[CANUFNET] tree protection

Fri Jan 20 10:16:16 EST 2017

Good day everyone / bonjour tous le monde.

Quite a lively thread going here, though its kinda drifted into technology
and inventories and my 1.1-cents on that is this:

Regardless of all the cool technology out there to plot points (GIS/GPS,
etc...) and collect data, I imagine that most of us (probably all of us)
are *not* professional licensed surveyors. Particularly on infill projects
where boundary trees are a frequent issue, they are the ones with the
professional credentials to make a tree ownership determination, just like
we're the ones with the credentials to wrap dbh tape around a trunk and
report that data. Before I make recommendations for pruning, removal, risk
mitigation, etc.... I want to know who's tree it is and I generally don't
consider that to be my call to make.

On the subject of by-laws:

Enforcement isn't necessarily just something to be directed at developers
and property owners. Developing clear, comprehensive report guidelines and
insisting on a high standard of reporting (thorough, accurate, truthful,
etc...) from 'qualified tree consultants' is also a part of tree
protection. I see nothing wrong with any municipality/city maintaining both
a white list and a black list of people/companies they will or won't accept
reports from. Where adequate staffing is an issue (and it often is), a
related option is peer review.  Some municipalities have reporting
guidelines, some don't. The ones that do often seem to accept reports that
don't meet their guidelines anyway. In the end, its the trees that may
suffer for it.

Oliver K. Reichl, B.E.S.(Hons)
Principal / Consulting Arborist-Ecologist*
Arborsphere Arboriculture & Urban Forestry Consulting
18 Larue Mills Road
Mallorytown, ON, K0E 1R0
Tel: 613-923-8833
Web: www.oliverkilian.com/treecare, Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oliver-K-Reichl-BESHons-Consulting-Arborist/192125024193992>

* ASCA Registered Consulting Arborist #553
  ISA Certified Arborist #ON-1178A
  Ontario Butternut Health Assessor #039
  ISA Tree Risk Assessor Qualified
  OUFC Heritage Tree Inspector

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 7:12 AM, Naomi Zurcher via CANUFNET <
canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:

