HAZARD RATING OF PARKS TREES AND ESTABLISHMENT OF ADOPT-A-TREE PROGRAM, NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS

摘要

The purpose of this project is to inventory parks and recreation trees in the city of Nacogdoches, Texas, using a Trimble Pro XRS GPS unit to establish location; and to construct a geographic information system (GIS) database for forest health that can be updated as forest health conditions change in the future. Tree health data collected will include structure of the main bole and branches; insect and disease pests; life expectancy; and shape of the crown and cultural history. An Adopt-a-Tree program, developed in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry at Stephen F. Austin State University, will be established to document planting and maintenance of the urban forest. Each tree planted will have the person planting the tree, a digital picture and the tree species entered into a GIS database for later retrieval, spatial analysis and visual/map display. The project follows the constructs of landscape ecology for documenting structure, function and change of the urban forest.