The Cross-Pollinator is a science synthesis publication co-produced quarterly by the Urban Field Station Network and the Urban Forest Technology and Science Delivery Team. It spotlights interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers and practitioners that “cross” forest research with urban and community forests.
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Issue 4
Research That’s For the Birds: Protecting Habitats and Ecosystem Services using i-Tree Tools
Birds are part of the ecological foundation on which all life depends. For decades, USDA Forest Service scientists have studied birds to understand and quantify the far-reaching ways that they affect ecosystem services (life-sustaining and other benefits humans derive from nature) and function as environmental warning systems. This work is expected to become more important in light of increasingly extreme weather events, urban expansion, deforestation, climate change, invasive species, and diminishing biodiversity. This research has recently been integrated with a Forest Service tree and forest assessment tool called i -Tree. By combining and augmenting decades of data with this powerful software tool, researchers are now able to create rapid assessments and visual aids that can inform land management decisions across the United States, and globally. Today, scientists with the Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) and its partners are using this tool to support land managers and strengthen international cooperation across the Caribbean, Latin America, and North America, including Mexico and Canada. Read More »
Current Buzz - A list of related tools and resources
Presentations
Resources, & Tools
- International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF) -
- San Juan Urban Long-Term Research Area (ULTRA)
- i-Tree: www.itreetools.org
- National Wildlife Federation - NWF works across the country to unite Americans from all walks of life in giving wildlife a voice.
- North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) - The North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) is a forum of government agencies, private organizations and bird initiatives helping partners across the continent meet their common bird conservation objectives.
- Bailey's Eco-regions - This map is commonly called Bailey's ecoregions and shows ecosystems of regional extent in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, based on conditions in 1994. Four levels of detail are included to show a hierarchy of ecosystems.
Research Papers
- Arendt, W.J.; Paulino, M.M.; Paulino, L.R.; Tórrez, M.A.; Lane, O.P. 2019. Colonization of Hispaniola by Margarops fuscatus Vieillot (Pearly-eyed Thrasher). Urban Naturalist. 23:1–24. www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/58681.
- Lerman, S.B.; Nislow, K.H.; Nowak, D.J.; DeStefano, S.; King, D.I.; Jones-Farrand, D.T. 2014. Using urban forest assessment tools to model bird habitat potential. Landscape and Urban Planning. 122: 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.10.006.
- Lerman, S.B.; King, D.I.; Arendt, W.J.; María Paulino, M.M.; Paulino, L.R. 2019. Mourning Dove nest on a Palmchat colony in Urban Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Urban Naturalist. 24: 1–5. www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/57723.
- Pérez, M.E.; Meléndez-Ackerman, E.; Bonilla Duarte, S.; Bauer, J.; Volcán, M.; Pou, A.; Caballero, C.; Cortés, L.; Arendt, W.J.; Muñoz-Erickson, T.; Nowak, D. 2019. Urban-forest assessment in the Dominican Republic.International Forestry Working Group Newsletter, Working Group B3, International Society of Tropical Foresters. www.orrforest.net/saf (accessed March 2019).
- Meléndez-Ackerman E.; Nytch C.J.; Santiago-Acevedo, L.E.; Verdejo-Ortiz, J.C.; Santiago-Bartolomei, R.; Ramos-Santiago, L.E.; Muñoz-Erickson, T.A. 2016. Synthesis of household yard area dynamics in the city of San Juan using multi-scalar social-ecological perspectives. Sustainability. 8(5): 481. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8050481
Past Issues
- Issue 1. Natural turned national infrastructure: Urban forest patches in the 21st century
- Issue 2. Planting for the Future: Managing Urban Forests for Climate Change
- Issue 3. A Threat to Ecological Investments: Plant Pathogens in Landscape Restoration Projects
Questions, Feedback and Webinar Updates
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