GIS:%20Speaks%20for%20Trees%20GIS%20Applications%20in%20Tree%20Maintenance%20Geography%20357%20E-poster%20Janet%20Beekman

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GIS Speaks for TreesGIS Applications in Tree
MaintenanceGeography 357 E-posterJanet Beekman
Pros - Easily search tree database. -
Can determine what is near by. - Data is
easily shared by many people.
Cons - Expensive - Expertise
required - Requires some to change
How can Geographic Information Systems speak for
trees? Knowing that a tree contains a cable can
prevent injury to the worker who is planning on
removing a limb of the tree. Removing limbs of
trees with risk assessment can prevent injury to
the public. GIS speaks for trees by making it
easy to keep track of and to find information
about trees.
In the example to the left, arborists at Penn
State University are using GIS to keep track of
which trees out of over 12,000 need risk
assessment, which trees have cables in them, and
where a given tree is located.
The city of San Luis Obispo California uses GIS
to show the public where their Heritage Trees are
located. The GIS can be searched to find a
particular type of tree and to get more
information about it.
Applications Inventory Health Record Risk
Assessment Public Information Disease Monitoring
Penn State Tree Maintenance Server
http//lorax.opp.psu.edu/treemaintenance
Heritage Trees of San Luis Obispo
http//maps.slocity.org/website/trees
A Penn State arborist can also use GIS as shown
on the left to maintain growth statistics on a
tree as well as maintain and review its health
record.
The figure to the left shows information about a
Japanese Maple Heritage Tree of San Luis Obispo.
A GIS was used to find this information.
Health Record for Tree O 3 in the Penn State Tree
Maintenance Server http//lorax.opp.psu.edu/treema
intenance
Japanese Maple Heritage Tree of San Luis
Obispo http//maps.slocity.org/website/trees/maple

In central costal California many types of Oak
trees are dying of a disease called Sudden Oak
Death(SOD) which is cause by a fungus. This
fungus affects many other types of trees and
shrubs. Here, GIS is used to monitor the trees
with SOD to learn about its distribution in
California.
Sources City of San Luis Obispo(2004), Heritage
Trees of San Luis Obispo http//maps.slocity.org/
website/trees Accessed January 23, 2005 Trees of
Penn State http//lorax.opp.psu.edu/treemaintenan
ce Accessed January 23, 2005   University of
California-Berkeley(2003), Monitoring Sudden Oak
Death http//kellylab.berkeley.edu/SODmonitoring/
OakMapper.htm Accessed January 23, 2005
With the form on the left, a person in California
can report a tree they think has signs of SOD,
note symptoms, and report its location.
OakMapper Monitoring SOD using WebGIS http//kelly
lab.berkeley.edu/SODmonitoring/OakMapper.htm
OakMapper Tree Submittal Form http//kelleylab.ber
keley.edu/OakMapper/submittal/default.htm