Good day!
I will be starting my first STRATUM project soon and would like to know if trees at a forest margin at the side of a street should be counted in a STRATUM inventory.
I'd appreciate any thoughts on this
Thanks,
Jeannette
Trees on forest margin counted in STRATUM?
Moderators: i-Tree Support, i-Tree Team
Trees on forest margin counted in STRATUM?
Hello Jeannette,
This is good question to ponder. Can a tree be considered both a forest tree and a street tree? I would say that it depends. I would suggest considering a few things in regards to capturing data on trees that are on the edge of a forest margin but may also act functionally as “Street” trees.
Do these trees require maintenance and management for public safety, aesthetics and benefits along a public right-of-way? Are they managed by the same entity who manages the traditional street trees? Are they subject to the same or similar stresses as street trees? The answers to these questions may help guide your decision making process when deciding if a tree should be included or not in your STRATUM project. The algorithms for STRATUM analysis were designed for street trees so they may only apply to forest edge trees that are subject to similar urban conditions.
I have performed non-i-Tree inventories in the past and have struggled with this question too. I decided to include trees on forest edges as they were part of management units which required periodic inspections, maintenance and funding. Furthermore, they provided environmental and aesthetic benefits along public streets.
If you decide to count the trees along the forest margin, you can customize the “Land Use” fields and assign different “Management Zones” to capture the fact that these trees are part of a forest margin. This information would be helpful in future analysis. Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Best regards!
Al
This is good question to ponder. Can a tree be considered both a forest tree and a street tree? I would say that it depends. I would suggest considering a few things in regards to capturing data on trees that are on the edge of a forest margin but may also act functionally as “Street” trees.
Do these trees require maintenance and management for public safety, aesthetics and benefits along a public right-of-way? Are they managed by the same entity who manages the traditional street trees? Are they subject to the same or similar stresses as street trees? The answers to these questions may help guide your decision making process when deciding if a tree should be included or not in your STRATUM project. The algorithms for STRATUM analysis were designed for street trees so they may only apply to forest edge trees that are subject to similar urban conditions.
I have performed non-i-Tree inventories in the past and have struggled with this question too. I decided to include trees on forest edges as they were part of management units which required periodic inspections, maintenance and funding. Furthermore, they provided environmental and aesthetic benefits along public streets.
If you decide to count the trees along the forest margin, you can customize the “Land Use” fields and assign different “Management Zones” to capture the fact that these trees are part of a forest margin. This information would be helpful in future analysis. Please let us know if you have any further questions!
Best regards!
Al
A member of the i-Tree Team