Shelburne Urban Tree Inventory

Transcription

1 Shelburne Urban Tree Inventory Prepared for the Town of Shelburne by the Land Stewardship Program June 2014

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3 Contents Acknowledgements... 3 About the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program... 3 About LANDS... 2 Executive Summary... 3 Introduction... 4 Project Description... 4 Importance of the Urban Forest... 4 Shelburne Community Profile... 5 Methodology... 6 Inventory Results... 7 Urban Forest Diversity... 7 Urban Forest Structure... 8 Urban Forest Health... 8 Monetary Value and Ecosystem Services... 9 Discussion and Recommendations Urban Forest Management Monetary Benefits of the Urban Forest Maintenance Recommendations Conclusion Literature Cited Appendix: Figures, Diagrams and Maps... 15

4 Acknowledgements This report was created by the Land Stewardship (LANDS) intern team based on our work done for the Town of Shelburne, Vermont during the summer of The LANDS crew would like to thank Elise Schadler for her guidance and support during our inventory. We would also like to thank the Town Manager, Joe Colangelo, for presenting LANDS with information about the Town of Shelburne and the Shelburne Tree Advisory Committee. LANDS is grateful to the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) at UVM and the Student Conservation Association (SCA) for facilitating this internship program. We also greatly appreciate the Aiken Center at UVM for providing resources and housing during our office work days. About the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program The field of forestry management is not confined to the natural areas and forests of Vermont, but extends to the urban and rural spaces where trees play numerous important roles. The trees in public parks, roadsides, town greens, and municipal forests compose our community forests and merit careful stewardship. The Vermont Urban & Community Forestry (VT UCF) program is a division of the Vermont Forestry Department, whose mission is to promote the stewardship of urban and rural landscapes to enhance the quality of life in Vermont communities (Vermont Urban & Community Forest, 2001). Since 1991, the program has been guided by a staff and a twenty-member advisory council. The council meets quarterly to share information and advise the program, and these meetings are open to the public. The members come from various professional associations, non-profits, educational institutions, tree boards, regional officials, and state agencies (Vermont Urban & Community Forest, 2001). The group encourages active membership, strong leadership, and community involvement to create efficient and lasting management solutions.

5 Urban forests offer a wide variety of environmental, social, and economic benefits to the surrounding community, including stormwater control, CO 2 sequestering, and aesthetic value. VT UCF seeks to maximize these benefits by protecting and bolstering the urban forest s ecological integrity and diversity. Funded in part by a grant from the USDA Forest Service, VT UCF assists communities with planning, planting, and caring for their community forests. With more than $1,000,000 in grants, the program has provided assistance to over 150 Vermont communities. The program also provides local training and workshops, educational brochures, and newsletters for the public. All the material and assistance provided by the program is designed to further their mission of enhancing local communities across Vermont. About LANDS The field of conservation is rapidly evolving to meet the growing demands of society. New ideas and strategies are changing how we conserve and steward the land; The Land Stewardship Program (LANDS) is one of these new ideas. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps model was pioneered as a means to promote stewardship in the nation and provide jobs for the unemployed. The idea has since been reinvented many times by local and state corps across the United States. However, the theme is the same: young people learning and growing through service. LANDS is an innovative College Conservation Corps designed to train tomorrow s conservationist practitioners and leaders, and is a pilot partnership between the University of Vermont and the Student Conservation Association in its eighth year of successful programming. Thanks to college-level education and prior experience in environmental science fields, LANDS interns are able to take on projects that are more technical than the work traditionally done by conservation crews. LANDS interns draft management plans, map areas of interest using GPS and GIS, inventory resources, survey for non-native species, survey soils, and evaluate river geomorphology. Municipalities, land trusts, state agencies, university researchers, national forests and parks, and volunteer-managed conservation organizations all benefit from LANDS s high quality, affordable services. LANDS interns are advanced undergraduates and recent graduates with natural resource experience from all over the world, and they bring a wide range 2

