THEME: Campus Sustainability
TITLE: The Value of the Keele Campus Urban Forest
AUTHOR(S): Dawn R. Bazely, Ashley Royle, and Cecilia Tagliavia
DATE: 2009
TAGS: Urban Forest Effect model (UFORE), forest structure and composition, carbon sequestration and pollution, forest health, Keele campus tree density
ABSTRACT: The Urban Forest Effect model (UFORE) was developed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to assist in quantifying ecosystem services provided by urban forests at the scale of towns and cities. We adapted the methodology and protocols and applied them at a smaller scale, namely York University’s Keele campus. Our goals in modifying the protocol were two-fold: (1) to determine the extent to which the UFPRE model could be scaled down to more local levels, and (2) to determine whether, what has tended to be as costly undertaking at the municipal level, could be carried out on a smaller, more affordable budget. This report describes the characteristics, importance and value of the Urban Forest at York University’s Keele campus, including the role that the UFORE model estimates that it plays in removing greenhouse gas pollution. This campus contains urban forest canopies in both existing blocks of natural forests (woodlots) and in man-made urban forests (gardens, recreational areas, and parklands). Tree and shrub composition were sampled in a total of 70 plots on the Keele campus, in the summer of 2008, 2007 pollution data were obtained from Environment Canada, and weather data from the USDA. A total of nine people collected data: three ecologists with doctorates, two graduate students from York’s Faculty of Environmental Studies, and four IRIS staff and undergraduate students. The project was estimated to cost CAD $ 21, 500: CAD $12, 000 in salaries and CAD $9, 500 in in-kind contributions. We make a series of recommendations based on our findings, related to future management of this urban forest.
LINKS: To view the entire publication, go to http://www.iris.info.yorku.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IRIS_UFORE_Report_KeeleCampus_YorkUniversity-FINAL-sm.pdf
COPYRIGHT: Copyright © 2009 Institute for Research and Innovation in Sustainability
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Bazely, R.D.; Royle, A.; Tagliavia, C.; 2009. “The Value of the Keele Campus Urban Forest.” Based on the USDA’s Urban Forest Effects Model – UFORE.
