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ί-Tree Benefit
Analysis for the Cities of Bellevue, Covington, Florence,
Fort Thomas, and Newport, Kentucky
The Northern Kentucky Urban
and Community Forestry Council recognizes that the
importance of the urban forest in the Northern Kentucky
region of Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties is more than
the amenity and aesthetic value of the trees. While the
trees provide important amenity
values, such as shade, screening, and landscape
ornamentation, they also perform the following beneficial
functions that can be translated into economic value.
Environmental services of the urban forest can now be
estimated using existing inventory data or field sampling
techniques, and then applying
mathematical models to the data that have been developed
over the past two decades by United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service research scientists.
Collectively, the cost and benefit models and other software
applications are known as the “i-Tree” suite of tools—an
accessible set of computerized models and tools in the
public domain.
i-Tree’s Urban Forest Effects Model (UFORE) was used to
estimate the beneficial environmental functions of public
trees in five cities in Northern Kentucky—Bellevue,
Covington, Florence, Fort Thomas, and Newport. This study
defines the public urban forest as all trees in the public
areas (streets, parks, municipal buildings) as reported by
the five Northern Kentucky cities. Existing public tree
inventories in these communities were used to create the
data set on which the ecosystem model UFORE was applied.
i-Tree Benefit
Analysis Report (Acrobat
pdf file size 2.6 MB)
i-Tree Benefit Analysis Presentation
(PowerPoint file size 2.3 MB)
Watershed Issues in Relationship to Forestry
Banklick Analysis, Characterization and Education (BACE)
This case study of Banklick watershed looks at how urban, rural, and riparian forests are critical to protecting water quality and reducing flooding in watersheds. The documentation of the approach and the results of the project will help Banklick Watershed Council, and other watershed councils, to better understand the urban forests in their watershed, involve the public, set goals, utilize available resources, and develop strategies to achieve their goals.
Northern Kentucky Area Planning was the lead agency on this project. Partners were Banklick Watershed Council, Davey Resource Group, Sanitation District #1, Boone County Planning and Northern Kentucky Urban & Community Forestry Council. The project was made possible by a grant from the National Urban & Community Advisory Council.
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