6 of skills and interests to the program. LANDS is a unique service-learning model that addresses an ever-expanding list of conservation needs, while training students as future environmental leaders. Executive Summary This report was prepared in July 2014 by the UVM/SCA LANDS crew. It presents an inventory and basic assessment of the trees in the Town of Shelburne, Vermont. Shelburne is a small town located along the shores of Lake Champlain just south of Burlington, Vermont s most populous city. This town of 22.3 square miles recently became interested in compiling an inventory of trees within the village of Shelburne, which lies in the center of town. The LANDS crew, in cooperation with the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program, completed a tree inventory for the major town-owned properties and within the public right-ofway (ROW) for a majority of the village s roadways. Data collected for each tree included the diameter at breast height (DBH) of the tree, a classification of its condition, and the species name. LANDS found that the majority of trees surveyed, 87.7 percent, were in good condition, and there is a wide variety of species. There is a mix of mature and young trees, with the highest percentage of trees having a DBH of between six and 18 inches. LANDS recommends that the Town of Shelburne work on continuing to increase the diversity of tree species, as well as working to replace the non-native and invasive Norway maple, which we found to be the dominant tree in the right-of-way. Overall, Shelburne is continuing to improve the resilience of their urban forest by maintaining the health and diversity of their trees. The trees in turn provide many ecosystem services and monetary benefits, including carbon dioxide reduction, storm water control, improvements in air quality, energy use, and aesthetics. Shelburne s trees contribute to an approximate savings of nearly $50,000 annually. 3

7 Introduction Project Description In order to better understand the structure and benefits of the urban forest in the Town of Shelburne, LANDS conducted a comprehensive public tree inventory. Over the course of two days, the majority of street trees within the public right-of-way in Shelburne were documented, and data on the location, species, and overall health of each tree were recorded. Shelburne is one of twenty towns that the Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program (VT UCF) will work with to advance their urban and community forestry programs. VT UCF will support Shelburne in three steps: (1) conducting an inventory of urban forest structure, diversity, and health, (2) helping the town develop a management plan using information from the inventory, and (3) providing technical training for volunteers and town employees to properly care for and manage public trees. This project was the first step. The Town of Shelburne hopes to expand its urban forest by planting trees as well as increasing community involvement by encouraging private landowners to care for trees adjacent to their properties. Therefore, included in the inventory are vacant areas of public land that have potential for tree planting. VT UCF is funded in part by the Care of the Urban Forest Grant, sponsored by the USDA Forest Service. This multi-year grant project allows UCF to remain in contact with each town and assist their management projects over a number of years while each town implements VT UCF recommendations. Importance of the Urban Forest Urban trees improve the quality of life for Vermont communities in a variety of ways. One benefit is the aesthetic value that trees provide to a street, home, or public space, which is both enjoyable to users of the space and can significantly increase property value. During the heat of summer, public trees create shade in busy areas such as sidewalks and parks. Many types of urban wildlife such as birds and squirrels depend on trees as sources of food and shelter. Urban 4

8 trees deliver numerous ecosystem services including mitigation of storm runoff, improvements in air quality, and temperature regulation through reduction of the heat island effect. Trees can also dampen the noise pollution common in an urban environment. Additionally, urban forests create opportunities for environmental education, community engagement and in some instances can be related to crime reduction (Schadler, 2013). An inventory of urban trees provides an account of the trees present in a community, with information about the species, size, age, health, and location of each tree. This detailed information will allow town planners to assign monetary value to urban trees and thereby place the management value of the urban forest into an economic perspective. An inventory provides information about necessary management practices, including potential for new planting sites, preventing hazards, and informing a maintenance and planting budget. In the event of a disease outbreak or insect infestation, data from an inventory may assist in monitoring and preventing the spread of a tree-borne epidemic. An inventory also has the potential to build public support for expanding community forests and to guide future urban planning. Shelburne Community Profile The Town of Shelburne is located next to Lake Champlain in the southwestern part of Chittenden County, the most populated county in the state of Vermont. It was chartered by New Hampshire on August 18, 1763 to Jesse Hallock and sixty-four associates by Governor Benning Wentworth. The town is a short distance from Burlington and the Burlington International Airport. Designated as the Lake Champlain Scenic Byway, it has a current population of 6,266 and a land area of 22.3 square miles. From the beginning, Shelburne's economy was based on farming. Today Shelburne supports a variety of businesses, including manufacturers, a wide array of service providers and retail establishments, and Wake Robin, the State's largest continuing care retirement community. Shelburne is also home to three of Vermont's most popular tourist attractions: the Shelburne Museum, Shelburne Farms and the Vermont Teddy Bear Company (Town of Shelburne, 2014). 5

