Public Tree Inventories

VT UCF's public tree inventory approach and tool have been developed to engage citizens in the care and management of their trees and forests, and help them to identify, prioritize, and take action on the management needs identified in their inventory.  Our Vermont Tree Inventory Guide highlights benefits of trees and types of tree inventories appropriate for VT communities.  

Since 2013, the majority of VT UCF's tree inventory support of Vermont communities has fallen under two initiatives: the Care of the Urban Forest Project and ash inventories for community preparedness for the emerald ash borer.  The Care of the Urban Forest Project wrapped up in 2016 and we are now continuing to support public tree inventories in Vermont to additional communities on a request basis (first-come, first-served).   

Our state-supported public tree inventory tool utilizes the ArcGIS Collector application and is supported by the GIS team at the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.  As of early 2018, over 17,500 public trees in 29 Vermont cities, towns, and villages have been inventoried.  All inventory data can be viewed by the public on the Agency of Natural Resources' online Atlas tool (click here for viewing instructions).  Communities that use the ArcGIS Collector application also have the option of managing their data online once the inventory is completed using our Urban Tree Editor tool (by request).  

If you are interested in collaborating with us on a public tree inventory, please contact Elise Schadler.  

There are also a variety of other options for commercial and free tree inventory and management tools, such as the US Forest Service-supported i-Tree suite of tools.  

The Care of the Urban Forest Project

In 2012, VT UCF received a multi-year grant from the USDA Forest Service to assist twenty priority VT communities in completing a public tree inventory, developing a management plan or strategic action plan based on the results of the inventory, and training municipal staff in tree care practices.  VT UCF has worked with citizen volunteers, municipal officials, State Lands Foresters from the VT Department of Forests, Parks, & Recreation, and interns from the University of Vermont to collect, assess, and report on inventory projects. 

Completed Care of the Urban Forest Project Inventory Reports

Colchester (2012-2013)
Essex Junction (2013-2014)
Winooski (2014) and Winooski Update (2015)
Shelburne (2014)
Northfield (2014)
Swanton (2014)
Johnson (2014)
Vergennes (2014)
Middlebury (2014) and Inventory Update (2016)
Bristol (2014)
Hinesburg (2015)
Milton (2015)
Rockingham (2015)
Springfield (2015)
Lyndonville (2015)
St. Albans City (2015)
Brattleboro (2015)
Barre City (2015)
Newport City (2016)

Additional Public Tree Inventory Reports

Plainfield (2015)
Chester (2016)
Stowe Village (2016)
Waterbury Village (2016)
Windsor (2016)
Charlotte (2016)
Hyde Park (2017)
Thetford Hill (2018)

 

How to View Tree Data on VT Agency of Natural Resource's Atlas Tool

  •     Using the browser of your choice go to the Agency of Natural Resource's Atlas Tool. 
  •     Zoom into a town whose public trees have been inventoried using our tool; the layer won't show up until zoomed in pretty close.
  •     In the pane on the left of the screen click for the "map layers" tab at the bottom.
  •     Expand the "Forests, Parks, & Recreation" heading.
  •     Click on "Urban Tree Inventory" and the trees should all show up. 
  •     Zoom in and click on any individual tree; a summary of that tree will pop up.
    • Click on "View Additional Details" at the bottom and the data collected on the tree will appear in the pane on the left of the screen
    • Scroll to the very bottom of the pane and if there was a photograph taken of the tree when it was inventoried, it will appear as a link under "Attachments".   

PLANT. LIVE. GROW.