Statewide Urban Forest Inventory - Integrating three levels of data to optimize management

Summary

There has increasingly been a strong demand for timely, consistent, and reliable forest assessment and monitoring information for urban forests. Partners interested in urban forests want more recent information, covering a broader scope of urban forest attributes, with more analysis and reporting and easier access to program databases. In response, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry is undertaking the creation and support of a multi-layered urban forest inventory and assessment program with a focus on increasing urban forest canopy statewide.

This unique program proposes to integrate continuous cross-boundary plot-based urban forest data, remote-sensed canopy data and aggregated individual tree inventory data to provide statistically sound information on the status and trends in urban forest canopy, extent, diversity, growth, mortality, habitat, and overall health. The information will be available to state and local partners to identify and track urban forest environmental, economic and social benefits and services at multiple scales and assist managers in planning, prioritizing and decision making.

The presentation will describe program progress, highlight results of the 2002 and 2012 statewide plot-based inventory and the tree inventory aggregation component, and project how the data may be used to affect urban forest canopy.