9 Methodology From June 18 th to the 19 th, 2014, four groups walked along pre-designated streets of Shelburne, inventorying trees within the public right-of-way, or ROW, as well as identifying potential planting locations (labeled as vacant ) that fell within the ROW. A list of ROW widths for each street was used to first determine the ROW distance from the curb with the goal of differentiating publicly-owned from privately-owned trees. For every new street, the road width was measured and subtracted from the ROW. The result was then divided by two to determine the ROW distance from the curb on each side of the street in accordance with the following equations. ROW width = distance from curb + road width ROW distance from curb = (ROW width - road width)/2 Each public tree identified was recorded with Collector for ArcGIS. This application uses GPS and a base layer map to allow the user to input information about the trees in a particular geographic location, classifying them under specific categories such as fair poor or vacant. It also allows the user to input a variety of information for each GPS position recorded. For our purposes, we recorded the following: tree number, tree condition, street name, species, diameter class, consultation recommendation, additional comments, and house number. A photo was taken of each tree or vacant spot. Tree condition was divided into four classes: Good: Full canopy (75-100%), no dieback of branches over 2 in diameter, no significant defects, minimal mechanical damage Fair: Thinning canopy (50-75%), medium to low new growth, significant mechanical damage, obvious defects/insects/disease, foliage off-color and/or sparse Poor: Declining (25-50%), visible dead branches over 2 in diameter, significant dieback, severe mechanical damage or decay (Over 40% of a stem affected) Dead: No signs of life, bark peeling; scratch test on twigs for signs of life 6

10 Each tree was examined to determine if it needed a consultation from the town. A consultation was recommended if the tree had a defect affecting >40% of the tree, if the tree posed a hazard to people, infrastructure or cars or was growing into utility wires, if the tree was dead or in poor condition, or if an ash tree showed evidence of emerald ash borer. The data was then compiled and constructed into multiple tables and graphs. These figures were analyzed to create recommendations for the Town of Shelburne. Inventory Results Urban Forest Diversity Among the 722 trees that LANDS surveyed, a total of 49 species were recorded. Of those 49 species, Norway maple was the most common, followed by apple, red maple, and sugar maple. White and green ash, blue spruce, silver maple, large evergreen conifers, and honey locusts complete the top ten most common trees found in Shelburne. Figure 1. Top 10 most common tree species in Shelburne, VT town right-of-way. 7

11 Urban Forest Structure The majority of the trees, 56.2%, had a diameter at breast height (DBH) of 6-18 inches. Seventeen and one-half percent of trees had a DBH of 0 to 6 inches, while about 26% had a DBH of more than 18 inches. Figure 2. Diameter Class for all trees in Shelburne, VT town right-of-way Urban Forest Health The LANDS crew classified the condition of 87.7% of the 722 trees surveyed as good, indicating that the urban forest is in overall good health. Fair trees made up a small percentage, 8.7%, while poor trees made up 2.9% and dead trees 0.7%. 8

12 Figure 3. Condition classes for all trees in Shelburne, VT town right-of-way Monetary Value and Ecosystem Services We used the itree program to calculate the monetary estimates of ecosystem services provided by Shelburne s trees. Six different categories of benefits were identified: energy conservation, aesthetic value, air quality improvement, CO 2 reduction, electricity and natural gas reduction, stored CO 2, and stormwater control. On average, each public tree offers $134 annually in savings or services, and in total they contribute $49,585 annually. Benefit Type Benefit Description Total Value of Trees Average value/tree Inventoried Energy conservation Reduced natural gas $21,489 $66.32 use in winter and reduced electricity use for air conditioning in summer Carbon dioxide Annual reductions in atmospheric CO2 due to sequestration by trees and reduced emissions from power plants due to reduced energy use. The model accounts $467 $1.44 9

