San Francisco’s city government, along with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and Friends of the Urban Forest, recently launched the Urban Forest Map, an open-source web-based tool that not only catalogues the city’s trees, but puts an economic value on the range of ecosystem services they provide the city.
Amber Bieg, manager of the project, said Urban Forest Map is like ”a census for trees.” Just like human populations are estimated through personal data submitted by residents, this tool will also rely on data and images uploaded from around the city. Fast Company explains: “The reasoning behind the ambitious project is simple: San Francisco has only 90,000 trees in its database, but there are hundred of thousands in the city. It costs city governments $3 to catalog a single tree. So instead of wasting city cash on the issue, the UFM intends to harness the power of community for a comprehensive database.”
The idea is to also demonstrate the enormous value of trees. Urban Forest Map enables users to calculate the economic value of the ecosystem services trees provide, including greenhouse gas mitigation, water storage, and air quality improvement. The economic value of benefits are calculated by tree species in a given area. As an example, 201 Fern Pines (Podocarpus gracilior) across the city were calculated as providing $8,109 in benefits, made up of the following categories: greenhouse gas benefits (5,715 lbs CO2 reduced and $3,199 saved); water benefits (105,615 gallons conserved and $422 saved); energy benefits (6,813k Wh conserved and $4,277 saved); and air quality benefits (26lbs pollutants reduced and $209 saved).
The program also fits in nicely with San Francisco’s Data SF, its broader open data initiative. Using the site, technologists can layer tree data with geographic data. According to the City of San Francisco, “that data can then be used by urban foresters and city planners to better manage trees in specific areas, track and combat tree pests and diseases, and plan future tree plantings. Climatologists can use it to better understand the effects of urban forests on climates, and students can use it to learn about the role trees play in the urban ecosystem.” Additionally, the city can also use the program to build community support for broader tree planting programs. A number of cities are now promoting million tree campaigns.
Hopefully, this open-source tool will be plugged-in elsewhere, enabling other cities and states to make stronger cases for the role trees play in biosequestering carbon, storing water, reducing energy use, and creating more livable communities.
Check out Urban Forest Map and watch a brief video at Good Magazine.
Image credit: Urban Forestry Map
