A Tale of Four Cities Exotic and Invasive Pest Analysis and Issue Characterization

1. A Tale of Four CitiesExotic and Invasive Pest Analysis and Issue Characterization Presented by: Davey Resource Group Deborah Sheeler

2. Project Partners This project was made possible by: U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Illinois Department of Natural Resources City of Evanston Village of Skokie Village of Wilmette Village of Winnetka

3. What’s Happening? Our urban forests are threatened by exotic and invasive insects and diseases. • How can we best manage?

4. Where to Start? ? ? ? ? ? Urban Tree Canopy Analysis Public Tree Inventories ? Hyperspectral Imagery Tree Ordinances ? i-Tree Streets Benefits Model Management Plans ? ? ? ? ?

5. Funding In 2009, Illinois Department of Natural Resources was awarded a grant from the Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry Council to analyze: Effectiveness and practicality of using various management tools and strategies to control exotic pest threats to public and private forests.

6. Project Goals • Assist communities to better understand what management tools are available for assessing the threat of exotic and invasive pests to their community forests • Demonstrate the advantages and limitations of select management tools, and the deliverables and costs associated with these tools

7. A Tale of Four Cities The urban forests in the Chicago, Illinois area are under intense pressure from exotic invasive insects and diseases. The four communities of Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka have all implemented various management strategies to battle these exotic pests. • This is their tale…..

8. Background of Four Cities • The four communities of Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, • and Winnetka are all designated as a Tree City USA by • the National Arbor Day Foundation • The project area is 27 square miles with city populations ranging from 12,000 to 74,000 • All communities had existing tree ordinances and management plans • With the exception of Winnetka, all had a current inventory of public street trees • None of the four communities were utilizing hyperspectral imagery, • i-Tree Streets Benefit Model, or Urban Tree Canopy Analysis

9. Exotic Invasive Insects and Diseases Evaluated Emerald Ash Borer – EAB (Agrilus planipennis) • Oak Wilt • (Ceratocystis fagacearum) Dutch Elm Disease – DED (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi)

10. Tools and Management Strategies Analyzed Tree Ordinances Hyperspectral Imagery Public Tree Inventories i-Tree Streets Benefit Model Healthy Urban Forests Urban Tree Canopy Analysis Management Plans

11. Tree Ordinances - Summary In A Tale of Four Cities, the ordinances of Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka are examples of how this legal tool can be used effectively to manage invasive insects and diseases within municipal boundaries. Advantages: • Provide the legal framework within which local tree management activities are conducted for the general welfare and for specific issues • Expand the municipality’s ability to take legal and appropriate action on privately owned trees Limitations: • Must be formally adopted by the municipality • Are not effective if not enforced properly • Can be too species specific • Need to be updated and reviewed periodically

12. Management Plans – Summary The communities of Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka all rely on management plans or strategies to guide them in reducing the negative impacts of invasive insects and diseases. Advantages: • Establish goals and make management recommendations for tree care activities • Create unique approaches, like cost-share programs to incentivize proactive management on the part of property owners • Provide action plans, budgets, and timelines for implementation of management strategies • Provide protocols and set standards for managing exotic invasive pests Limitations: • Can become outdated if not reviewed and updated • Goals of community may change and new threats may develop

13. Public Tree Inventories – Summary Evanston, Skokie, and Wilmette have conducted complete tree inventories. The Village of Winnetka does not have a current tree inventory so a 6% random i-Tree Streets inventory was conducted. Inventories are valuable tools for managing threats to a community. Advantages: • The costs of performing and maintaining inventories have proven to be a worthwhile investment in relation to the benefits • Data collection that includes location, species, condition, size, and recommended maintenance information can be used to accurately report the effect of exotic invasive pests • Data can be used for short- and long-term budgeting and planning • A GIS-based inventory will better demonstrate the spatial placement of the community’s trees Limitations: • It is vitally important to maintain and update the tree inventory on a regular basis or the investment loses value in the long term

