This article is a great summary of TreesCount 2014 and will be featured in the HNC newspaper, The Wood Duck:
As
the weather begins to turn cooler and summer enters its final stretch,
TreesCount 2014 is also wrapping up in Westdale. The project has been ongoing
since June, and volunteers now have just one final block to complete. When it
comes to growing awareness of our urban forest (the trees and green spaces in
our urban areas), TreesCount has been extremely successful.
TreesCount
2014, one of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club’s latest projects, was a detailed
and comprehensive inventory of all of the public and private trees in a study
area that covered most of Westdale South. Data was collected using the
Neighbourwoods Protocol, a method developed at the University of Toronto. The
data was collected by over 25 volunteers and entered into a database that will
be sent to U of T for analysis. The results will be summarized in a report
presented to the community. It is then up to the people of Westdale to decide
how they are going to use this information to maintain or improve the health of
their urban forest. The study is actually a re-inventory of the same area
studied by Environment Hamilton in 2003. Now that this latest project is nearly
complete, we can safely say that the changes that have occurred in the last
decade are quite amazing!
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| This map outlines the TreesCount study area, which was divided into 8 blocks. |
The
project is called TreesCount, but volunteers did much more than simply count
the number of trees. They collected over 30 pieces of data for each individual
tree! Various measurements were taken, including height, crown width and trunk
diameter.. The species was identified, and the location and ownership were
noted. The rest of the inventory was devoted to assessing the condition of the
tree (indicators such as leaf colour, dead branches and scars or cracks gave us
clues) and looking for existing or potential conflicts with other objects, such
as wires and buildings.
The
detailed nature of the inventory makes the information extremely valuable as a
tool for developing planting or watering programs, identifying safety hazards
and ultimately planning for the future. The data can also be used to identify
issues such as a lack of diversity or the need for greater canopy cover. The
community will now be able to see which issues are of highest priority and make
decisions that are specific to this area and its individual needs. For example,
the study has only identified 17 ash trees in the area, so the Emerald Ash
borer is not likely to greatly reduce the canopy cover of this neighbourhood.
However, at last count, 61 percent of all trees counted were Norway Maples, a
non-native species that can be invasive in natural areas. With this in mind,
the community can spend less time worrying about ash trees and more time
looking for ways to improve diversity and increase the presence of native
species in Westdale. Making smart, well informed decisions today will ensure
that our urban forest is healthy for years to come.
--Mara
