Papers by Eric Greenfield
Throughout most of New York State, maple species are the most common street tree. It is not unusu... more Throughout most of New York State, maple species are the most common street tree. It is not unusual for Norway (Acer platanoides), silver (A. saccharinum), sugar (A. saccharum), red (A. rubrum), and other maples species to comprise over 50% of the street tree population in communities of all sizes. As in many areas of the country, maples on the streets today were planted to replace the American elms (Ulmus americana) that were lost as a result of the Dutch Elm Disease epidemic that started in the 1930s. Many cities in New York are therefore faced with an aging population of maples that make up a substantial portion of their street tree populations. The cities we selected for this study of decay and tree health were Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. These cities are the largest in upstate New York and together have over 67,000 trees that are greater than 12 inches in diameter. They are also typical of other communities in the state in that Norway maple is over 36% of the larg...
Journal of Forestry
Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage annually in the United States and are projected to... more Hurricanes cause billions of dollars in damage annually in the United States and are projected to increase in intensity in the coming years. By exploring historical patterns of hurricanes and exposure of these hurricane-force winds across the landscape, areas of potentially high threat to future hurricane winds can be revealed. Combining potential threats from hurricane winds with forest data reveal the areas with the greatest potential threats to this important resource. Not surprisingly, most of the threats to forests occur in the Southeast, but the greatest threats to urban forests overall occur along the Northeast coast and in metropolitan centers in the Southeast. Overall, 4.6% of the nation’s rural forest basal area is within zones of the highest risk from hurricane winds. Information on regional and local scale variations in hurricane risk can be used to aid policies and local forest management to improve forest health and sustainability.
Land
Municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious goals to increase urban tree canopy (UTC), but there is ... more Municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious goals to increase urban tree canopy (UTC), but there is little understanding of the pace and socioecological drivers of UTC change. We analyzed land cover change in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States) from 1970–2010 to examine the impacts of post-industrial processes on UTC. We interpreted land cover classes using aerial imagery and assessed historical context using archival newspapers, agency reports, and local historical scholarship. There was a citywide UTC increase of +4.3 percentage points. Substantial UTC gains occurred in protected open spaces related to both purposeful planting and unintentional forest emergence due to lack of maintenance, with the latter phenomenon well-documented in other cities located in forested biomes. Compared to developed lands, UTC was more persistent in protected open spaces. Some neighborhoods experienced substantial UTC gains, including quasi-suburban areas and depopulated low-income communities; th...
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
Journal of Forestry
U.S. urban land increased from 2.6% (57.9 million acres) in 2000 to 3.0% (68.0 million acres) in ... more U.S. urban land increased from 2.6% (57.9 million acres) in 2000 to 3.0% (68.0 million acres) in 2010. States with the greatest amount of urban growth were in the South/Southeast (TX, FL, NC, GA and SC). Between 2010 and 2060, urban land is projected to increase another 95.5 million acres to 163.1 million acres (8.6%) with 18 states projected to have an increase of over 2 million acres. Overall, there are an estimated 5.5 billion trees (39.4% tree cover) in urban areas nationally that contain 127 million acres of leaf area and 44 million tons of dry-weight leaf biomass.
Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
"Residential building energy conservation and avoided power plant emissions by urban and communit... more "Residential building energy conservation and avoided power plant emissions by urban and community trees in the United States" (2017).
Environmental Management
Many municipalities are setting ambitious tree canopy cover goals to increase the extent of their... more Many municipalities are setting ambitious tree canopy cover goals to increase the extent of their urban forests. A historical perspective on urban forest development can help cities strategize how to establish and achieve appropriate tree cover targets. To understand how long-term urban forest change occurs, we examined the history of trees on an urban college campus: the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. Using a mixed methods approach, including qualitative assessments of archival records (1870-2017), complemented by quantitative analysis of tree cover from aerial imagery (1970-2012), our analysis revealed drastic canopy cover increase in the late 20th and early 21st centuries along with the principle mechanisms of that change. We organized the historical narrative into periods reflecting campus planting actions and management approaches; these periods are also connected to broader urban greening and city planning movements, such as City Beautiful and urban sustainability. University faculty in botany, landscape architecture, and urban design contributed to the design of campus green spaces, developed comprehensive landscape plans, and advocated for campus trees. A 1977 Landscape Development Plan was particularly influential, setting forth design principles and planting recommendations that enabled the dramatic canopy cover gains we observed, and continue to guide landscape management today. Our results indicate that increasing urban tree cover requires generational time scales and systematic management coupled with a clear urban design vision and long-term commitments. With the campus as a microcosm of broader trends in urban forest development, we conclude with a discussion of implications for municipal tree cover planning.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of New Jersey, New Yor... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifically this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefits. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Iowa,
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Connecticut, Maine,... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifically this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefits. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Illinois, Indiana, ... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifically this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefits. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Arkansas, Louisiana... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifi cally this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefi ts. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban. This report includes information for the following states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. Data are reported for the state, county, county subdivision, and community jurisdictions. The jurisdictional units used in this report are derived from U.S. Census (2007) geographic data and defi ned legal or statistical divisions. "County" 1 refers to the primary subdivision within states. "County subdivisions" are primary divisions of a county and are statistically equivalent entities for the reporting of census data. They include census county divisions (CCD), census sub areas, minor civil divisions (MCD), and unorganized territories. "Communities" are incorporated and census designated places, and consolidated cities (U.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Arizona,
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Alabama, Kentucky, ... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifi cally this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefi ts. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban. This report includes information for the following states: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Data are reported for the state, county, county subdivision, and community jurisdictions. The jurisdictional units used in this report are derived from U.S. Census (2007) geographic data and defi ned legal or statistical divisions. "County" 1 refers to the primary subdivision within states. "County subdivisions" are primary divisions of a county and are statistically equivalent entities for the reporting of census data. They include census county divisions (CCD), census sub areas, minor civil divisions (MCD), and unorganized territories. "Communities" are incorporated and census designated places, and consolidated cities (U.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of California, Oregon,... more This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of California, Oregon, and Washington by community (incorporated and census designated places), county subdivision, and county. Specifi cally this report provides critical urban and community forestry information for each state including human population characteristics and trends, changes in urban and community lands, tree canopy and impervious surface cover characteristics, distribution of land-cover classes, a relative comparison of urban and community forests among local government types, determination of priority areas for tree planting, and a summary of urban tree benefi ts. Report information can improve the understanding, management, and planning of urban and community forests. The data from this report is reported for each state on the CD provided in the back of this book, and it may be accessed by state at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/data/urban. This report includes information for the following states: California, Oregon, and Washington. Data are reported for the state, county, county subdivision, and community jurisdictions. The jurisdictional units used in this report are derived from U.S. Census (2007) geographic data and defi ned legal or statistical divisions. "County" 1 refers to the primary subdivision within states. "County subdivisions" are primary divisions of a county and are statistically equivalent entities for the reporting of census data. They include census county divisions (CCD), census sub areas, minor civil divisions (MCD), and unorganized territories. "Communities" are incorporated and census designated places, and consolidated cities (U.
This report details how land cover and urbanization vary within the states of Delaware,
Close to 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas and depends on the essential ecol... more Close to 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas and depends on the essential ecological, economic, and social benefi ts provided by urban trees and forests. However, the distribution of urban tree cover and the benefi ts of urban forests vary across the United States, as do the challenges of sustaining this important resource. As urban areas expand across the country, the importance of the benefi ts that urban forests provide, as well as the challenges to their conservation and maintenance, will increase. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the current status and benefi ts of America's urban forests, compare differences in urban forest canopy cover among regions, and discuss challenges facing urban forests and their implications for urban forest management.
Uploads
Papers by Eric Greenfield