A Compilation of Urban Tree Studies

<br /><br /> More than sixty percent of Georgia&#8217;s citizens live within an urban area. These citizens greatly benefit from the trees that grow in Georgia&#8217;s communities. Trees have many benefits. They provide oxygen, filter air and water, reduce water runoff, increase property values, and provide habitat for urban wildlife, just to name a few.<br /><br /> Tree inventories, CITYgreen&#174; analyses and tree canopy studies are three methods used to measure the quantity and quality of the trees within urban forests. Each method requires unique procedures, measures different parameters and provides its own conclusions. However, each method is useful within certain guidelines.<br /><br /> A tree inventory gathers information about individual trees within a given area. The immediate purpose of this type of study is to determine the characteristics and needs of the trees, while the long term purpose is to develop a management program for the urban forest. The data is gathered through field inspections of trees.<br /><br /> CITYgreen&#174; analyses map the urban ecology and measure the economic benefits of trees and green space. The purpose of this type of study is to attach real dollar values to tree cover benefits. CITYgreen&#174; gathers information from aerial photographs and field inspections. <br /><br /> A tree canopy study measures the amount of area that is covered with a tree canopy. Tree canopy can be visualized as the connectedness of the tops of trees (tree crowns) if you are looking down on the earth&#8217;s surface from outer space. Streets and other infrastructure can be covered with tree canopy from this view. The main purposes for this type of study are to measure the change in canopy cover over time, and to make decisions to affect this change. This type of study uses satellite and/or aerial photographs that are analyzed by computers or manually.<br /><br /> The Georgia Forestry Commission, through grant funds provided by the USDA Forest Service Urban &amp; Community Forestry Financial Assistance Program, has provided cities of all sizes from across the state of Georgia with funding to conduct tree inventories, CITYgreen&#174; analyses and tree canopy studies. The findings from these grant projects are highlighted in this document.<br /><br />

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