The Urban Forest Modeling and Prioritization Toolkit is a prototype web-based tool that enables users to generate heat maps identifying key planting locations and then estimate the long-term impacts of trees planted in those locations. This webinar was held on June 28, 2012 and provides an overview of the research and initial features of the system.

1. Exploring Urban Forestry Modeling and Prioritization Tools
340 N 12th St, Suite 402
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.925.2600
info@azavea.com
www.azavea.com/forestry

2. About Us
Deborah Boyer
Urban Forestry Project Manager
dboyer@azavea.com
215.701.7506
Carissa Brittain
Software Developer
cbrittain@azavea.com
215.701.7716

3. Agenda
• Azavea Background
• Urban Forest Modeling and Prioritization Toolkit
• Finding Prioritized Planting Locations
– Research review
– Identifying key locations
• Modeling Future Benefits
– Research review
– Estimating long term impact
• Questions

4. About Azavea
• Founded in 2000
• 30+ people
• Based in Philadelphia
– Also Boston & Minneapolis
• Geospatial + web + mobile
– Software development
– Spatial analysis services
– User experience

5. Research-Driven
• 10% Research Program
• Academic Collaboration
B Corporation
• Pro Bono Program
• Donate share of profits
• Projects w/ Social Value
• Open Source

6. Azavea and Urban Forestry
An open source tree data management system
for collaborative, geography enabled urban tree inventory
www.opentreemap.org

7. High Performance Geoprocessing
• GeoTrellis – an open source geographic data processing
engine
• Breaks big projects into small distributed tasks
• Makes geographic
analysis really, really fast
• Helps create web-based
heat maps

8. How Is It Used?

9. Urban Forest Modeling and Prioritization Toolkit

10. Goals

11. The Main Questions
How do we identify key tree planting locations
based on a variety of factors?
How do we begin to estimate the long term
impacts of trees planted in a certain location?

12. Urban Forestry Modeling and Prioritization Toolkit
• Funded with a USDA Small Business Innovation Research Grant
• Focuses on identifying prioritized tree planting locations
• Recognizes people have different planting priorities
• Enables users to set adjustable factors in order to create
customized heat maps
• Calculates the thirty year benefits of trees planted in a certain
area using growth/mortality rates and iTree

13. Finding Key Locations

14. Previous Research

15. Factors that Can Influence Planting
Tier 1 – Need Based Criteria
• Air Quality/Noise Pollution
– Major Road Density
• Biodiversity
– Ecological Corridor Density
– Existing Habitat Density
• Public Health
– % of Population Sedentary, Obese, Diabetic, Asthma
• Water
– Flood Density
– % Impervious Service Locke, D.H., M.Grove, J.W.T. Lu, A.
• Urban Heat Island Troy, J.P.M. O’Neil-Dunne, and B. Beck.
2010. Prioritizing preferable locations for
– Max. Avg. Surface Temp. increasing urban tree canopy in New York
• Socioeconomic City. Cities and the Environment
– Income 3(1):article 4.
– Crime

16. Additional Factors
• Tier 2 – Suitability Based Criteria
• Based on interests of a particular organization
• May include factors such as
– Street trees vs. backyard trees
– Protected habitats
– Natural areas vs. developed areas
Locke, D.H., M.Grove, J.W.T. Lu, A. Troy, J.P.M.
O’Neil-Dunne, and B. Beck. 2010. Prioritizing
preferable locations for
increasing urban tree canopy in New York City.
Cities and the Environment 3(1):article 4.

17. Opportunity, Capacity, Impact
Nowak, D. and E. Greenfield. 2009.
• Population Density Urban and Community Forests of the
• Canopy Green Space Mid-Atlantic Region: New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania. United States
• Tree Canopy Cover Per Department of Agriculture, Forest
Capita Service, Northern Research
Station, General Technical Report
NRS-47.
We looked at this in terms of:
• Opportunity – Places trees
could be planted
• Capacity – People to care
for trees
• Impact – Trees will effect
desired factors

18. Identifying Locations

19. Where to get the data?
• Major streets • American Community
• Mass transit routes Survey data
• Habitat ranges • Police crime data
• Protected lands • Impervious surface
• Land cover/tree canopy • U.S. Geological Survey slope
• Asthma data data
• Obesity data • DVRPC Degrees of
Disadvantage info
• Flood zone maps
• Pennsylvania Horticultural
• Sewershed overflow events Society TreeTenders’ areas
• Landsat imagery

20. Simple and Advanced Models

21. Let the User Choose the Factor

22. Additional Map Layers

23. Customize Map Viewing Options
• Choose opacity
• Show a certain
percentage of ideal
locations
• Add more geographic
boundaries
• Change your basemap

24. Demo

25. Modeling Benefits

26. Previous Research

27. Growth Rates
Nowak, D. 1994. Chapter 6: Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
Reduction by Chicago's Urban Forest. Results of the Chicago
Urban Forest Climate Project. USDA Forest Service,
Northeastern Forest Experiment Station, General Technical
Report NE-186.

28. Mortality Rates
Philadelphia Street Tree Survival Rates
Roman, L. 2006. Trends in Street Tree Survival, Philadelphia, PA.
ScholarlyCommons, University of Pennsylvania.
Average Mortality Based on Land-Use Type, Species, DBH
Class, and Condition
Nowak, D, et al. 2004. Tree Mortality Rates and Tree Population
projections in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Urban Forestry and
Urban Greening, vol 2, issue 3, p 139-147.

29. Ecological Benefits
• i-Tree
– Air Quality
– Greenhouse Gas
– Energy
– Water
• Customized for current costs
in Philadelphia

30. Estimating Impact

31. Choose Geographic Area

32. Plant Trees and Set Mortality

33. View Benefits

34. Compare Scenarios

35. Demo

36. Future Features

37. Ideas for Additional Development
• National data sets
• More customized
scenario settings
• Cloud based
deployment
• Cartography
redesign

38. Questions?

39. Contact Us
Deborah Boyer
Urban Forestry Project Manager
dboyer@azavea.com
215.701.7506
Carissa Brittain
Software Developer
cbrittain@azavea.com
215.701.7716

40. Exploring Urban Forestry Modeling and Prioritization Tools
340 N 12th St, Suite 402
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215.925.2600
info@azavea.com
www.azavea.com/forestry