Inventory/ Consultation
Inventory/Consultation
Like many things, it’s difficult to manage something unless you know what you have, and difficult to know how to get to where you want to be without exercising “back casting” in planning a desirable future for your tree assets.
Since the Derecho of last May, the public has become aware that trees are intimately tied to infrastructure. Simply put, trees do not conform to our built environment. Furthermore, urban trees often develop problematic growth habits compared to trees in a forested habitat. They also suffer a great deal from several environmental stressors. Ottawa is a city that maintains a minimum of 40% canopy cover as a goal in urban planning, therefore, careful thought needs to go into choosing and locating trees strategically and managing them proactively. Typically, if this is deferred, tree benefits are not maximized, and cost burden for managing trees accumulates.
How does tree inventory work?
The typical information that is entered into a tree inventory is location, size, vigour, hazard assessment, tree care history, future recommendations, and maintenance cycles.
Essentially the information is geolocated to a tagged tree in Google Earth. The tag could consist of a traditional tree tag like the one below.
Alternatively, and more educational in public settings are tree tags that name the tree and is searchable by QR codes like the one below..
Example
Below is an example of an inventory that Urban Tree Works did a few years ago for a condominium. The Google Earth file (.kmz) is currently accessible to the board of directors and the property management group. Hovering over each pin quickly identifies the tree species, where it is on the property, and all the data associated with that tree. Trees marked in red were considered a priority.
As well, all the trees and their associated data are exported to an Excel Tree Report (shown below) so, at a glance, you can see which trees are a priority in the maintenance cycle. The tracking data is key to having a management plan for tree assets as it gives a timeline of tree maintenance cycles and prioritizes work. This is clocked in relation to the Tree Risk Factor (TRF) that is determined upon initial assessment of the tree. A logical statement uses the TRF to determine the next maintenance cycle. If todays date is > the maintenance cycle date, then a Service Required value is added to “Service Notification” After, tree work is completed the TRF is reset to another number (usually 4).
Benefits
It is worth noting that recommendations are based on best practises that are developed by the International Society of Arboriculture. Recommendations, however, also need to tie into the over arching management goals. These goals usually evolve over time as the composition of trees, the status of trees and land use changes(eg. gardens, road traffic, pedestrian traffic, playgrounds, snow removal etc.)
There is an inherent advantage to having the consulting arborist do the initial intake for the inventory and being the full tree service company that does the tree care. As the owner and operator of Urban Tree Works, when I carry out tree service, I roll in the cost of updating the inventory and monitoring changes that I see in other trees, either from the ground or aerially. The risk of strictly being a consultant creating vast inventories, is not enough monitoring and tracking of the data. An inventory that collects dust defeats the purpose. It should be constantly evolving.
As a testament to this inventory, there was one or two broken branches after last years derecho. There are a number of trees that are supported with cables. Had they failed the damage could have been severe. A significant number of trees failed throughout the city because they were unsupported. As a result of managing and tracking the above trees proactively, more damage was averted.
As time goes on, the tree report becomes more informative as the fields for recommended Service and History are filled in.
Geospatial tree data tracked through a tree inventory is essential for strategic management of urban tree assets. The result is lower maintenance costs, higher property values and maximizes the benefits of trees.
Tree inventories that track the status of trees are particularly important for condominiums where there are multiple trees, sometimes without continuity of care. Having a tree inventory makes managing trees more proactive and not reactive. Proper maintenance cycles result in less costly tree care, greater perpetuity and ultimately increases property value along with the net benefit of trees . This is particularly true if the right tree for the right location is given overarching consideration. This is essentially why geolocation of trees is so important.
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