14. i-Tree Streets Benefit Model - Summary In A Tale of Four Cities, i-Tree Streets was a cost-benefit analysis tool used to quantify the environmental services that the entire street tree population provides as well as what the susceptible species of oak, elm, and ash street trees contribute. Advantages: • The highest benefit of i-Tree is using the results to communicate the benefits of trees and the need for increased proactive management • i-Tree results can be utilized to develop effective public relation and educational campaigns • i-Tree is a defensible methodology that can show there is a positive benefit-cost ratio for managing this municipal asset Limitations: • Tree inventory data must be available and it requires technical expertise to execute the analysis and fully use all of the capabilities of the program • i-Tree provides benefits for species that comprise over 1 percent of the total street tree population. Reports for all species that exist may not be available.

15. Hyperspectral Imagery - Summary For A Tale of Four Cities, HSI was used to depict the location and concentrations of green and white ash, American elm, and northern red oak tree canopy that are at risk to invasive insects and diseases. Advantages: • Hyperspectral Imagery as a separate tool is beneficial in visually depicting and mapping the canopy of targeted tree species • Community foresters can utilize HSI maps for effective communication for the need for proactively managing the potential threats from invasive insects and diseases to avoid loss of tree canopy to a community’s urban forest • HSI identifies both private and public trees and gives a complete picture of the community forest Limitations: • The cost may be prohibitive • A HSI project is only a “snapshot” of conditions at the time of the project

16. Hyperspectral Imagery - Results Hyperspectral imagery (HSI) is a relatively new remote-sensing technology that can be used to map the canopy of both public and private trees at the species level.

17. Urban Tree Canopy Analysis - Summary Municipalities can use Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) data to better plan for potential planting projects and to further assist their public relation campaigns in response to invasive threats. Advantages: • The results of a UTC can be used to establish baseline conditions, benchmark against similar communities, set goals for improvement, and create plans for planting and protecting trees • UTC mapping is GIS-compatible and can be used by the community and stakeholders for many other uses Limitations: • A UTC is not species-specific and does not determine the percentage of canopy threatened by invasive insects and diseases • UTCs are best used in combination with other GIS data and imagery

19. Urban Tree Canopy Analysis - Results Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) analysis utilizes remote-sensing and GIS technologies to determine the cover of leaves, stems, and branches of trees.

20. Conclusions

21. Community Outreach Outreach and education to citizens, elected officials, businesses, and other community stakeholders is a key factor in successfully managing exotic and invasive pests. The ability to map the threat and demonstrate the value of the urban forest is an integral part of an educational program.

22. Management Tools This project did not evaluate all available urban forestry management tools that can be used to manage exotic and invasive pests. Each community should research these tools as well when preparing a response to these threats. i-Tree Pest Evaluation Detection Module Invasive species readiness plans i-Tree Streets Benefit Model Public Education Campaigns Management Plans Urban Tree Canopy Analysis Hyperspectral Imagery i-Tree Eco Tree Ordinances Public Tree Inventories

23. A Tale of Four Cities Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka all have chosen similar urban forestry management tools – some simple and some advanced – to help understand and manage the threat of exotic and invasive pests. With the results of this study, these communities can now compare the effectiveness of these tools, share management strategies and better understand the threats to their urban forest, and create a multi-faced response that best serves the needs and conditions of the community and forest.

24. What’s Next The goal of this project is to assist other communities to better understand what tools are available for assessing the threat of exotic pests. The next step is to promote and share the results of this project. Public Tree Inventories Healthy Urban Forests Tree Ordinances Share Study Results Hyperspectral Imagery i-Tree Streets Benefit Model Management Plans Urban Tree Canopy Analysis

25. For More Information • Illinois Department of Natural Resources www.dnr.illinois.gov • U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture www. fs.fed.us • USFS i-Tree www.itreetools.org • Contact Josh Behounek (josh.behounek@davey.com) www.davey.com