Mapping Project Aims to Increase Virginia’s Urban Tree Canopy

The term “urban forest” may sound like an oxymoron to some, but to Virginia Tech Forestry Professor Randolph Wynne and Associate Professor John McGee it represents an indispensable community resource. Wynne and McGee are leading an urban tree canopy mapping project for the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, a part of the College of Natural Resources and Environment.

The tree canopy is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the ground when viewed from above.

Urban trees provide economic benefits to communities. They improve water quality, mitigate stormwater runoff, conserve energy, lower air temperatures, reduce air pollution, and enhance property values. The total compensatory value of urban forests in the continental United States is estimated at $2.4 trillion, according to the U.S. Forest Service. But the resource is being threatened by development.

Wynne and McGee say they hope their mapping project will help stop the trend. Working with the Chesapeake Bay Program, the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, USDA Forest Service, the Virginia Geospatial Extension Program at Virginia Tech, and localities across the state, they use aerial photography and GIS technology to provide local government leaders with tools to assess their urban tree canopy.

Source: Virginia Tech Spotlight on Innovation

To read this complete article visit:
http://www.vt.edu/spotlight/innovation/2010-10-11-urban-tree/urban-tree.html

To learn more about the Urban Tree Canopy Analysis project visit:
http://cnre.vt.edu/gep/VA_UTC.html