1. AWARD WINNING PUBLIC TREE MANAGEMENT
Shirley Vaughn, Davey Resource Group
Don Robertson, The City of Jacksonville

2. Today’s Objectives
• Understand what public trees are and should mean to you.
• Implement a systematic approach for tree management to:
• Improve the overall health of the urban forest
• Reduce future problems with trees
• Increase their value as green infrastructure

3. All trees have
potential to fail
Must manage trees
within an acceptable
level of risk…
They should be
treated like a piece of
equipment and
managed like
infrastructure.
To reduce risk and
increase the benefits
received, trees should
be managed
systematically.

4. SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
To public tree (green infrastructure) management

5. First. There are standards. Follow the national standards.
• ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011 Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant
Management—Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)
• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) BMP for Tree Risk Assessment
Third. It is difficult to design for and then manage what you don’t
know you have.
Second. Trees are more than just plants. Their shade cools
pavement; they clean air and intercept stormwater runoff; soften
your designs; slow traffic; and generally make people and places
better.

7. Year Completed i-Tree Reference City
Number of Trees
Studied
Annual Stormwater
Benefits (dollars)
Rainfall Intercepted
Annually by Trees
(million gallons)
2006 Albuquerque, N.M. 4,586 $55,833 11.1
2005 Berkeley, Calif. 36,485 $215,645 53.9
2004 Bismarck, N.D. 17,821 $496,227 7.1
2007 Boise, Idaho 23,262 $96,238 19.2
2005 Boulder, Colo. 25,281 $357,255 44.9
2006 Charleston, S.C. 15,244 $171,406 28.3
2005 Charlotte, N.C. 85,146 $2,077,393 209.5
2004 Cheyenne, Wyo. 17,010 $55,301 5.7
2003 Fort Collins, Colo. 31,000 $403,597 37.4
2005 Glendale, Ariz. 21,480 $18,198 1.0
2007 Honolulu, Hawaii 235,800 $350,104 35.0
2008 Indianapolis, Ind. 117,525 $1,977,467 318.9
2005 Minneapolis, Minn. 198,633 $9,071,809 334.8
2007 New York City, N.Y. 592,130 $35,628,220 890.6
2009 Orlando, Fla. 68,211 $539,151 283.7
2003 San Francisco, Calif. 2,625 $466,554 99.2
2001 Santa Monica, Calif. 29,229 $110,784 3.2

8. PLUS
• Improve public and worker safety
• Improve storm preparedness/ triage after
storm events
• May reduce infrastructure costs
Why trees are
important to you--
even if you are not
an urban forester or
arborist
Fact: Healthier trees are safer and produce more benefits.

9. With systematic, routine pruning trees are healthier.
Relationship between
average tree condition class
and number of years since
last pruning (adapted from
Miller and Sylvester, 1981).

10. First. There are standards. Follow the national standards.
Third. It is difficult to design for and then manage what you don’t
know you have.
Back to the first and third points…
Why did we group these points together?
They go together.
• ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011 Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant
Management—Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)
• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) BMP for Tree Risk
Assessment

11. ANSIA300 Standards - Part 9: Tree Risk
Assessment
• Level 1 = LIMITED VISUAL = a rapid assessment of a
population of trees looking for trees with serious
defects.
• Level 2 = BASIC = visual inspection of the crown,
trunk, and exposed roots from all sides. May include:
binoculars, mallet, probe, shovel
• Level 3 = ADVANCED = a close look for root rot, trunk
decay, problems in the crown or other factors that
require specialized training or equipment

12. ISA BMP for Tree Risk Assessment
• Companion publication to ANSI A300 (Part 9) – 2011
Tree, Shrub, and Other Woody Plant Management—
Standard Practices (Tree Risk Assessment)
• This Best Management Practices (BMP) publication is
intended to serve as a guide for arborists to:
• Assess tree risk as accurately and consistently as possible
• Evaluate that risk
• Recommend measures that achieve an acceptable level of risk

