Davey Tree : Urban Forestry Services : Project Profiles : Cities of Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Street Inventory Initiative


Cities of Springfield and Worcester, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Street Inventory Initiative

The cities of Springfield and Worcester, Mass., with grant funding from the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation are working in cooperation with industry partners, USDA Forest Service and the DCR Urban and Community Forestry team to provide Davey Resource Group’s web-based computerized inventory system, that will enable 45 Massachusetts cities and towns to utilize the same recording, archiving and database system. Each community’s inventory will be linked through Davey Resource Group’s Tree Keeper 7.5 Online system. The initial two inventory projects in Springfield and Worcester were constructed to serve as a model for additional Massachusetts communities to initiate tree inventories and utilize tree management software. From a research standpoint, this state-wide system will enable the analysis of data on a large number of urban centers in the state, in a simple, cost-effective manner.

In Springfield and Worcester, the field data collection and tree evaluation was done by Davey Resource Group arborists along side arborists from a local natural resource consulting firm, Trees New England. Throughout the project Davey’s inventory arborists worked closely with the city foresters from Springfield and Worcester to customize the inventories to meet their needs.

The inventories developed for each community include a database of city managed street trees with corresponding GPS locations for each tree The trees were evaluated based on species, size, condition, structural soundness, and maintenance needs according to the US Forest Service’s free inventory tool, MCTI (Mobile Community Tree Inventory). In addition, MCTI includes a tree risk determination system. This system assigns a “Hazard Rating” to each tree, which enables the city to prioritize their maintenance activities based on potential risk.

The Street Tree Inventory Initiative in Massachusetts is a perfect match for the Davey’s Tree Keeper 7.5 online system. Tree Keeper 7.5 is a web-based software that allows communities to: manage the tree inventory effectively, manage calls received from residents, generate work orders, and create flexible reports. The statewide initiative will provide software, at no cost, to any Massachusetts community. These communities can input their existing tree inventory on the system or receive the necessary tools to create their own inventory. All the communities involved will be linked on the statewide system and this establishes a standard data structure. This enables city managers and researchers to evaluate the health, safety and economic value of the urban forest on many different levels.

For more information, please visit the Demo site at http://www.treekeeperonline.com/mass.