Abstract:
AMERICAN FORESTS conducted an urban ecosystem analysis of the Delaware Valley region to provide community leaders with detailed information about the region's tree cover and its environmental and economic impacts. The analysis documents what landscape changes have occurred over time and how these changes have impacted the environmental services the urban forest provides to the region. The study used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to connect image analysis of the area to ecological assessment of tree cover change trends over the last 15 years. In addition, AMERICAN FORESTS created a "green data layer" -a digital tool that local communities can use to integrate urban forest ecology into their future planning.
Frankford Tacony, Mill Creek and Cobbs Creek in Pennsylvania and the Big Timber in New Jersey were selected for analysis and to create a detailed (4-meter resolution) digital landcover. The detailed analysis used a high-resolution satellite image as the basis for creating a "green data layer" or classified land cover image. This digital mapping tool enables planners to integrate green infrastructure into their future planning.
Purpose:
Adding a green data layer to the decision making process introduces a new dimension to planning and development, one that considers the dollar benefits of trees and associated natural resources. Planning with green infrastructure provides a way to take advantage of the natural cycles of air and water, instead of solely building costly "gray" infrastructure to manage these systems.