phoenix’s urban forest - apwaright tree, right place age and size 30% family, 20% genus, 10%...

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Phoenix’s Urban Forest

Rises Up to Meet Municipal Challenges

Richard Adkins, Forestry SupervisorCity of Phoenix

Dana Karcher, Market Manager Western RegionDavey Resource Group

What is the Urban Forest in the Desert Southwest?

• The collection of trees growing with our city.

• All vegetation, public and private.

• The human - forest interface.

• A keystone for urban living.

• A component of green infrastructure.

• A process rather than a goal.

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Urban Forestry projects in Phoenix

• Tree and Shade Master Plan• Tree Inventory

• Urban Forest Resource Analysis

• Urban Tree Canopy Assessment

• Cool Urban Spaces Project

• Southwest Forests Air Quality i-eco study

• Sustainability is the ability to maintain ecological, social and economic benefits over time.

• Urban Forest sustainability requires diversity of tree species as well as diversity of maturity.

Right Tree, Right PlaceAge and size30% Family, 20% Genus, 10% Species

Sustainability and Diversity

Tree InventoryTop Ten Species in City of Phoenix

Vacant space 11.6%Prosopis spp. Mesquite 10.1%Parkinsonia florida Palo verde 6.4%Pinus halepensis Pine 5.8%Parkinsonia praecox Palo brea 5.4%Fraxinus spp. Ash 4.6%Ulmus parvifolia Evergreen elm 4.4% Dalbergia sissoo Indian Rosewood 4.1%Washingtonia filifera California Fan palm 3.8%Acacia stenophylla Shoestring acacia 3.1%Washingtonia robusta Mexican Fan palm 3.1%

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Tree InventoryTop Ten Species in City of Phoenix

Parks Traffic Arterials

Pinus halepensis Vacant siteProsopis spp. Parkinsonia floridaVacant site Dalbergia sissooUlmus parvifolia Prosopis spp.Parkinsonia florida Acacia stenophyllaFraxinus spp. Chilopsis linearisWashingtonia filifera Acacia aneuraParkinsonia microphylla Parkinsonia praecoxOlea europaea Ulmus parvifoliaDalbergia sissoo Washingtonia robusta

Valuation Examples

Street Landscape medians:• 10,600 trees, palms, tall cacti• Appraised replacement value @ $5.4 M

Encanto Park:• 1760 trees and palms• Appraised replacement value @ $6.1 M• Annual benefit value @ $75.7 K

Trees in street landscape/parks/facilities:• 92,916 trees• $7.8 M annual benefit to the community.

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Citywide Land Cover

Urban Tree Canopy Assessment

Cool Urban Spaces Project

• NOAA-funded grant to the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) and ASU’s Decision Center for a Desert city and Center for Integrated Solutions to Climate Challenges.

•Assessment of Heat Mitigation strategies:

– What are the benefits of increasing tree canopy to 25%?

– What are the benefits of implementing cool roofs, coat 70,000 sq. ft. of existing rooftops with reflective paint?

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Cool Urban Spaces Project

Middel et al.

• Urban form and the arrangement and type of trees impact cooling benefits.

• At the neighborhood scale:

• Cool roofs provide a daytime cooling benefit of 0.3 C (0.5 F).

• An increase in canopy cover to 25% will in daytime cooling up to 2.0 C (3.6F).

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Trees and Air Quality

• Trees remove air pollution by interception of Particulate Matter on plant surfaces and absorption of gaseous pollutants through the leaves.

• Most benefit occurs in rural areas, but greatest health impacts/values are in urban areas.

• Trees remove substantial amounts of pollutants and can produce health benefits across the nation.

Nowak et al., 2014

Project Partners

• USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry (funder)

• New Mexico State Forestry• Arizona State Forestry• Texas A&M Forest Service• City of Phoenix• City of El Paso• City of Las Cruces• City of Albuquerque• Davey Resource Group

Key Findings Phoenix, AZ El Paso, TX Las Cruces, NM Albuquerque, NM

Number of Trees (est.) 3,166,000 1,281,000 257,000 1,504,000

Number species samples 60 50 36 76

Land Area519 sq. mi.

332,160 acres

256 sq. mi.

163,840 acres

76 sq. mi

48,640 acres

181 sq. mi.

115,840 acres

Project Area 384.5 sq. mi.

246.064 acres

158.2 sq. mi.

101,238 acres

44.0 sq. mi.

28,171 acres

132.2 sq. mi.

