Maximizing the Environmental Services and Value of Plano s Urban Forest

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1 Maximizing the Environmental Services and Value of Plano s Urban Forest 2014 City of Plano Urban Forest Ecosystem Assessment Micah Pace Urban Forestry Consultant Preservation Tree Services, Inc. Climate Resilience and Adaptation Symposium University of Texas at Arlington, TX February 6, 2015

2 Environmental Services Defined Ecosystem services have been defined differently by ecologists, economists and land managers Usually defined in reference to humans and their well-being. It is therefore distinctive from ecosystem functions, which occur whether or not there are any humans who benefit. quantifying and assessing ecosystem services allow for a systematic and comprehensive accounting of the environmental benefits people receive from forests. (Boyd and Banzhaf, 2007; Fisher and Turner, 2008)

3 Environmental Services Defined continued the specific results of ecosystem functions that either directly sustain or enhance human life. (Brown et al. 2007) aspects of ecosystems utilized actively or passively, directly or indirectly to produce human well-being. (Fisher et al. 2009) only components of nature that are directly enjoyed, consumed or used to produce human well-being should be counted as final ecosystem services. Boyd and Banzhaf (2007) and Kroeger and Casey (2007)

4 Examples of Environmental Services Air Quality Improvement Carbon Sequestration and Storage Storm Water Retention Energy Savings Examples of Social Benefits Aesthetics Lower Crime Rates Increased Health and Medical Recovery Increased Property Value Increased Retail Sales

5 Key facts of the City of Plano Urban Forest Number of trees: 1,690,000 Tree cover: 16.4% Plantable Space: 19% Most common species: Sugarberry, Cedar elm, American elm Percentage of trees less than 6" (15.2 cm) diameter: 64.4% Pollution removal: 337 metric tons/year ($1.73 million/year) Carbon storage: 214,000 metric tons ($15.2 million) Carbon sequestration: 14,500 metric tons/year ($1.04 million/year) Building energy savings: $1.86 million/year Avoided carbon emissions: $262 thousand/year Annual Rainfall Interception: 6.7 million ft 3 /year ($445 thousand/year) Structural value: $1.61 billion For more information on i-eco or any of the itree tools please visit To request more information on the Plano study contact Angela Kralik at angelak@plano.gov

6 Species Composition 38% of Plano s UF made up of only 3 species Rule

7 Diameter (Size) Distribution 64% of population less than 6 DBH Classic reverse-j curve Young forest

8 Canopy Coverage Tree cover: 16.4% 4 species make up over 50% of city s canopy coverage (Cedar elm, Sugarberry, Live oak, and Shumard oak)

9 Condition Ratings for Species with highest Leaf Area % Cedar elm (17%) Sugarberry (13%) Live oak (12%) Shumard oak (11%) 1% Dead 3% Dead 0% Dead 0% Dead 0% Critical 0% Critical 0% Critical 0% Critical 9% Poor 6% Poor 2% Poor 0% Poor 19% Fair 7% Fair 4% Fair 7% Fair 31% Good 19% Good 14% Good 28% Good 40% Excellent 66% Excellent 80% Excellent 65% Excellent

10 Importance Value for Top 10 Species Live oak is the 3 rd most important species in Plano not because of how many there are but because of their SIZE (canopy cover) Only 5 th most populous Species Name Percent Population Percent Leaf Area Cedar elm Sugarberry Live oak American elm Shumard oak IV Crepe myrtle Green ash Baldcypress Common persimmon Callery pear 'bradford' (Importance values (IV) are calculated as the sum of relative leaf area and relative composition.)

