"It is more evolution than revolution, but the paper-and-pencil tree care industry has advanced to the modern age."
Technology is coursing its way through all aspects of tree care. Companies are embracing software to maintain customer relationships, run their books and human resources, manage their fleets, and gather information from the field. In an industry where efficiency leads to a better bottom line, a shift towards streamlining software felt inevitable, but habits can be hard to change. This article from TCI Magazine provides a great overview of the tech tools arborists are increasingly embracing to drive greater profitability.
People in Portland Planted Trees. Decades Later, a Stunning Pattern Emerged
The Portland nonprofit Friends of Trees planted nearly 50,000 street trees over 30 years and kept detailed records. Their thorough documentation allowed researchers to correlate the number of street tree plantings with reductions in mortality, and that association strengthened as the trees grew.
Not by Trees Alone: Centering Community in Urban Forestry
How can urban greening efforts make sure to center communities in their efforts? This resource from the US Forest Service provides themes and guiding questions to advance the environmental justice implications of greening efforts.
With unprecedented federal investment on the way, there is a lot of work to do. PlanIT Geo is growing to match the momentum of this movement. We know YOU know some of the best talent in our industry. Please share these opportunities with anyone who might be interested.
Pinellas County, Florida wanted to know how it's urban forest was changing so they completed an urban tree canopy (UTC) assessment. Tree canopy is up 8% from 2010 to 2021, but that's just the tip of the iceberg on the insights within their UTC assessment. See the full results come to life in a Story Map.
Cities are Planting Trees. Why not Make Them Fruit Trees?
Philadelphia is working on food insecurity and tree equity at the same time. "With fruit trees in almost every neighborhood, Philadelphia provides a roadmap for others to follow.” This article from Grist details the many ways Philly is working to bring food-bearing trees to neighborhoods most in need.
Local urban wood reuse is a concept as tantalizing as it is complex. By diverting removed urban trees from the waste stream into higher uses, there is the potential for the prized triple win of economic, social, and environmental benefits. Join our guests Lance Davisson and Rae Tamblyn in a discussion on what it takes to build successful local urban wood economies.
Species Clustering, Climate Effects, and Introduced Species in 5 Million City Trees Across 63 US Cities
Many cities have broadened the species they plant, but are their urban trees still diverse at a small scale? Researchers studied urban trees across 63 cities and found a strong tendency of tree species to flock together, which may make these communities more vulnerable to disease and pest outbreaks.
The word flexibility came up a lot in our Decoding Tree Ordinances webinar series. Our panel spoke to the importance of adaptable policies and rules because tree preservation and planting during development is rarely black and white. This article from Fairfax, Virginia offers a prime example of how flexibility can be structured into tree ordinances to encourage more street trees.
Creating High-Value Products from Urban Tree Removals
Urban wood reuse provides several worthy benefits, but the process is not without its environmental impacts. This case study from the US Forest Service analyzed the impacts of two cities' urban wood supply chains to spotlight opportunities to improve. The lumber processing stage, and specifically lumber drying, was found to have the largest footprint, but there are ways to reduce it.
Given the choice, where do city residents vote to spend $100K? In Saratoga Springs, NY the answer is trees. The city held a participatory budgeting process and an urban forest project received the most votes out of 9 options. We completed an Urban Forest Management Plan with Saratoga in 2022, and it's heartening to see the community back further investment in their trees.