84,626 acres

Tree Cover 9.0% ‐ 12.9 trees/acre 5.1% ‐ 12.7 trees/acre 3.7% ‐ 9.1 trees/acre 13.3% ‐ 22.2 trees/acre

Most Common SpeciesVelvet mesquite 8.3%

California palm 7.5%

Sweet acacia 6.7%

Italian cypress 25.8%

Afghan pine 10.8%

Mexican fan palm 7.3%

Desert willow 18.0%

Italian cypress 15.8%

Afghan pine 11.8%

Siberian elm 24.6%

Desert olive 5.6%

Desert willow 5.3%

Percentage of trees less than 6"DBH 44.8 53.4 64.3 59.9

Pollution Removal1770 tons/year

($5.67 million/year)

318 tons/year

($247 thousand/year

92 tons/year

($235 thousand/year)

366 tons/year

($1.1 million/year)

Carbon Sequestration35,400 tons/year


7,430 tons/year


1,580 tons/year


9,710 tons/year


Carbon Storage305,000 tons

($21.7 Million)

92,800 tons

($6.61 million)

17,800 tons

($1.26 million)

226,000 tons

($16.1 million)

Avoided Carbon Emissions $2.96 million/year $384 thousand/year $75 thousand/year $448 thousand/year

Oxygen Production 89,200 tons/year 14,100 tons/year 3,290 tons/year 21,300 tons/year

Building Energy Savings $22.9 million/year $2.7 million/year $563 thousand/year $3.31 million/year

Avoided Stormwater Runoff91,700,000 cu ft


32,867,000 cu ft


898,000 cu ft

($59.8 thousand/year)

51,386,000 cu ft

(3.42 million/year)

Replacement Values$3.82 billion

($1,207/tree)

$1.02 billion

($796/tree)

$205 million

($798/tree)

$1.93 billion

($1,283/tree)

Project Summary

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Health Values

Environmental Benefits

Mapping and Analysis Program

(BenMAP)

• Estimates the health impact and economic benefits for changes in air quality.

• Ozone, SO2, NO2 PM2.5 and PM10

Annual Pollution Removal and Value for Phoenix

Projects Lead to Sustainability

• Process• Tree Inventory

• Urban Forest Resource Analysis

• Urban Tree Canopy Assessment

• Cool Urban Spaces Project

• Southwest Forests Air Quality i-eco study

• Outcomes

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Strategic Planning for

Urban Forests

Adaptive Management

What do you want?

How do you get there?

Is it working?

What do you have?

The more you know…

• Care

• Buy-in

• Success!

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What do you have: RESEARCH

• Ordinances• Staff• Planning Documents• External Documents• And the list goes on…

What do you have/want: OUTREACH

Internal

External

Internal Outreach

•What do you want to find out?

•Alignment with city goals

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External Outreach

•What do you want to find out?

• Alignment with city goals

• Who is the problem?

• Who has the solution?

External Outreach

•Meetings

•Surveys

•Interviews

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(End) Result

•Getting there

• Road Map

• Funding

The “F” word• Project• Program• On-going sources

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The Tree and Shade Master Plan“An investment strategy for a healthier, more livable and

prosperous Phoenix”

http://www.phoenix.gov/parks/parks/urban-forest

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Benefits of Trees: Solution MultipliersA low risk, high-yield investment for the community

• Water quality, storm runoff

• Air quality, carbon sequestration

• Energy costs

• Property values

• Business

• Community safety and livability

Average ROI of $2.23 in the Phoenix area McPherson et al, 2004

Benefits of TreesHuman Health and Well-being

• Livable communities

• Building community attachment and meaning

• Wellness, active living, healing, mental health

• Lowering crime, area safety

• Street safety

• Education and learning

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Right Tree Right Place

• Poor planting choices lead to problems and expense years after installation (maintenance/removal/replacement).

• Poorly pruned trees to “fit” the location.

• Select for establishment and natural growth and development.

• Design with mature plant development in mind.

• Remember root development, not just branches.

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Urban Forest Sustainability

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Sustainable Design Concepts

• Education and outreach coordination for new capital and development projects.

• Review Zoning and Development standards.

• Ordinance and city code review and enforcement.

• Citywide departmental communication.

• Continued maintenance training and acceptance of BMP’s citywide.

Neighborhood Services, Street Transportation, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Planning, Zoning and Historic Preservation.

8 Historic Preservation.23-32 Encroachment of trees, shrubs or bushes prohibited.24-37 Vandalism in a City Park.27-13 Unobstructed passage in streets and alleys.27-16 Responsibility for streets, alleys, and sidewalks.31-10 Removal of debris, rubbish, weeds, overgrown or dead

vegetation and other unhealthy or unsafe conditions on streets, alleys and sidewalks.

31-13 Obstructing visibility at intersections.39-7 Exterior premises and vacant land.34 Trees and vegetation.

Tree and Landscape Ordinances

Public relations

Communication

Partnerships

Education

http://www.phoenix.gov/parks/parks/urban-forest

Information and Education

Informed citizens and

policy makers

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Information and Education

Questions?

Thanks for your

Attention!

Richard [email protected]

Dana [email protected]