13 for CO2 released as trees die and decompose and CO2 released during the care and maintenance of trees. Air quality Quantifies the air $4,001 $12.35 pollutants (O3, NO2, SO2, PM10) deposited on tree surfaces and reduced emissions from power plants (NO2, PM10, VOCs, SO2) due to reduced electricity use. Also reported are the potential negative effects of trees on air quality due to BVOC emissions. Stormwater Reductions in annual $5,458 $16.85 stormwater run-off due to rainfall interception by trees. Aesthetic/other Tangible and $12,056 $37.21 intangible benefits of trees reflected in increases in property values. Stored carbon dioxide Tallies all of the $6,114 $18.87 carbon dioxide stored in the urban forest over the life of the trees as a result of sequestration. Totals $49,585 $ Table 1. Summary of ecosystem services from Shelburne trees. 10

14 Discussion and Recommendations Urban Forest Management A successful urban forestry program requires a combination of organized leadership, comprehensive information about the tree population, dedicated personnel, and effective public relations. We recommend the following components for successful urban forest management. Public Policies: A tree ordinance or policy provides authority for conducting forestry programs, defining municipal responsibility for public and private trees, passing regulations and setting minimum standards for urban forestry management. Leadership: Define who is responsible for the oversight of the community forest, including formulating policies, advising, administration, management, representation and/or advocacy. Partnerships: A well-managed urban forest takes the work of many. Seek strategic partnership to meet a shared vision. At a minimum the tree warden, a local advisory committee like a tree board or conservation commission and municipal staff (parks, roads, planning) should collaborate. Responsibility: A clear understanding of which trees and areas will be managed is an important first step. Street trees, parks and village greens, cemeteries and schools are typical areas of municipal responsibility. Assessment: A complete tree inventory, including tree locations, species, condition, and management needs provides the necessary information to manage the resource. An inventory is the foundation to developing a strategic management plan. Management Plan: A management plan provides a vision for the long-term management of the community forest. It should include strategies, budgets, and responsibilities for meeting that vision. Staffing: The care of urban forest requires a certain skill set that can be found in-house with professional staff or through consultants. Whether creating a staff position for a certified arborist or urban forester, or contracting with them on an as-needed basis, professional assistance will have some of the greatest and most immediate impacts on a community forestry program. 11

15 Tree Canopy Goals: Consider a community s entire tree canopy to reduce loss and maximize gains over time by protecting undeveloped forest and impacts of land development, enhance the health condition and function of forests, and reforest through active replanting or allowing regeneration. Monetary Benefits of the Urban Forest The trees of Shelburne provide services to the town in the following ways: Aesthetics: Urban trees can make an urban or suburban environment a more pleasant and satisfying place to live, work, and spend leisure time (Dwyer et al. 1991). In monetary terms, presence of shade trees can significantly increase property value. There are also numerous health benefits to trees. For example, hospital patients with window views of trees have been shown to recover faster than patients without such views (Ulrich 1984). Air quality: Trees improve air quality by removing air pollutants through their leaves, altering emissions from building energy use, and by lowering air temperature. Energy use: Trees influence thermal comfort and energy use by providing shade, transpiring moisture, and reducing wind speeds. Over 100 million trees have been established around residences in the U.S. and it saves $2 billion annually in reduced energy costs (Akbari et al. 1988). Stored CO2: Urban trees can affect climate change by storing carbon in their tissues and reduce emissions through lowered building energy use. Urban trees in the contiguous United States store 770 million tons of carbon, which is valued at $14.4 billion (Nowak and Crane 2002). Storm water run-off: Trees and soil improve water quality and reduce costs associated with storm water treatment by retaining or slowing flow of precipitation. Maintenance Recommendations Norway maple is the most prevalent species in Shelburne, and is a non-native invasive species. Although they are aesthetically pleasing and make great trees in groomed areas, Norway maple can spread into nearby forests and out-compete native species such as sugar maple. A recommendation is to discontinue planting Norway maple trees and remove any rogue saplings found nearby. Both white and green ash were also prevalent in Shelburne, and these trees are 12