> Hi Ian
>
> Would love to receive the article. Real world field experience definitely
> initiates innovation.
>
> best
> naomi
> On Jan 19, 2017, at 5:51 PM, Ian Hanou via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net>
> wrote:
>
> Here is my $.02 after a whole lot of time in urban forestry, GIS and
> inventory software:
>
>    - GPS is being used less and less in urban areas for data collection.
>    *Reasons*: 1) with base map tiles (Google Maps, Bing Maps, etc.), the
>    horizontal accuracy of the ortho photos is sub-meter (1-foot is common in
>    the US). Unlike our cameras, each pixel has an x/y location, so when you
>    "drop a point" (digitize a tree's location) in an online map, you're
>    creating the x/y coordinate, replacing what GPS does (you use the "blinking
>    blue dot" for navigation, not data collection), 2) you can use tablets and
>    smartphones which are prolific and so much cheaper (and versatile/useful!)
>    than $6,000 GPS units + GPS software, 3) most new tree inventory software
>    are web/mobile-based and GPS is an optional way to collect the tree's
>    location whereas digitizing the tree on an ortho photo is the primary
>    method, and 4) these inventory software apps allow you to simply "drag"
>    (move) a tree point, instantly updating the x/y coordinate, based on
>    whichever base map you feel is most accurate (in horizontal / positional
>    accuracy). Wait! There's #5 ... is super simple to zoom into a map and drop
>    a pin in the middle of a tree using high-res base maps, unlike GPS units
>    and differential correction, etc. Try it here, a free starter tool for
>    basic tree inventory: https://pg-cloud.com/PlotterLITE/.
>    - In heavily wooded areas or where trees are close together,
>    digitizing a point location is more challenging of course, but so is GPS in
>    heavy canopy. There is no perfect answer, but there are techniques like
>    tree tagging with physical tags to be able to do cohort studies, etc. This
>    is more expensive, so choose the approach that works for your requirements
>    and the site context.
>    - We're almost finished writing an article about cheaper GPS units
>    that connect to web browser mapping applications via Bluetooth. There is a
>    Bad Elf unit for $599 (US) that says it can produce 1-meter horizontal
>    accuracy. I'd be happy to send that out when it's ready.
>    - I also wrote about some of this on our blog
>    <http://www.treeplotter.com/single-post/2016/10/20/Base-map-tiles-accuracy-and-imagery-shifts-between-different-sources>
>    .
>
>
> hope this was useful ... cheers!
>
> On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 3:08 PM, Marie-Hélène Sauvé via CANUFNET <
> canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi there,
>>
>> Just to adjust something about GPS and urban forestry: there exists many
>> types of devices that are accurate enough (+/-10cm precision) to make a
>> very
>> good distinction between two trees located nearby (and even the property -
>> if it's a public tree or not). Those devices are way more expensive than
>> those easy-to-use Garmin or other GPS device used traditionally in
>> forestry.
>> Those high-level precision GPS are used by some consultants in the Greater
>> Montréal. So YES, it may be used and applied. The user has to know how to
>> use it properly though; GIS skills are required!
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Marie-Hélène Sauvé
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Message d'origine-----
>> De : CANUFNET [mailto:canufnet-bounces at list.web.net] De la part de via
>> CANUFNET
>> Envoyé : 19 janvier 2017 13:12
>> À : jd at dunster.ca; Julian Dunster; Michael Richardson; Canadian Urban
>> Forest
>> Network
>> Objet : Re: [CANUFNET] tree protection
>>
>> Unfortunately GPS is not accurate enough to plot trees, especially when
>> landmarks that are accurately located by a surveyor aren't close by (i.e.
>> a
>> forest or large natural area).  GPS's currently available don't have the
>> resolution to separate two trees that are 2 feet apart, or may be on the
>> other side of a property line with 100% accuracy.  A critical point. It's
>> a
>> help but not the solution, yet.
>>
>> CAD and GIS are great for plotting the data (we use both) but the
>> locations
>> need to be accurate to start with. The days of drawing-in a dot by hand
>> on a
>> site plan are gone.
>>
>> Stephen Smith
>> ISA Certified Arborist, Urban Forester
>> Urban Forest Associates Inc.
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Julian Dunster via CANUFNET
>> Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2017 11:56 AM
>> To: Michael Richardson ; Canadian Urban Forest Network
>> Subject: Re: [CANUFNET] tree protection
>>
>> Many of arborists in Britain regularly use GPS, GIS, and CAD routinely for
>> development projects. One of them developed special CAD software for the
>> purpose. The lack of its use in Canada almost certainly reflects a lack it
>> being taught in curricula, as part of professional practice. We still
>> focus
>> on pruning, planting, fertilising and tree stuff, all of which is fine but
>> needs expanding to the 21st century to include effective use of
>> technology.
>> Several of my colleagues in BC use CAD all the time. I use GPS and GIS.
>>
>> We need to expand the horizon of what arboriculture and urban forestry
>> might
>> / should entail. At the same time we can also inform surveyors and
>> architects of we expect them to produce - such as CAD symbols for canopy
>> that are scaled to reality on the ground, not simply rubber stamped on a
>> plan, all at the same size (a pet peeve).
>>
>> On Behalf of Dunster and Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd.
>>
>>
>> Dr. Julian A Dunster R.P.F., R.P.P.., M.C.I.P., ISA Certified Arborist,
>> ASCA
>> Registered Consulting Arborist # 378, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified
>> BC
>> Wildlife Danger Tree Assessor Honourary Life Member ISA + PNWISA
>>
>> North American distributor for Rinntech
>> www.dunster.ca
>>
>> >
>> > Some interesting thoughts here.
>> >
>> > Those little dots; most arborists I know do not have the equipment or
>> > expertise to to locate trees with any precision, nor the GIS software
>> > to plot them.  If an arborist is using a plan created by a surveyor
>> > than surely the arborist must locate and plot not the tree, but the
>> > entire trunk diameter or root collar/trunk flare with the same
>> > accuracy and precision.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> *Ian S. Hanou | **Plan-It Geo, LLC.*
> Owner & Director of Business Development
> ianhanou at planitgeo.com
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