Oklahoma City Community Forest Assessment 2016 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Community Forest Assessment 2016 Prepared for: City of Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation Department Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma Forestry Services Prepared by: Davey Resource Group A Division of the Davey Tree Expert Company Funding provided by: Oklahoma City Community Foundation Oklahoma Forestry Services This report is adapted from the standard i-Tree Ecosystem Analysis report that is generated upon submission of i-Tree Eco data. i-Tree Eco (formerly Urban Forest Effects model) was cooperatively developed by USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station (NRS), the USDA State and Private Forestry's Urban and Community Forestry Program and Northeastern Area, the Davey Tree Expert Company, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Table of Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 Structure .............................................................................................................................................................. 1 Benefits ................................................................................................................................................................ 1 Management ..................................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Community ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Scope & Purpose ............................................................................................................................................. 3 Methods .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Urban Forest Structure ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Species Composition ...................................................................................................................................... 6 DBH Distribution .............................................................................................................................................. 9 Carbon Storage .............................................................................................................................................. 11 Tree Condition ................................................................................................................................................ 11 Relative Performance Index ....................................................................................................................... 11 Species Importance & Leaf Area ............................................................................................................. 14 Replacement Value ....................................................................................................................................... 16 Urban Forest Benefits ............................................................................................................................................... 18 Annual Environmental Benefits ................................................................................................................ 18 Air Quality ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Volatile Organic Compounds .................................................................................................... 21 Carbon Sequestration .................................................................................................................. 22 Avoided Stormwater Runoff ...................................................................................................... 23 Energy Savings ................................................................................................................................ 25 Aesthetic, Property Value, & Socioeconomic Benefits .................................................... 25 Benefit Investment Ratio ............................................................................................................................ 26 Urban Forest Threats ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Pests & Pathogens ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Forecasting Urban Forest Threats & Opportunities ......................................................................... 28 Projected Outcome ....................................................................................................................... 28 Forecasting Other Scenarios...................................................................................................... 28 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Appendix I. References ............................................................................................................................................. 30 Appendix II. Methods ............................................................................................................................................... 32 Tree Inventory ................................................................................................................................................. 32 Tree Data and Attributes ............................................................................................................. 32 Maintenance Data ......................................................................................................................... 33 i-Tree Eco Model and Field Measurements ......................................................................................... 35 Definitions and Calculations ...................................................................................................... 35 Appendix III. Tables ................................................................................................................................................... 37 Tables Table 1. Benchmark Values ................................................................................................................................................. 1 Table 2. Species Distribution ............................................................................................................................................. 8 Table 3. DBH of Most Common Species .................................................................................................................... 10 Table 4. Relative Performance Index of Most Common Species ...................................................................... 12 Table 5. Underutilized High-Performing Species .................................................................................................... 13 Table 6. Species Importance of Most Common Species ...................................................................................... 15 Table 7. Replacement Value of Most Common Species ...................................................................................... 17 Table 8. Annual Environmental Benefits ..................................................................................................................... 18 Table 9. Urban Forest Management Strategies to Improve Air Quality ......................................................... 19 Table 10. Air Pollution Removal by Most Common Species .............................................................................. 20 Table 11. Annual Carbon Sequestration by Most Common Species .............................................................. 22 Table 12. Stormwater Runoff Avoided by Most Common Species .................................................................. 24 Table 13. Environmental Benefits and Investment ................................................................................................. 26 Table 14. Pest & Pathogen Proximity to Oklahoma City ..................................................................................... 27 Table 15. Forecast Urban Forest Structure ................................................................................................................ 28 Table 16. Forecast Urban Forest Annual Environmental Benefits ..................................................................... 28 Table 17. Benefit Prices ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Table 18. Botanical and Common Names of Tree Species ................................................................................. 37 Table 19. Park Areas Inventoried (2016) ....................................................................................................................