Sunday, October 12, 2008

Tyler

Posted on
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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Forestry Service, Volunteers Measure Value Of Trees In Tyler Parks
By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

All week last week, volunteers and city employees armed with GIS mapping tools and tape measures counted, measured and made notes of every tree in three city parks.

The goal is to determine the value of each tree to the city, said Mark Tietz, city arborist.

"Unlike lamp posts, roads and other city structures, trees that are properly managed increase in value over the years," he said. "Trees not only have a monetary value, but they improve the value of the city."

On Thursday, Tietz, Daniel Duncum of the Texas Forestry Service, and volunteers Beth Whitney and Ruth Beckley, of the Gertrude Windsor Garden Club, took data from trees at Goodman, Bergfeld and Lindsey parks. The information will determine each tree's individual value.

The workers identified the GPS location of each tree by latitude and longitude; identified individual tree species; measured tree height and circumference; measured the amount of shade provided by each tree; and evaluated the overall health of the trees.


President of the Gertrude Windsor Garden Club, Beth Whitney, uses a surveying device to find the highest and lowest canopy cover of a tree. An average is then calculated and inputed into a computer.
The data collected will be used to figure out the workload for Parks Department employees so they can operate more efficiently, Tietz said. Damaged trees will be disposed of in a more expedient manner after storms or diseases strike. This helps maintain the principle of human health and safety first, he said.

Tietz said trees reduce something called the "urban heat island effect," a phenomena that causes urban areas to be warmer than more rural places. It happens when the land surface is changed by urban development, as with asphalt and concrete. Urban areas also tend to produce more heat because of higher energy usage.

"Trees increase the health and well-being of our citizens by providing beauty to our urban environment and by filtering out air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and ozone," he said. "Trees that shade pavement increase the lifespan of that pavement by protecting it from UV rays."

Trees also provide habitats for migratory birds, reduce water runoff, prevent erosion and reduce energy used for cooling during the summer months, he said.

Tietz said the city hopes the data will eventually improve tree management policies for the city of Tyler and future development in Smith County.

The research is funded through a $10,000 matching grant through the Texas Forestry Service and is supposed to be conducted on a seasonal basis.

Photographer Jaime R. Carrero contributed to this story.


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SURVEY: City of Tyler Arborist Mark Tietz (left) inputs survey data into a small computer during the tree survey at Goodman Park while Daniel Duncum of the Texas Forestry Service and Getrude Windsor Garden club member and volunteer Ruth Beckley measure a tree’s circumference. The survey, which is being funded by grant money, targets Bergfeld, Goodman and Lindsey parks to better plan the workload and scheduling of work for managing the parks’ tree populations.
(Staff Photo By Jaime R. Carrero)
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