BMP - Tree Inventories - 3

Introduction
Purpose
This publication is written as a consensus document for professionals who
manage a large number of trees that are considered primarily as individuals
rather than as groups or stands. It is relevant for trees within public
jurisdictions-such as municipalities, villages, towns, water districts, or
counties-as well as other collections of managed private trees, such as those
found on university campuses, cemeteries, military bases, utility corridors,
corporate or institutional grounds, arboreta, homeowners associations, and
private grounds. For simplicity, all such populations will be included here
under the term " urban forest, " all persons responsible for them called " urban
forest managers, " and all groups served by urban forest managers labeled
" communities. "
The primary purpose of this publication is to describe best practices for
developing and utilizing tree inventories. It also strives to serve as a guide
for making informed choices that will match inventory goals with needs and
resources. Because all urban forests are unique, a single inventory approach
cannot be applied universally. In addition, funding levels and other resources
vary significantly from program to program. It is thus important to choose
inventory options carefully to optimize resources and achieve the desired goals.

Definition and Components
A tree inventory is a record of the attributes (location and characteristics)
of individual trees within a defined geographic area. However, the scale
and complexity of inventories varies with the specific needs, goals, and
resources of the local context. The premise for a tree inventory is that trees are
infrastructure, and should be managed as such.
Conceptually, every inventory involves features, attributes, and values:
*	 Features are the items that are inventoried-in the case of tree inventories,
trees or sites. Examples of other features that can be inventoried
include utility wires and poles, shrubs, putting greens, irrigation
systems, planting strip width, and hardscape (fountains, walks, etc).
*	 Attributes are the qualities or characteristics of a feature that will
be recorded during the inventory process. Attributes can be broadly
divided into two types of data: (1) location information and (2) tree
characteristic information. Attribute information often collected
during inventories includes tree species, diameter, and condition.
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BMP - Tree Inventories

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BMP - Tree Inventories