16 threatened by the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB). Ash trees should be consulted and monitored for signs of the EAB, and additional ash should not be planted. Native trees such as red or white oak could replace the planting of Norway maple and ash, as could any other species of similar growth form and stature. Another recommendation is to continue planting a diverse array of species, which will contribute to the health and resilience of Shelburne s urban forest. Encouraging residents to plant more trees on their properties outside of the public ROW is encouraged and can be aided by sharing the facts and figures on monetary savings and ecosystem services. The VTUCF offers a Tree Selection Tool on its website, to identify suitable trees for specific locations. Shelburne s urban forest is well-maintained with healthy, diverse trees. With the majority of the trees in good condition, and few dead trees throughout town, little maintenance is needed. Notably, the LANDS crew did not find any indication of EAB or other invasive pests. Continuing to promote the health and longevity of trees by pruning, tracking diseases and pests (especially EAB) and planting saplings in available spots will assist in the maintenance of this urban forest and increase its resilience to changing climates, storms, and disease for time to come. Conclusion Shelburne s urban forest saves the town about fifty thousand dollars annually through the benefits of air quality improvement, carbon storage, electricity and natural gas, aesthetics, and storm water control. On average, each tree offers $134 in service or savings every year. Shelburne is planting many new trees as well as caring for them over time, as is evident by having many saplings as well as mature trees throughout the Town. The most populous species surveyed were maple and ash species, apple, and evergreen conifers. One important note is that the 722 trees surveyed were all within the public right-of-way. These facts and figures do not reflect the value of privately owned trees. Many of the monetary savings and ecological services noted in this report could be presented and available to the public for to encourage planting and managing trees on private property. 13

17 Trees contribute much to an urban landscape including aesthetic benefits, shade and cool space in the summer, wildlife habitat and sanctuary, ecosystem services, and monetary savings. Trees can also dampen noise pollution in an urban setting, and may contribute to reducing crime. Shelburne is successfully managing their urban forest and working to increase community involvement in partnership with VT UCF and with support from the Forest Service. For continued benefits, Shelburne should focus on providing leadership, education and information, dedicated personnel, and effective public relations to support the urban forest. Literature Cited Akbari, H.; Davis, S.; Dorsano, S.; Huang, J.; Winnett, S Cooling our communities: a guidebook on tree planting and light-colored surfacing. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 217 p. Dwyer, J.F., H. W. Schroeder, and P. H. Gobster The significance of urban trees and forests: toward a deeper understanding of values. Journal of Arboriculture 17: Nowak, D.J.; D. E. Crane Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the USA. Environmental Pollution 116(3): Schadler, Elise. July Urban Trees. Lecture conducted at University of Vermont, Burlington, VT. Town of Shelburne Retrieved on June 20, Ulrich, R.S View through a window may influence recovery from surgery. Science 224: Urban & Community Forestry Retrieved June 20, 2014, from Vermont Urban & Community Forestry Program. Vermont Tree Inventory Guide. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources City of Fond du Lac: street tree benefits. Retrieved fromhttp:// 14

18 Appendix: Figures, Diagrams and Maps Figure 4. The Monetary Value of Street Trees in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 2013). 15

19 Figure 5. Composition of Shelburne s trees by species. Forty-nine species were identified. 16

20 Figure 6. Composition of Shelburne s trees by genus. Twenty-one genera were identified. Figure 7. The top 10 most common genera found in Shelburne, VT. Figure 8. Distribution of DBH classes of top 5 most frequent species in Shelburne, VT. 17

21 Figure 9. Distribution of DBH within each of the top 5 most frequent genera in Shelburne, VT. Figure 10. Distribution of condition class for top 5 most frequent species in Shelburne, VT. 18

22 Figure 11. Condition classes of the top 5 most frequent genera in Shelburne, VT. Street/site name ROW Extent (feet) Number of Trees Bacon Drive Davis Avenue Falls Road Fletcher Lane Green Hills Drive 60 9 Harbor Road Heritage Lane Hillside Terrace 60 9 John Street Laplatte Circle Littlefield Drive Maplewood Drive Marsett Road Meadow Lane Mt. Philo Road Parade Grounds/Church Street School Street/ Davis Park Shelburne Beach n/a 44 Shelburne Road Steeplebush Road Stokes Lane 60 7 Tracy Lane Village Vale Drive Figure 12. ROW extent and number of trees within the ROW for each street in Shelburne, VT 19