Description
What is the relationship between a tree canopy and your local water supply? Why is tree diversity important environmentally to your town? Is there a connection between tree quantity – visual greenery – in an urban setting and human stress? These are just a few of the questions that one can ask of the tree ecosystem that exists in your town, whether you live in a rural, suburban or urban area. As the town arborist, you’re making a presentation analyzing the tree ecosystem in your neighborhood to be delivered to the town council. Choose a significant space in your town that can be defined geographically and contains a mix of buildings and trees. Your chosen space should be at least one acre large and should contain a minimum of two tree species. Create a tree-based map of the area that notes each building and tree in the area, noting the different tree species present. If there are more than 50 trees present, you can choose to include a representative sample of trees in the map rather than portraying each tree. You should then craft a video report explaining the health of the space as based on: a) tree biodiversity; b) native vs. foreign species; c) threats to trees, including pests and disease; and d) root system health (space, soil chemistry, etc.). In your video report, you must make at least two specific suggestions for improvement. Remember, you are presenting this to the town council – how you share the reasoning behind your suggestions should be tailored to the audience. Could your area benefit from tree planting? Do you focus on long-term economic savings? Environmental benefits? Aesthetics? In the end, it’s your call.
