USING MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY AND GIS

TO ASSESS THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF URBAN TREES FOR

JONESBORO, ARKANSAS

By: Jennifer Worlow

                                    

Introduction Trees perform functions such as:• Save energy• Improve water quality• Reduce soil erosion• Provide wildlife habitat• Aesthetic value

Tree Inventory

• City of Jonesboro• Chamber of commerce• $20,000 forestry assistant grant • Burditt

ObjectivesAssess the benefits of trees

Measure air pollution removedMeasure carbon storage and sequestrationStormwater mitigation

AnalysisAerial imageryLandsatGISArcViewImagineGPSCITYgreen

Benefits of a Green InfrastructureEnvironmentalEconomicalSocialPhysiological

Measurement MethodsTree sizeTree speciesTree conditionTree maintenance costs

Literature ReviewPrevious CITYgreen reports

Fayetteville, 2002: Objective was to map landcover change over a 15 year period using Landsat imagery, high-resolution multi-spectral imagery, and aerial imagery.

American Forests UEA reported 1% decline.

Other StatesTexas CaliforniaNorth CarolinaTennessee

Temperature reduction purposesDollars lost due to deforestation

Jonesboro’s Urban ForestSouthern Hills Mall

Approximately one hundred and thirty-eight acres of trees were destroyed with the proposed development.

City of Jonesboro City AppraisalTrunk Formula Method

Based on removal costApproximately 250 thousand dollars

in tree value within city limits.Approximately 210 thousand dollars

in tree value in rural areas

Bad Data?According to Dwyer in 2002

2.9 percent tree cover using 30 meter Landsat from 2000 and one kilometer Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) data from 1991.

Methods and Materials• Landsat 30 meter resolution imagery• Single bands 1-5 and 7• Obtained June 21, 2003• Flight path 23 row 35

Landsat 5

Landsat scene for the Jonesboro area (path 23, row

35) acquired on June 21, 2003

Classified thirty-meter Landsat scene depicting the

land cover types used in the analysis of CITYgreen.

One-meter color infrared digital ortho photoquad of the construction site for the proposed Jonesboro Southern Hill’s mall (green outlined area) obtained February 6, 2001.

ArcGIS and CITYgreen together

The recoded image from ERDAS Imaging was brought into ArcGIS for the CITYgreen analyis.

The CITYgreen analysis presented a report of the different groundcover types and pollution removal percentages.

Results and DiscussionAir Pollution Removal:

CITYgreen shows the tree canopy to be at 17.6% within the Jonesboro city limits.

Pollutants removed are sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and PM10

Landcover Percentages

CITYgreen air pollution removal

Canopy at 17.6% Lbs. Removed/year Dollar Value Carbon Monoxide 34,084 $14,546 Ozone 409,007 $1,256,558 Nitrogen Dioxide 195,982 $602,101 Particulate Matter 306,755 $629,207 Sulfur Dioxide 85,210 $63,947 Totals 1,031,038 $2,566,358

Alternate scenariosWith a feasible 10% increase in tree canopy,

the dollars saved for stormwater mitigation would increase from having to pay 148 million to paying 30 million.

At 40% canopy: stormwater mitigation falls to 5.5 million dollars.

Other BenefitsAestheticPhysicalPsychologicalSpiritual Property Value

ConclusionThe production of carbon worldwide is

beyond what the earth’s vegetation can compensate for in oxygen.

Studies have shown that a car burns more oxygen in one minute than a tree can produce in one day.

On the contrary, one tree produces enough oxygen for a family of four to live off of.

Benefits of TreesTrees provide homes, food, and shelter for

numerous animals. Living trees that have decayed wood,

hollowed trees, broomed trees, dead trees, and logs, all have different purposes in sustaining the health within an environment.