Other Applications
The methods of data collection and analysis utilized for Holmby Westwood Tree Project can be applied to other areas in which publicly-owned or privately-owned trees suffer threatened conditions. For example, the Los Angeles’ palm trees, an internationally iconic symbol of the City’s sunny weather and leisure lifestyle, are currently suffering from fatal fungus and invasive insects. City officials estimated around 75,000 palm trees were planted by 1990, but acknowledge the number has definitely declined, but a current tally does not exist. It is predicted this disappearance of palm trees will continue, leaving the city barren of its Hollywood trademark. Many species of palms were introduced to Los Angeles in the 19th and 20th century, some more resistant to the South American palm weevil beetle and Fusarium fungus. An application of this project can potentially identify which species are more resilient, by taking a total count of all unhealthy palms of a particular species in proportion to health palms of the same species. With the data provided, the palm species deemed the most resilient can be planted in place of dying palms, in order to save the famous Los Angeles landscape.
Possible Errors
The instruments primarily utilized for identification of plant species, age, and health, was Google Earth. Since the imagery provided by the application is roughly a year and half old, trees were not depicted in their current state. Also at times, the imagery was not clear enough to examine the distinctive traits of the trees that determine its species, such as flowers, bark, and leaves. Therefore, classification for the trees may not be entirely accurate. In addition, trees marked as missing may have been replanted and trees identified may actually have been removed. However, with the development of remote sensing technology, our method for examining trees will likely improve in the foreseeable future when imagery becomes updated more frequently with higher resolutions. Experts predict that a three-dimensional, accurate, and live, map of the Earth will be created in the foreseeable future, fueled by its necessity for the development of self-driving cars and augmented reality entertainment, thus making the future application of this project more reliable.
Tree Cover Disparity in Various Socioeconomic Communities
Benefits of Urban Tree Cover
It is no question that trees beautify a neighborhood. Walking down the street surrounded by bright leaves and colorful blooms, shaded by their crowns on a warm spring day, may be one of the most wonderful ways to spend your day. However, beyond aesthetics, trees also have many environmental benefits. They sequester carbon, coo the air, retain water, save energy, and reduce air pollutants (Benfield, 2012). It costs between $250 and $600 to plant a tree and maintain it for the first three years; the direct benefits experienced by the community over the lifetime of that tree can equate to over $90,000 (Burden, 2006). Home buyers assign up to 23% of the value of a residence to the property’s trees, which are also known associated with shaping safer and more productive communities. Large trees along a street can increase each property’s value by up to 15% (Wolf, 2007).
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Tree Cover Inequality
Trees, as stated above, provide many services to the community. One particularly meaningful benefit in this day and age is the ability to cool and clean the air around us. As the environment continues to respond to climate change, maximum summer temperatures are higher than ever. This puts individuals at heat risk, especially in cityscapes where asphalt and concrete amplify the conditions.
Typically, neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status are much less likely to have sufficient tree cover, if any at all. Studies show that for every 1% increase in per capita income, demand for forest cover increased by 1.76% (de Chant, 2012). Black people are 52% more likely to live in such a community, Asian people, 32%, and Hispanic people 21% (Badger, 2013). This is very typical for racial minorities - they often have less healthy living conditions, being exposed to higher levels of pollution, water contamination, etc. Environmental justice advocates are beginning to add lack of tree cover to the all-too-extensive list of issues to address.
Additionally, racially and economically stratified communities statistically have less tree cover in general due to a lack of collective investment to support environmental improvements.
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