Open AccessA Ground-Based Method of Assessing Urban Forest Structure and Ecosystem Services
Author(s) -
David J. Nowak,
Daniel E. Crane,
Jack C. Stevens,
Robert E. Hoehn,
Jeffrey T. Walton,
Jerry Bond
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
arboriculture and urban forestry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 2155-0778
pISSN - 1935-5297
DOI - 10.48044/jauf.2008.048
Subject(s) - urban forest , urban forestry , geography , environmental science , forest structure , forest health , urban ecosystem , ecosystem services , forestry , tree (set theory) , atlanta , forest ecology , urban ecology , resource (disambiguation) , agroforestry , ecosystem , ecology , metropolitan area , urban planning , mathematics , canopy , computer science , nature conservation , biology , mathematical analysis , computer network , archaeology
To properly manage urban forests, it is essential to have data on this important resource. An efficient means to obtain this information is to randomly sample urban areas. To help assess the urban forest structure (e.g., number of trees, species composition, tree sizes, health) and several functions (e.g., air pollution removal, carbon storage and sequestration), the Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) model was developed. Data collection variables and model methods are detailed and urban forest structure results are compared among 14 United States cities with average tree density ranging between 22.5 trees/ha (9.1 trees/ac) in Casper, Wyoming, U.S. to 275.8 trees/ha (111.6 trees/ac) in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Advantages and disadvantages of this ground-based method of assessing urban forest structure, functions, and values are discussed.