11 Structural Value by Species Structural value: $1.6 billion

12 Carbon Sequestration by Species

13 Rainfall Interception by Land Cover Class Land Cover Class Number of Trees Leaf Area (mi 2 ) Rainfall Interception (ft 3 /yr) Rainfall Interception Value ($) Deciduous Forest $ 101, Developed High Intensity $ 18, Developed Low Intensity $ 112, Developed Medium Intensity $ 168, Developed Open $ 34, Evergreen Forest $ Herbaceous Grassland $ 6, Woody Wetlands $ 3, Total 1,690, ,688, $ 445, Rainfall Interception is calculated by the price $0.067/ft3

14 Rainfall Interception by Species Rainfall Interception for Trees in City of Plano by Species Species Name Tree Number Leaf Area (mi 2 ) Rainfall Interception (ft 3 /yr) Rainfall Interception Value ($) Cedar elm 206, , $76, Sugarberry 262, $56, Live oak 102, $52, Shumard oak 63, $47, Baldcypress $25, American elm 166, $22, Callery pear 'bradford' 32, $16, Red mulberry 10, $16, Lagerstroemia spp 143, $15, Pecan 27, $14,615 Water interception is calculated by the price $0.067/ft 3

15 City Total for Trees

16 Texas Related Studies Per Tree Benefit Values for Several itree Eco Studies in Texas Location Year Scale # of Trees Acres Tree/Acre # of Species Canopy Cover (%) Carbon Storage ($) Carbon Sequestration ($/yr) Energy Savings ($/yr) Air Quality ($/yr) Rainfall Interception ($/yr) Average of All Benefits ($) Structural / Replacement Value ($) Houston 2005 Region (8 County) 663,000,000 4,851, NA Arlington 2009 City 2,965,000 65, Mesquite 2012 City 2,091,000 29, El Paso 2013 City 1,281, , ,272 Plano 2014 City 1,690,000 46, Per Acre Benefit Values for Several itree Eco Studies in Texas Location Year Scale # of Trees Acres Tree/Acre # of Species Canopy Cover (%) Carbon Storage ($) Carbon Sequestration ($/yr) Energy Savings ($/yr) Air Quality ($/yr) Rainfall Interception ($/yr) Average of All Benefits ($) Structural / Replacement Value ($) Houston 2005 Region (8 County) 663,000,000 4,851, NA ,458 Arlington 2009 City 2,965,000 65, ,496 Mesquite 2012 City 2,091,000 29, ,685 El Paso 2013 City 1,281, , ,937 Plano 2014 City 1,690,000 46, ,977

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18 Where are the trees? Where can we plant more? Trees are where we might expect them to be! Nearly 50% of the city is unplantable, but with 37% grass cover there are clear opportunities Here s the opportunity to increase Plano s canopy cover and thus BENEFITS 37% of Plano has grass cover and 19% is Plantable

19 Urban Heat Island Effect Analysis

20 % Total Vegetation by Neighborhood

21 % Total Impervious

22 % Dark Impervious

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25 Increasing Canopy Coverage as a Tool Identify areas with relatively lower vegetative cover Identify areas with relatively higher levels of impervious surfaces Identify partnerships (public-private) to develop planting projects Corporate sponsors Citizen volunteers Community events

26 Quality Canopy vs Quantity Finite planting locations carrying capacity of canopy cover Strategic Plantings defining objectives and establishing key tasks to achieve those goals (e.g. replace older/invasive trees, increase canopy cover over parking lots, etc ) measurable dynamics (i.e. change in canopy cover over time, increased tons of carbon stored, increased ft 3 of storm water intercepted)

27 Flown in 2001 Example from Arlington UF loss due to Development Flown in 2009

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30 Trees are Assets Management adds value by increasing return on investment

31 Summary Trees are community assets that provide us with numerous environmental services and social benefits. Benefits increase with tree size and health Proper tree care for existing trees (and installation and establishment for new trees) help to ensure trees reach large beneficial sizes. Proper tree selection, planting, and early pruning are the key 3 activities for quality care A tree inventory can provide the necessary data to make sound management decisions and reduce risk A professional forester/arborist adds value to any development/planning job.

32 Thank You! Micah Pace Preservation Tree Service