Raleigh+Parks+Presentation+2008.01.30


 * Talking points for presentation to Raleigh Parks**

We have a presentation to Raleigh Parks on 2008 Jan 30 13:00 at the Raleigh Municipal Building. The whole class will be going.
 * Note:** 30 Jan presentation postponed. Special meeting to be held on 11 Feb 3PM at City Hall.

- provide a rich learning opportunity for students and faculty - provide a real-life, hands-on educational opportunity for natural resources students who are our future leaders - provide data that NC Division of Forest Resources Urban Forests Program and City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation Department have indicated interest in - assess structure of Raleigh's urban forest - estimate value of trees and ecosystem services provided by Raleigh's urban forest - estimate energy effects and potential effects of pests and disease - we will use the UFORE model, developed by the USDA Forest Service and provided by i-Tree (see [|www.itreetools.org/] ) - this year we will pilot the approach city-wide with approximately 100 sample points - this will likely lead to wide margins of error, which can be reduced by increasing number of samples
 * Objectives of project**
 * number of trees
 * species composition
 * size distribution
 * canopy characteristics
 * compensatory (replacement) value
 * removal of ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter from air
 * total carbon stored by trees, and net annual storage of carbon
 * effect of trees on energy use in buildings (can cause and increase of decrease), and corresponding effect on carbon emissions from power plants
 * potential effect of infestations by Asian longhorned beetles, emerald ash borers, gypsy moth, or Dutch elm disease

- quite a few places in the US: Atlanta, Baltimore, Freehold (NJ), Grenwille-Spartanburg (SC), Jersey City (NJ), New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Wilmington (DE) - several foreign cities: Bejing, Calgary, Fuenlabrada (Spain), Santiago, Oakville (Ontario), Petrozavodsk (Russia)
 * Where else has this been done?**

- provide a snapshot / baseline of the forest resource in Raleigh, with a dollar value of trees and ecosystem services they provide - provide information about forest ecosystem services to planners and policymakers - provide insight into the importance of the forest resource - understand potential for disease and pest damage
 * Why do this?**

- if a sample plot is assigned randomly to property within the Raleigh Park system ... - non-invasive, non-destructive data collection on 0.1-acre (37-foot radius) plots, including tree species identification, bole diameter, crown diameter, and height; ground cover estimates, and crown light exposure; distance to nearby buildings for energy savings calculations
 * What will be done on Raleigh Park property?**

- UFORE model requires plot data to perform calculations of numbers of trees, species composition of the urban forest, and the value of various ecosystem services provided by the urban forest - aggregated data will be reported; no reports on individual plots; exact location of individual plots will not be identified in reports
 * How will data be used?**

//Letter sent to Sally Thigpen describing project://