those shopping in concrete jungles. Real estate values are also higher when there are more trees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s kind of an unconscious thing, but when you\u2019re driving down a tree-lined street, it\u2019s somewhere people prefer to be. They just like it better,\u201d she said. \u201cThat means ch-ching dollars for the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo there\u2019s real hard science behind this stuff. We don\u2019t just plant trees because they\u2019re pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>So how is the City of Oaks doing? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Raleigh\u2019s nickname is not without merit. Of the 65,000 street trees inventoried so far, 4,578 are Oaks. That\u2019s around 7 percent. Thigpen guesses Davey\u2019s crews will find many more Oaks inside the beltline.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Davey\u2019s workers said the biggest tree they\u2019ve measured so far was 80 inches in diameter &#8212; on an Oak tree downtown.<\/p>\n<p>However, the street tree inventory will not indicate the city\u2019s overall canopy cover. Thigpen guesses Raleigh\u2019s canopy \u2013 like that of many cities \u2013 is declining, despite laws requiring conservation and buffers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre we losing in the short run? Absolutely. Anytime we have to cut down a big tree, that\u2019s 50 years, 100 years it takes for a tree to get really large. That\u2019s a hit, it really is,\u201d she said. \u201cAs long as we\u2019re planting them back, I think we\u2019re doing OK.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thigpen said Raleigh has been proactive about planting in developed areas. For example, 400 trees will be planted this spring in the area where Edwards Mill Road was expanded. She said contributions from Umstead and the other many state- and city-owned parks help the area tremendously.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrees grow in this town. We have a lot of trees so that makes me very confident that even though we\u2019re always playing catch up in the city and fighting development,\u201d Thigpen said. Planting trees, she said, \u201cis just part of the plan now. It\u2019s just automatic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Future <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Still, Thigpen hopes she can convince someone with grant funding that Raleigh\u2019s trees need to be inventoried \u2013 not just to complete this first step, but to monitor the city\u2019s trees in the future. Ideally, she would inventory a different section of the city each year on a rotating basis.<\/p>\n<p>Doing so could save lives, she said. Just last month a tree killed someone when it fell and crushed an occupied vehicle in Gatlinburg,  Tenn. A similar incident happened on Old Stage Road in Garner in 2009. That tree was on private property and would not have been impacted by the inventory. But Thigpen said that does not mean the city shouldn\u2019t do its best to prevent those types of problems on its land.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we had a complete street inventory we\u2019d be able to identify trees that are in poor condition and do some proactive maintenance on them rather than waiting for something like this to happen during a thunderstorm,\u201d she said. \u201cA lot of cities use street tree inventories as a management tool, and with Raleigh the Capital City, we should really be the leader in the state for urban forest management.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Foresters in Raleigh are on a mission to count every tree in the city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24025,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[48,15,23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5348"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24025"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5348\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theraleighcommons.org\/raleighpublicrecord\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}