Tree tracker: mapping and management of Beulah Park trees

Abstract

Parks are visited by millions of people each year, making park management a crucial task. There are many different facets of park management, from playground upkeep to building maintenance, as well as tree management. Trees are a critical to a well-balanced and engaging park, adding wildlife habitats and shade. However, unmanaged and unkept trees can be dangerous to park goers; falling limbs and dead trees can cause many issues. A GIS based tree map is one way to manage and track all the trees in a park, helping prevent any accidents and maintain the trees. This map tracks tree depth at breast height (DBH), tree genus and species, and memorial stone status of all trees in Beulah Park, Alexandria, IN. DBH, genus, and species are all typical tree management parameters, but the memorial stone status is specific to Beulah Park. Stones can be purchased and dedicated to people or groups and placed with trees. In addition to these parameters, health and maintenance data can also be logged and updated over time. A tree management toolkit was developed as well, to further expand upon the data in the map. It was designed to meet the changing needs in park management as time goes on, to better serve the people. The map and toolkit can be found here.