Measuring San José s Community Forest: a Collaborative Effort Elizabeth Lanham Arborist Technician City of San José, Department of Transportation
Agenda Pilot Study I-Tree Streets Results Database Development Training Data Collection The AmeriCorps Group Managing the Members Quality Control and Program Results Advantages, Limitations, and Lessons Learned
Founded in 1777 Approximately 180 square miles Over 1 million people (January, 2008) City of San José
Inventory Interest Grows Previous inventory efforts inconclusive estimated 230,000 to 343,000 street trees Mayor s Green Vision objective to plant 100,000 new street trees by 2022 Interest in developing a Citywide street tree management plan
Project Purposes Develop a complete and accurate street tree inventory Find vacant planting sites to help satisfy Green Vision goals Data to help develop San José Community Forest Master Plan
First Phase of the Inventory 1. Intern-based pilot study 2. Community service, zone-based inventory (AmeriCorps members hired through Our City Forest) 3. Davey Resource Group inventory of commercial zones and Special Assessment Districts
Pilot Study February through November, 2009 Four student interns tested equipment, data collection, and database structure 3% I-Tree Streets sample
Equipment and Tools
The View of the Handheld
Interns Hard at Work. Graduate Student Intern Igor Lacan Undergraduate Student Intern Richard Lescalleet
Results of I-Tree Streets Sample Estimated 242,650 street trees Average annual benefits of approximately $24 million ($98 per tree) About 3,600 acres of estimated canopy cover
Inferences from Pilot Study ArcPad program can be challenging High-cost, professional-grade equipment not necessary A GPS-tracked aerial photo with a simplified inventory form is key
Data Collection Materials Pocket PC Bluetooth-enabled GPS device TierraMapper mobile GIS Visual CE Professional
Database and Data Collection Aerial photo tracked with TierraMapper Simplified data collection form - version of Pilot Study Desktop database in Microsoft Access compatible with previously collected data
TierraMapper and Visual CE
AmeriCorps Community Service Members 16 AmeriCorps service members hired through Our City Forest Majority heard of position through Craigslist Very little prior knowledge or training
The AmeriCorps Team
Training Methods Tree tours led by City Arborist Hands-on equipment training in small groups Data analysis each day after equipment training
Training Materials Municipal codes and city policies handouts McMinn and Maino s Illustrated Manual of Pacific Coast Trees (1956) Specially developed photographic guide of local trees
Getting Started Training lasted about two weeks First locations were close to home-base Heavy monitoring for first few days
Managing AmeriCorps Tree Inventory Specialists Inventory http://www.code-muse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/df20021001.jpg
Managing AmeriCorps Tree Inventory Specialists One point-of-contact - additional assistance obtained as necessary Frequent team check-ins and weekly group meetings Members allowed freedom to set own schedules, provided work was completed in a timely manner
Quality Control 1% sample selected for Quality Control (to be expanded to 3% if necessary) Site revisits with spreadsheets of collected data and evaluation forms
Program Evaluation Most errors were minor omissions of hardscape issues or minor measurement errors Very few massive measurement errors or species identification problems found in data QC efforts show the data collected to be approximately 97% accurate!
First Phase Inventory Results About 124,000 total records collected Approximately 38% of the City inventoried Average cost per-site was $1.96 (AmeriCorps and Student Interns)
City s Inventory First Phase
Advantages of a Community Service-Based Inventory Potential for high productivity Cost-effective Helped raise community awareness of City policies and inventory efforts AmeriCorps Members Carolyn Tucker and Tristan McHenry Photo courtesy of Our City Forest
Limitations to Working with Community Service Members Program may require extensive training, which could delay start date Considerable supervision necessary for successful program operation Preparatory work may be very intensive
Important Lessons Learned Collaborate with your local non-profit organization Work with people s existing strengths and be aware that your program might not be for everyone Frequent meetings and discussions are an essential part of program success
Thank You! Elizabeth Lanham Arborist Technician City of San José, Department of Transportation Elizabeth.Lanham@sanjoseca.gov 408-687-6448