2022-049 Tree Inventory Effort and Urban Tree Canopy UpdateDate: August 12, 2022 Report No. 2022-049
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT
TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT:
Tree Inventory Effort and Urban Tree Canopy Update
BACKGROUND:
The Denton Plan 2030 recommended development of the Urban Forest Master Plan (UFMP) to
identify important tree canopy resources and include specific strategies for protection and
provisions of a more robust tree canopy. The UFMP was adopted in October 2020 and serves as a
guide for managing, enhancing, and growing Denton’s urban forest and community tree resource
over the next 20 years. Whereas the urban forest includes all of the trees and woody shrubs in
Denton, the community tree resource is comprised of publicly managed trees along streets, in
parks, and at City facilities.
DISCUSSION:
TREEPLOTTER SOFTWARE - In January 2022, the City subscribed to TreePlotter Canopy by
PlanIT Geo. TreePlotter Canopy does not provide data on the individual trees such as species, size,
and health. This type of information is collected at ground level via tree inventory. We do have
estimates of the species and size provided in the 2016 State of Denton Urban Forest report (see
charts below)
Date: August 12, 2022 Report No. 2022-049
TreePlotter provides a tree canopy assessment every 2-3 years and allows users to:
• View the distribution of tree canopy.
• Plan tree plantings by weighting and prioritizing criteria to determine suitability for
planting.
• Grow the tree canopy by evaluating potential tree canopy goals and the trees need to reach
goals, forecast future tree planting benefits and compare multiple planting scenarios.
The tree canopy assessment is viewable at the following geographic levels:
• City and Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ)
• Individual parcel
• Zoning districts
• Census block groups
• Census blocks
• Zip codes
• Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA)
• Watersheds
• Public vs private land.
The software is currently accessible to Planning, Environmental Services, and Parks and
Recreation staff. The platform also has a community engagement map that will be accessible on
the City’s website. This engagement tool should be available to the community by the end of
September 2022.
In working towards UFMP Goal 1 – Promote tree health and Structure, Goal 5 – Promote tree
preservation and protection and Goal 6 – Develop a city-wide planting plan, Parks staff will utilize
TreePlotter to help evaluate properties for future parks, to plan future tree plantings and to monitor
the growth or decline in tree canopy.
Date: August 12, 2022 Report No. 2022-049
TREE INVENTORY - The City’s UFMP, recognizes that a “tree inventory is crucial to understand
the health of the community tree resource” and to provide “information to determine the resources
required to address the maintenance requirements of trees in parks and in the public right-of-way
(all of which would improve public safety).”
Staff recently assessed proposals to conduct an inventory of trees located in parks, city properties
and public rights-of-ways. One of the primary objectives of performing the tree inventory is to
allow staff to better plan tree maintenance activities (planting, pruning, and removals). There has
previously been some discussion in the community about an inventory of every tree in the city,
including those on private property. This would be an enormous undertaking considering the “2016
State of the Urban Forest Report” estimated over 3.4 million trees in the City of Denton. Based on
the proposals received an inventory of trees on all canopied parcels throughout the city would cost
an estimated $13.5 – $34 million and several years to complete. The cost would likely be higher,
as the proposals received were for a tree inventory in maintained (easily assessable) areas under
City control. Staff has no knowledge of any city undertaking a city-wide inventory of trees
including those on private property.
The planned tree inventory will also enable the city to accomplish the objective in the UFMP
towards the development of a pruning and maintenance cycle and the proper resources to do so. In
addition, it will allow the city to improve on the “Indicators of a Sustainable Urban Forest”.
The goal of this project is to develop a comprehensive inventory of trees in maintained areas of
parks, city properties, and public right-of-way. The inventory will be performed using a NASA-
Date: August 12, 2022 Report No. 2022-049
grade mobile lidar system mounted to a vehicle. The inventory will provide the diameter at breast
height (DBH), crown height, tree height, tree species, tree condition, tree location (GPS
coordinates) unique ID number, economic value, tree address, percentage of missing crown, and
3D & 4D modeling of each tree.
Utilizing this system, the first-year data can be collected within 60 days of acceptance of the
proposal versus a year or more that is required for a traditional tree inventory. This will allow the
City to begin to expedite the tracking of tree maintenance, care, and planting during the first year,
instead of waiting on an inventory. A second data set will be collected in year 3 and allow for
modeling of the health (growth/death) of our community tree resource. The cost of the inventory
is spread out over a 4-year period and includes cloud storage of the data and a subscription to the
Greehill software for viewing, maintaining, and updating the inventory. The tree data will be
updated to include maintenance records of trees that are pruned, removed, and planted, which is a
critical step that is often overlooked when cities have tree inventories completed. Ongoing tree or
asset management is critical to the initial investment. Without regular input, the inventory is simply
a snapshot in time that is soon outdated and of little use in managing the inventoried trees.
Date: August 12, 2022 Report No. 2022-049
CONCLUSION:
City staff continue planning for the inventory of trees located in parks, city properties and public
rights-of-ways. Our next steps are:
1. Have Greehill registered as a City vendor.
2. Finalize to the contract with Greehill.
3. Present the contract to City Council in September for consideration.
4. Pending contract award and the timing of leaf drop, the start date could be in Spring 2023.
The recently updated tree canopy data in TreePlotter Canopy can be used to help identify Preferred
Preservation Plan (PPP) parcels for wildlife habitats and corridors.
STAFF CONTACT:
Haywood Morgan
Urban Forester, Parks and Recreation
Haywood.Morgan@cityofdenton.com
REQUESTOR:
Staff
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS:
Parks and Recreation Department
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT:
Parks and Recreation Department - 10 hours
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
25% and Greater North of Eagle Dr.
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
25% and Greater South of Eagle Dr.
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
50% and Greater North of Eagle Dr.
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
50% and Greater South of Eagle Dr.
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
75% and Greater North of Eagle Dr.
Denton Tree Canopy by Parcel
75% and Greater South of Eagle Dr.