Innovative approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring and sustainable management of urban forests
May 17, 2021 –
RSWA monthly talk: "Innovative approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring and sustainable management of urban forests" by Dr Paul Barber
Maintenance of the cover and condition of our urban forests is becoming increasingly important as pressure grows to house expanding populations whilst maintaining a high quality of life. Traditional approaches to arboriculture and urban forestry include wide-scale deployment of arborists for the fieldbased collection of tree and forest attributes. Governments have limited budgets for the deployment of large teams of arborists, and there is an increasing need to have rapid access to large amounts of quantitative data. In addition, arborists often have limited training in the accurate diagnosis of tree health disorders and this is even challenging at times for highly qualified forest pathologists.
With changes in climate, increases in the frequency of extreme weather events, and global movement of pests and diseases, urban trees are under increasing stress. Early detection of stress, accurate and repeatable measures of tree cover and condition, and the implementation of novel treatments/methods for their control is essential if we are to maintain canopy in a sustainable manner. This paper will outline a decade of projects and case-studies where innovative approaches have been adopted to improve urban forest management. A particular focus will be placed on remote sensing technologies.