13. ISA BMP for Tree Risk Assessment
Has two matrices:
1) Matrix to estimate the likelihood of tree failure impacting a specified target
2) Matrix which builds upon the likelihood matrix which assigns a risk rating by incorporating
consequences to the failure
Based on the assessment, trees are assigned risk that comes with recommendations for
action:
• Extreme - recommend that mitigation be done as soon as possible
• High risk - recommend mitigation measures be taken
• Moderate risk - recommend mitigation and/or retaining and monitoring
• Low risk - recommend retaining and monitoring as well as mitigation that does not include
removal of the tree
Likelihood of
Failure and
Impact
Consequences
Negligible Minor Significant Severe
Very Likely Low Moderate High Extreme
Likely Low Moderate High High
Somewhat Likely Low Low Moderate Moderate
Unlikely Low Low Low Low

14. Quick and to the point, what you look for during the assessment:
• Large dead branches
• Cavities in trunk and main branches
• Mushrooms
• Cracks and splits
• Lean
• Changes in grade
• Targets

15. Level 1: Windshield Survey
• Two people—one drives and one collects
data
• This type of inventory is mainly for small
areas; neighborhoods
• Need map of the area
• Know what you are looking for
• Have to take notes

16. Level 2: Tree Inventory
• Address/Location—know where the tree is for hazard abatement and
maintenance cycles
• Species—know what the tree is to predict equipment and maintenance
needs
• Condition—understand what can be done to elevate tree health or increase
public safety
• Size—how big the tree is affects equipment needs and production time and
debris load
• Defects—can it be ―fixed‖?
• Maintenance Recommendations—work planning and risk reduction
• Further Inspection—to determine defects not visible from the ground, IPM,
or PHC

17. What do you get from the inventory—DATA. It is a database.
You find out what you have so you can manage it better.
ID AREA COMMON BOTANICAL DBH STEMS
1 Urban/Business Callery pear Pyrus calleryana 3 1
2 Urban/Business Callery pear Pyrus calleryana 7 1
3 Urban/Business Red maple Acer rubrum 8 1
4 Urban/Business Live oak Quercus virginiana 8 1
ID COND. MAINT. INSPECT NOTES DATE X Y
1 Fair Training Prune No girdling roots 1/30/2013 2193297.256122 669694.297696
2 Good Routine Prune No
codominant
leaders
1/30/2013 2193297.256122 669672.717317
3 Poor Removal 1 No included bark 1/30/2013 2193296.057212 669653.135121
4 Good Routine Prune No 1/30/2013 2193296.057212 669635.950745

18. When do you do tree inventories/assessments?
• When you need to better estimate:
• Work loads
• Equipment needs
• Budgets
• Schedules
• Before you plant trees
• Before/after storms
• Before construction
• To understand the benefits trees provide

19. 11%
8%
17%
13%
7%
38%
6%
Ilex
Magnolia
Lagerstroemia
Acer
Pinus
Quercus
Other
Inventory DATAcan help determinetree planting
and maintenance needs and schedules.
29.10%
21.10%
25.17%
13.90%
5.90%
2.70%
1.52%
0.30% 0.34%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
1" - 3" 4" - 6" 7" - 12" 13" - 18" 19" - 24" 25" - 30" 31" - 36" 37" - 42" 43"+
Size class distribution
Condition
Species diversity

20. Inventory DATAprovides
information needed for long –
term budgeting
$146,000 for 340 tasksFY 2008
• Priority Removals
• Priority Prunes
• Tree Planting
$198,000 for 580 tasksFY 2009
• Priority Removals
• Priority Prunes
• Tree Planting
$167,000 for 1,430 tasksFY 2010
• Routine Pruning Cycle
• Structural Pruning Cycle
• Tree Planting
• Some Lower Priority Removals and Prunes
$100,000 for 1,040 tasksFY 2011
• Routine Pruning Cycle
• Structural Pruning Cycle
• Tree Planting
$100,000 for 1,040 tasksFY2012
• Routine Pruning Cycle
• Structural Pruning Cycle
• Tree Planting

21. Inventory DATAtells you and others how much trees work for you and them.
Trees provide real monetary savings. Rememberthey are not just plants.
• JAX Stratum here

22. Inventory DATAtells you what you have to work aroundor with…Helpsmake your
designsmore successful.

23. DATA IS KNOWLEDGE
For better or worse

24. You know what needs to be done; and not be done.
Budget and Schedule
$146,000FY 2008
• 60 Priority Removals
• 200 Priority Prunes
• 80 Tree Planting
$198,000FY 2009
• 30 Priority Removals
• 400 Priority Prunes
• 100 Tree Planting
Tree Planting
11%
8%
17%
13%
7%
38%
6%
Ilex
Magnolia
Lagerstroemia
Acer
Pinus
Quercus
Other
Species Diversity

25. What to do and what not to do when planting green infrastructure.
• JAX Stratum here

26. What to do and what not to do when planting green infrastructure.
• JAX Stratum here

27. AWARD WINNING TREE CARE = TREAT THE
TREE LIKE INFRASTRUCTURE
Knowledge
Site
Species
Drawing/Site Plan
Follow Up Care/Routine Pruning

28. What happenswhen you don’t treat a
tree like infrastructure?
The tree may become a liability
instead of an asset.

29. 1. Does it have
adequate planting
space?
2. What are the soil
conditions?
3. What about natural
light?
4. Will it get water or
need irrigation?
SITE
When looking at a site to plant a tree to become a long lived piece of infrastructure,
instead of a problem, ask these questionsbefore placing it on a plan:

30. SPECIES
After selecting the right
place for a tree, then
purchasing the best
stock becomes
paramount.
• Endless varieties
of trees to fit a
site’s space
requirement
• Try to buy trees
grown in your
hardiness zone
Buy high-quality stock. Use the
Florida Grades and Standards

31. DRAWING/
SITE PLAN
When planning for a
tree,think what you
are trying to achieve
through the tree?
Trees can provide functions that can
decrease infrastructure costs
• Cooling effect
• Screening/buffer
• Shade
• Stormwater
absorption and
diversion
• Energy savings
• Flowers/fall color
• Wildlife habitat

32. • Place it properly
• Plant it correctly
• Irrigate
• Provide PHC
• Provide IPM
• Prune on cycle
• Inventory every five years
• Manage the tree as infrastructure
• Reap the benefits…
FOLLOW UP CARE
After planting the right tree in the right place, budget and care for it. Really
make the tree an integral piece of the drawing/site plan.

33. • Beautify your life
• Provide oxygen and cooling shade
• Filter out pollutants
• Deflect noise and wind
• Reduce runoff
• Habitat for wildlife
• Reduce stress
Why trees are
important to you--
even if you are
not an urban
forester or arborist
What benefits?

34. AWARD WINNING TREE CARE
ROUTINE PRUNING—IMPROVES CONDITION
Miller and Sylvester, 1981

35. Why prune small trees?
• Best time to correct any problems
• Remove dead, dying, broken, and
damaged limbs
• Create strong scaffold branch structure
• Develop good branch spacing
• Establish a central leader
• Small wounds close quickly
To make them
better trees when
they are mature
in age!

36. Small Tree Pruning

37. Why prune mature trees?
• Remove dead, broken, dying branches
• Improve tree structure
• Enhance vigor
• Safety
• Light penetration
• View
• Clearance
To increase
public safety
and benefits.

38. Mature Tree Pruning
• Mature trees are less tolerant
of pruning than young trees.
• Never remove more than 25%
of canopy.
• Try to keep wounds small.
Mature trees have less energy
to close wounds and defend
against decay.

39. RECAP
The best defense is a good offense
• Know what you have and what you are playing against.
• Treat trees like infrastructure. Because they are infrastructure.
• Maintain trees systematically. You know what preventative
maintenance can do…

40. QUESTIONS
Shirley Vaughn, Davey Resource Group (904) 803-0557
Don Robertson, The City of Jacksonville (904) 472- 2854