Deborah R. Hilbert – EDIS Update

Florida’s Urban Forest: A Valuation of Benefits

This new 13-page article combines canopy coverage data from all of Florida’s metropolitan and micropolitan areas with ecological models developed by the USDA Forest Service to calculate several key benefits of urban trees and an approximation of their monetary value. Benefits of urban trees include carbon sequestration/storage, air pollution filtration, and stormwater mitigation. Written by Drew C. McLean, Andrew K. Koeser, Deborah R. Hilbert, Shawn Landry, Amr Abd-Elrahman, Katie Britt, Mary Lusk, Michael G. Andreu, and Robert J. Northrop, and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep595

How Much Space Does My Shade Tree Need? Planting Space Recommendations for Medium and Large Trees in Florida Cities

Trees provide urban landscapes with shade, beauty, and habitat. They can also help lessen the effects of flooding and urban heat buildup while storing carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas. When planted in the wrong place, however, trees can damage urban infrastructure. To maximize the benefits provided by urban trees, we need better-informed tree selection and larger planting spaces with the capacity to support big-canopy trees. This new 8-page fact sheet is intended to help arborists, urban foresters, landscape designers, landscapers, and anyone else responsible for the planting of trees in developed areas make informed decisions regarding the planting width requirements of the trees they select. Written by Deborah R. Hilbert, Andrew K. Koeser, Brooke L. Moffis, JuWanda G. Rowell, and Drew C. McLean, and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep592

Urban Tree Selection for Diversity

Urban tree diversity is important when attempting to create a healthy, beneficial, and resilient urban forest. Having a variety of trees can increase the aesthetic value for residents and create habitats for plants and animals. Some common street trees currently in the landscape are not site-appropriate and create infrastructure damage. By planting different types of trees in these locations, maintenance costs and infrastructure damage can be reduced and tree longevity increased. This new 4-page fact sheet is intended to provide urban foresters, arborists, landscape designers, and others in charge of tree planting with a process for introducing new species into the urban environment. Written by Deborah R. Hilbert, Andrew K. Koeser, and Robert J. Northrop, and published by the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep589