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The City and County of Denver, Colorado, has a twenty-year track record of creating tree inventories and canopy assessments. In this session, you will learn how Denver has put those inventories and assessments to work to create policy, secure funding and prepare for invasive pests. You will hear real-world examples of how to leverage your canopy assessment to its fullest potential.
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Putting Your Canopy Assessment to Work: Evidence-Based Policy Making at the
Doorstep of EAB
Rob Davis & Sara Davis(no, we aren’t related)
City & County of Denver11/6/14
Denver’s Urban Tree Canopy
• Denver founded in 1858• <1% canopy cover• Average of 14” of precipitation
annually
Denver’s Urban Tree Canopy
Parks & Recreation Game Plan
• 50 year strategic plan drafted in 2003• Vision for street tree canopy cover– A City in a Park is a shaded city, where
street trees play an important role in defining urban form, provide environmental and economic benefits, and enhance our quality of life.
Parks & Recreation Game Plan
Game plan street tree performance goal• Provide a tree-canopy cover of 15 percent to 18
percent in urban residential areas and 10 percent in the central business district by 2025.
Data Sets
• 1993 Street tree inventory – Colorado State Forest Service
• 2001 Canopy assessment – American Forests
• 2006 Canopy assessment -- NCDC
• 2008 STRATUM analysis -- volunteers
• 2013 Canopy assessment – USFS & UC, Davis
Data Challenges
Data Challenges
Data Challenges
Parks & Recreation Game Plan
• 2001 – 6% canopy cover American Forests
• 2006 – 10.41% canopy cover NCDC
• 2013 – 19.7% canopy cover US Forest Service & UC, Davis
2001 2006 20130.00%5.00%
10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%
6.00%10.41%
19.70%
Denver's Canopy Cover Between 2001 and 2013
Parks & Recreation Game Plan
2013 Canopy Assessment
• 2.2 million trees• 3.7 trees per capita• Asset value of $2.9 billion• 66.5% stocked
2013 Canopy Assessment
Comparison to other Major Cities
City PopulationTree Cover
% TreesTrees / Capita
Denver 0.6M 19.7 2.2M 3.7
Metro Los Angeles 3.8M 11.1 6M 1.6
Metro Chicago 2.7M 17.2 3.5M 1.3
Metro New York 19M 20.9 5.2M 0.3
Metro Philadelphia 1.5M 15.7 2.1M 1.4
Canopy Assessment Annual Benefits
• 2.2 million trees• Asset value of
$2.9B• $122 million in
annual benefit from property value and ecosystem services• $95M property
value• $18M storm water• $6M summer
cooling• $530K CO2 storage
Metro Denver’s Urban Canopy
Strategic Planting Plan
Attack of the Green Reaper
No EAB Were Harmed During Filming (photo by Russell Carr)
The Numbers
• City Wide– 2.2 million total trees – 15% ash = 330,000
trees• Street Trees– Estimate 133k to 355k
street trees– Estimate 35k ash
• Private Property– 289,000 ash
Putting Cost to Numbers
• Public right-of-way (35K ash)– Removal / Replacement ($450 / $300)
• $15.8M / $10.5M or $26.3M
– Treatment ($165/3 = $55/Year)• $1.9M / year
• Private (298K ash)– Removal / Replacement ($450 / $300)
• $130M / 87M or $216.8M
– Treatment ($165/3 = $55/Year)• 15.9M / year
Public Safety
• Large numbers of standing dead• Safety risk to streets, schools, parks and
commercial property• Evolving priority for enforcement and actions• Enforcement and financial assistance programs
Reduction in ServicesAnnual Benefit
15% reduction Service Loss
Air Quality $1,554 $1,321 $233CO2 Storage and avoidance $535,772 $455,406 $80,366
Rain fall interception $18,935,911 $16,095,524 $2,840,387
Property value $95,731,364 $81,371,659 $14,359,705
Energy saved $6,776,570 $5,760,085 $1,016,486
Totals $121,981,171 $103,683,995 $18,297,176
Canopy Services and Potential Losses
$95.7 million in annual property value benefit-15% = -$14M
Trees and Property Values
2013 USFS Canopy Assessment• 1.4 billion gallons interception potential• $189 million facility would be needed to
manage the stormwater managed currently
Storm Water Benefits
Denver Right-of-Way Trees
Sec. 57-18. Responsibility for maintenance of trees on public right-of-way or other public place.– (a) The manager of parks and recreation shall have the responsibility,
through the city forester, to either maintain or order the maintenance of trees on the public right-of-way, and other public places.
– (b) The responsible party of property abutting the public right-of-way shall have the duty to maintain trees on the abutting portion of the public right-of-way.
EAB Policy
Budget
Policy Mgmt Plan
1999 2001 2006 20130
5
10
15
20
25
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Canopy coverage %
Full time employees
Canopy c
overa
ge
Full t
ime e
mplo
yees
Canopy Cover Vs Staffing
Enhanced Arboricultural Budgets
Results• 2014 Park tree inventory• 2015 Forestry crew for street tree
inventory• 2015 Public awareness• 2015 Debris reduction• 2015 Park tree planting
$2.24 MILLION
And we don’t even have EAB yet…
See you in Denver 2015!
Rob Davis - Denver City Forester
Sara Davis - Program Manager
forestry
