Counting Trees
Street Tree Inventory
Data collected will provide valuable information on Janesville's urban forest
One
warm fall afternoon JSTAC members Mary Ann Kroehn-Buenzow and Mary
Thompson spent several hours walking up and down Woodlane Drive in
Janesville. They weren't taking a stroll. They were
counting trees. On other days other two member teams have done
much the same at locations all over the city.
The JSTAC 2007
Street Tree Inventory was devised and undertaken to collect vital
information on the condition of Janesville's urban forest. That
data will help JSTAC and the City of Janesville determine how best to
serve the trees around us. Only "street trees", or those trees
that live on the terraces, will be inventoried. This is a
sample inventory, counting only 5%, or about 18 plus miles, of the 350
plus miles of Janesville streets.
Volunteers, in teams of two, take segment maps, a tree measuring tape,
"write in the rain" data sheets and pens, a tree identification field
guide and a handheld PDA (personal digital assistant) loaded with
STRATUM tree inventory software into the field. One person inputs
data from each tree or planting site into the PDA, and the other
measures the trees. Both give input on the general condition of
each tree including condition of the wood, condition of the leaves,
condition of the roots system, conflicts with overhead wires or
sidewalks and curbs. Recommendations are included as to whether
the tree needs routine or immediate maintenance, if it needs to be
"raised" to meet city laws for tree limbs or streets and sidewalks, if
it is in danger of dropping limbs or toppling due to weakness or
disease, or if it needs to be removed altogether. Potential
planting sites are identified and include recommendations for the
appropriate size trees to be planted. The inventory includes
residential, business and light commercial locations.
It is anticipated that the project will be concluded this fall.
Data collected will be analyzed to determine approximate number of
planting spots, types of trees on city terraces, general condition,
causes for concern, trees that should be removed for safety reasons,
those that need immediate care or routine maintenance. These data
can provide JSTAC and the City a way to improve the health and general
welfare of Janesville's urban forest.
Funding for the inventory was through urban forestry grants. All
labor is being done by JSTAC members and unpaid volunteers.