For questions and assistance regarding our research, contact us at psw_uep@fs.fed.us.
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Search Our Products & Publications - This is the best tool to find documents produced by our team. Since 1992 we have provided our customers with reliable scientific evidence that the benefits of urban forests add real value to communities. Our research confirms that trees in our community forests are assets that pay us back. Trees:
New researchOur Tree Carbon Calculator (CTCC) is now national! The new version of the CTCC works just like the old, but
Users from coast to coast can enter species, tree size (diameter-at-breast height) or tree age and receive information on the amount of biomass and carbon stored in the tree, as well as benefits associated with energy conservation projects. All results are based on tree growth data from each region. To learn more or download this Excel application, visit the U.S. Forest Service's Climate Change Resource Center website. A help menu and list of frequently asked questions are included online with the CTCC. Additional technical assistance is available via email at psw_uep@fs.fed.us. Parking lots, bioswales and structural soils - The results of Dr. Qingfu Xiao's study using engineered soil in a bioswale to mitigate parking lot stormwater runoff are now available. Dr. Xiao's Davis Soil (a mixture of lava rock and local soil) offers several advantages over other engineered soil types. Made of natural materials readily and inexpensively available in California, the porous lava rock traps pollutants, increases stormwater retention, and makes more water available to trees. Read the report here. Dr. Xiao's earlier report comparing Davis soil with Cornell and Carolina Stalite soils is available here: Qingfu Xiao; Greg McPherson; Aihua Jiang. 2006. Pollutant removal and runoff storage testing of three engineered soils. Prepared for the 4th Biennial CALFED Science Conference 2006, Sacramento, CA. Urban Forest Project Reporting Protocol - At the beginning of last June, we brought nearly two years of work to an end and delivered our draft of the Urban Forest Project Protocol to the California Climate Action Registry. We're thrilled to announce that our work has borne fruit. After more than 18 months of work, eleven drafts, countless meetings, and extremely helpful feedback from our stakeholder groups, the California Climate Action Registry's Board of Directors approved the Protocol on August 12. You can find the final version here. Let the projects begin!! For more information on the Urban Forest Protocol and urban trees and global climate change in general, see our Protocol webpage. Urban Forest Research News BriefsStay on top of our latest research. Sign up today! Upcoming Speeches
February 7, 2012 Missed our talks? You can still see the presentations-- View speeches. |
Urban Ecosystems and Social Dynamics
Greenhouse Gas Inventory of an Ornamental Tree Production System. We know that urban trees can store a significant amount of carbon, but little information is available regarding the emissions associated with tree production. Read a new article reporting the results of a study to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from nursery production of ornamental trees for urban forestry: Kendall, A. and E. G. McPherson. 2011. A life cycle greenhouse gas inventory of a tree production system. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment (11 October 2011), pp. 1-9. doi:10.1007/s11367-011-0339-x Propelling Arboriculture into the Future. Read Greg's Arborist News article summarizing the accomplishments of the ISA Science and Research Committee (SRC) since 2006, including an overview of research priorities, as well as the products that you can expect to receive during the next 5 years.
Our Research in the News:Tools for Valuing Tree and Park Services. With a growing number of tools available for assessing the benefits of trees and greenspace, how does one decide which is best to use? Greg McPherson’s article in Western Arborist (Winter 2010) provides readers an overview of current tools, their use, drawbacks, and how to get them. i-Tree Streets in Lisbon, Portugal. Read the Urban Forestry & Urban Greening journal article describing results of our cooperative study with Dr. Ana Luisa Soares, from Lisbon, Portugal, describing the results of one of the first applications of STRATUM (now I-Tree Streets) outside the U.S. What is a Tree Worth? The Wilson Quarterly (Winter 2011), a newsletter published by the Woodward Wilson International Center for Scholars, features Jill Jonnes’ article describing the history of urban forest research and its importance in greening urban America. The work and achievements of Rowan Rowntree (Scientist emeritus), Greg McPherson, and David Nowak are featured. How Trees Can Retain Stormwater Runoffthe latest Tree City U.S.A. Bulletin (No. 55), provides information and resources for using trees to retain stormwater and improve water quality. The issue also features Qingfu Xiao and Greg McPherson’s pioneering research to quantify rainfall interception by trees. Animating trees: Most tree growth animations and, in fact, most trees in any graphics program, are not based on real data. Our new program, developed with scientists at the Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science at Greifswald University in Germany, models tree growth on-the-fly based on measurements from our research and displays the benefits and costs of the trees at the same time. Watch a quick clip of our first tree animation video on youtube.com or see the latest version below. In the coming weeks, we'll be featuring animations of different species on our website. For information on the research that went into constructing the model, read Visualization of Time-Varying Tree Data [PDF 1 MB] and Inverse Modeling and Animation of Growing Single-Stemmed Trees at Interactive Rates [PDF 180 kB].
See what else was new in our Archive... 
Sacramento Urban Forest For Clean Air Project - Recently, the EPA has begun to consider new, innovative measures to fight air pollution and trees are being considered as one of the solutions. To read more about the potential role of trees in State Implementation Plans for the Clean Air Act, read our project summary [PDF 1.8 MB]. Read more about the Urban Forests for Clean Air Project in the Sacramento Bee. [PDF 29kB] Modelsi-Tree Streets - an application within the new i-Tree software suite, is an easy to use, computer-based program that helps communities assess the benefits of their street trees. |
