Use of i-Tree tools in urban greenery management

ogólnouniwersyteckie

During this course participants will be trained how to set-up, apply, interpret outputs and implement findings of i-Tree project.

This course will be taught both in a online seminar and field work format. It will focus on the analysis and management of urban trees data for the evaluation of ecosystem services using the i-Tree suite of tools. These tools, developed by the United States Forest Service and being applied in many cities throughout the world, are used to evaluate the ecosystem services provided by trees and produce information that can be used for urban greenery management. A focus of this course will be on the assessment of trees resources in urban sites based on the vision that the ecological services that offer these resources are important for human welfare and for the proper functioning of urban areas. The objectives of the course are as follows:

1) To develop an understanding about the conglomerate of i-Tree tools (e.g. i-Tree Hydro, i-Tree Canopy, i-Tree Landscape, and i-Tree Species and iTree Design) with emphasis on i-Tree-Eco .

2) To understand the applications and limitations of these tools for the evaluation and research on urban ecosystem services.

3) To train participants in the generation of useful intellectual products that can help communicate information about ecological services provided by the green infrastructure of cities to the general public and to interdisciplinary working groups.

Readings - baseline:

- Nowak D.J., Hoehn R.E., Crane D.E., Stevens J.C., Walton J.T., Bond J.. 2008. "A ground-based method of assessing urban forest structure and ecosystem services". Arboric. Urb. For. 34(6):347-358. http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/1952

- i-Tree Eco Users Manual http://www.itreetools.org/resources/manuals/Ecov6_ManualsGuides/Ecov6_UsersManual.pdf

- i-Tree Eco Field Manual http://www.itreetools.org/resources/manuals/Ecov6_ManualsGuides/Ecov6_FieldManual.pdf

Readings - other:

- Kiss M., Takács A., Pogácsás R., Gulyás A. 2015. “The Role of Ecosystem Services in Climate and Air Quality in Urban Areas: Evaluating Carbon Sequestration and Air Pollution Removal by Street and Park Trees in Szeged (Hungary).” Moravian Geographical Reports 23(3): 36–46.

- Szkop Z., 2016. “An Evaluation of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Trees: The Role of Krasiński Gardens in Air Quality and Human Health in Warsaw (Poland).” Environmental & Socio-economic Studies 4(4): 41–50.

- Siedlarczyk E., Winczek M., Zięba-Kulawik M., Wężyk P. 2019. “Smart Green Infrastructure in a Smart City –- The Case Study of Ecosystem Services Evaluation in Krakow Based on i-Tree ECO Software.” GeoScience Engineering 65(2): 36–43.

- Rogers K., Sacre K., Goodenough J., Doick K. 2015. Valuing London’s Urban Forest. Results of the London i-Tree Eco Project. London. https://www.treeconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/London-i-Tree-Report.pdf.

- Kieron D. 2017. Valuing Edinburgh’s Urban Trees. An Update to the 2017 i-Tree Eco Survey – a Report of Edinburgh City Council and Forestry Commission Scotland. Farnham. https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/12042/valuing_edinburghs_urban_trees.pdf.

- Francesc B. 2014. “Contribution of Ecosystem Services to Air Quality and Climate Change Mitigation Policies: The Case of Urban Forests in Barcelona, Spain.” Ambio 43(4): 466–79.

- Hutchings T., Lawrence V., Brunt A. 2012. Estimating the Ecosystem Services Value of Edinburgh’s Trees. Farnham. https://www.itreetools.org/documents/317/Edinburgh_iTree_Report.pdf (November 2, 2019).

- Raum S. 2019. “Achieving Impact from Ecosystem Assessment and Valuation of Urban Greenspace: The Case of i-Tree Eco in Great Britain.” Landscape and Urban Planning 190: 1–17.

Completing the course allows participants to learn:

- How to identify trees;

- How to measure and assess the health of trees;

- The value of trees and their role in mitigating greenhouse gases, improving air quality, intercepting stormwater, lowering a building’s energy use, etc;

- How to calculate the monetary value of the benefits provided by a tree or a set of trees;

- How to analyze and interpret their findings;

- How to use i-Tree tools to develop plans to improve the environmental functions that trees provide.

These investigations address concepts in economics, ecology and technology. In addition to developing content knowledge, students develop critical thinking skills and discover the importance of scientific investigation.

Assessment is based on a written and oral presentation of students’ own i-Tree Eco projects. Attendance is not a requirement for completing the course.