In fall 2010, the Forest Service and its development partners will use the i-Tree Eco applications and methods for data collection in the Kansas City region. Participants in this cooperative project include the USDA Forest Service, the Kansas Forest Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, Mid-America Regional Council and Davey Resource Group.
Information on species, condition, tree height, trunk diameter, and canopy density, among other criteria, will be recorded during a sample inventory taking place between August and October 2010. The randomly selected plots will be 1/10 acre in size and consist of private- and public-owned trees within the nine-county Kansas City region. Davey Resource Group data collectors will inventory the sample urban forest plots and send the information to the Forest Service for analysis.
The information collected will help guide regional planning for natural resource protection and restoration projects, encourage local community participation and serve as a model for hundreds of small communities across the nation.
Additionally, the results of the Kansas City region analysis will show how the data can be used to build support for tree programs and make cost-effective management decisions.
The project will provide the following information for the Kansas City region:
• Dollar value of annual environmental and aesthetic street-tree benefits
• Canopy cover, species diversity and tree performance
• Net air quality improvement from trees
• Effects of trees on energy usage
• Trees’ impact on stormwater mitigation
• Potential impact of destructive pests
For more information on i-Tree programs, visit itreetools.org.
Groups to use i-Tree in Kansas City
The Forest Service and its partners will use the program for data collection.