Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 33(5): September 2007 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2007. 33(5):371–372. 371 ARBORICULTURAL ABSTRACTS TRANSFORMATION OF THE OAK FOREST SPATIAL STRUCTURE IN THE MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL METROPOLITAN AREA, MINNESOTA, USA OVER 7 YEARS Kathleen Ward, Kathryn Kromroy, and Jennifer Juzwik The Twin Cities Metropolitan Area (TCMA) oak (Quercus spp.) forest area decreased by 5.6% between 1991 and 1998. Accompanying spatial transformation of the forest can have great impacts on forest health, water flow and quality, wild- life habitat, potential for the spread of invasive species, and the quality of life of urban residents. The types of spatial transformation that occurred along with the loss of oak forest in the TCMA were investigated through the integration of remote sensing, a Geographic Information System (GIS), and landscape and patch metrics in seven ecological subsections between 1991 and 1998. Oak forest patches in the TCMA as a whole decreased in area, number, and complexity. Frag- mentation of oak forest took place in all subsections and attrition occurred in three subsections. Knowledge of how the oak forest has changed over time can be integrated with land use change information to help planners make decisions about zoning and development that will minimize the impacts of increasing land conversion pressure on forest areas. (Land- scape and Urban Planning 2007. 81(1–2):27–33) THE POTENTIAL OF URBAN TREE PLANTINGS TO BE COST EFFECTIVE IN CARBON CREDIT MARKETS Melissa R. McHale, E. Gregory McPherson, and Ingrid C. Burke Emission trading is considered to be an economically sensi- tive method for reducing the concentrations of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. There has been debate about the viability of using urban tree plant- ings in these markets. The main concern is whether or not urban planting projects can be cost effective options for in- vestors. We compared the cost efficiency of four case studies located in Colorado, and used a model sensitivity analysis to determine what variables most influence cost effectiveness. We believe that some urban tree planting projects in specific locations may be cost effective investments. Our modeling results suggest that carbon assimilation rate, which is mainly a function of growing season length, has the largest influence on cost effectiveness, however resource managers can create more effective projects by minimizing costs, planting large- stature trees, and manipulating a host of other variables that affect energy usage. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2007. 6(1):49–60) FORMULAIC EXPERT METHOD TO INTEGRATE EVALUATION AND VALUATION OF HERITAGE TREES IN COMPACT CITY C. Jim Urban trees serve important environmental, social and eco- nomic functions, but similar to other natural endowments they are not customarily depicted in monetary terms. The needs to augment protection, funding and community support for urban greening call for proper valuation. Heritage trees (HTs), the cream of urban-tree stock, deserve special atten- tion. Existing assessment methods do not give justice to out- standing trees in compact cities deficient in high-caliber greenery, and to their social-cultural-historical importance. They artificially separate evaluation from valuation, which should be a natural progression from the former. Review of tree valuation methods suggested the formula approach to be more suitable than contingent valuation and hedonic pricing, and provided hints on their strengths and weaknesses. This study develops an alternative formulaic expert method (FEM) that integrates evaluation and valuation, maximizes objectiv- ity, broadly encompasses the key tree, tree-environment and tree-human traits, and accords realistic monetary value to HTs. Six primary criteria (dimension, species, tree, condition, location, and outstanding consideration) branched into 45 secondary criteria, each allocated numerical marks. Each pri- mary criterion was standardized to carry equal weight, and a tree’s maximum aggregate score is capped at 100. A Mon- etary Assignment Factor (MAF) to consign dollar value to each score unit was derived from three-year average per m2 sale price of medium-sized residential flats. The applicability of FEM was tested on selected HTs in compact Hong Kong. The aggregate score of a tree multiplied by MAF yielded monetary value, which was on average 66 times higher than the result from the commonly-adopted Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers method. The computed tree values could be publicized together with multiple tree benefits to raise understanding and awareness and rally support to pro- tect HTs. The property-linked FEM could be flexibly applied to other cities, especially to assess HTs in compact develop- ing cities. (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 2006. 116(1–3):53–80) ©2007 International Society of Arboriculture
September 2007
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