Source: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY submitted to
DIVERSITY AND STABILITY IN URBAN FORESTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
MCINTIRE-STENNIS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
0201702
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
CA-B*-ECO-7289-MS
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Oct 1, 2004
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2009
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
McBride, J. R.
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
(N/A)
BERKELEY,CA 94720
Performing Department
ECOSYSTEM SCIENCES
Non Technical Summary
The relationship between diversity of tree species and stability of urban forests will be investigated in the San Francisco Bay Area. Both ecological and managerial stability will be assessed. An understanding of the relationship between diversity and stability in urban forests can contribute to more effective urban forest planning and management. The objective of this project is to examine the relationship between diversity and stability in urban forests.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
12421101070100%
Knowledge Area
124 - Urban Forestry;

Subject Of Investigation
2110 - Ornamental trees and shrubs;

Field Of Science
1070 - Ecology;
Goals / Objectives
The objective of this project is to examine the relationship between diversity and stability in urban forests. The project will evaluate different methods for characterizing urban forest diversity and compare their value in relating diversity to both ecological and management stability of the urban forest.
Project Methods
This project will compare measures of urban forest stability (e.g., Simpson Index; Proportional Composition) with the structure of the arboreal insect community as a measure of ecological stability and with urban forest maintenance and tree mortality as a measure of the management stability in portions of urban forests in five San Francisco Bay Area cities.

Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: 1.This project demonstrated the quantity of leaf detritus in a stream was more important to stream insects that the species diversity of trees contributing the detritus. Eucalyptus leaf litter was not shown to have a negative effect on the diversity nor biomass of macro-invertebrates living in urban streams. 2. A pest vulnerability matrix was developed to predict the potential pest risk of planting a tree species in an existing urban area based on the existing diversity and structure of the urban forest. 3. Trees were found to interfere with WYFY transmissions. Decrease in WYFY signal was associated with canopy thickness and evergreen characteristics of tree species. In dense, diverse urban forests more WYFY transmitters will be required. 4. No significant relationship was found between urban forest pests and urban forest diversity in a survey of 50 San Francisco Bay area cities. Pest problems appeared to be more related to gradients of micro-climate. PARTICIPANTS: 1. Joe R. McBride,Professor, University Of California, Berkeley, CA 2. Igor lacan, Research Assistant, University of California, Berkeley, CA 3. 50 urban foresters and arborists in the San Francisco Bay Area TARGET AUDIENCES: Arborists, urban foresters, landscape architects, urban planners PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.

Impacts
1. The general opinion that eucalyptus litter is toxic does not apply to stream organism. Results show that the planing of eucalyptus in riparian corridors in urban areas need not be restricted on the basis of any potential impact to stream macro-invertebrates. 2. The pest vulnerability matrix has been put on line and is available for use by any urban forester, arborist, or landscape architect want to evaluate the potential for planting specific tree species in existing urban forests. 3. Cities planning extensive networks of WYFY transmitters should recognize the potential impact of existing trees on transmission. Where urban forests support dense canopies of evergreen species, additional transmitter will be required. 4. Overall tree species diversity in an urban forest does not correlate with tree pest problems in the San Francisco Bay area.

Publications

  • Yang, J., J. R. McBride, Jinxing Zhou, and Zhenyuan Sun. 2005. The urban forest in Beijing. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 3:65-78.
  • Cheng, S. and J. R. McBride. 2006. Restoration of the urban forests of Tokyo and Hiroshima following World War II. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 5:155-168.
  • Lacan, I. and J. R. McBride. 2008. Pest vulnerability Matrix: A graphic model for assessing the interaction between tree species diversity and urban forest susceptibility to insects and disease. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 7:291-300.
  • Lacan, I. and J. R. McBride. 2009. War and trees. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 8: 133-148.


Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During 2008 data collection was completed on the diversity of tree species and tree pests in 50 San Francisco Bay Area cities. Analysis of the data showed no significant trends in tree species composition in relation to climatic zones. Age of the city was a more significant factors in tree species diversity. The matrix for determining potential pest problems based on urban forestry diversity completed in 2007 was refined to make it more user friendly during the past year. Presentation of research findings were presented at national conferences sponsored by the Society of American Foresters and the International Arboricultural Society, as well as meetings of local Bay Area arborists. Manuscripts submitted for publication were accepted by the Journal of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: PI: Joe R. McBride Graduate Student Researcher: Igor Lacan TARGET AUDIENCES: Urban forest managers, landscape architects, and arborists PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
This research addresses the relationship between urban forest diversity and stability. Our results indicate that urban forests in cities in the San Francisco Bay Area support more pest species in relation to the diversity of their urban forests. This does not necessarily mean that there are more management problems associated with the pest species, only the potential for management problems due to the greater variety of pest species. The "Pest Matrix" developed in the project can provide an approach to minimizing future pest problems through informed selection of new tree species for urban planting. Test of the "Pest Matrix" indicated that use of the matrix could have curtailed the redgum eucalyptus lerp psyllid outbreak in southern California in 1999 and 2000.

Publications

  • McBride, J.R. 2008. A method for characterizing urban forest composition and structure for landscape architects and urban planners. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry 34(6):359-365.
  • Lacan, I. and J. R. McBride. 2008. Pest vulnerability Matrix (PVM): A graphic model for assessing the interaction between tree species diversity and urban fores susceptibility to insects and disease. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening (7):291-300.
  • Lacan, I. and J. R. McBride. 2009. War and Trees: the destruction and replanting of the urban and peri-urban forest of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (8):315-323.


Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: During 2007 field data collection was completed for the portion of the study concerning diversity of urban riparian tree species and the structure of the aquatic marco-invertebrate community. Analysis of the data failed to support the hypothesis that increased tree diversity would result in increased diversity in the macro-invertebrate community. Anticipated negative effects of eucalyptus litter were not observed. A matrix for determining potential pest problems based on urban forestry diversity was completed during the past year. Data collection was undertaken to determine the most common tree species and tree pests for 50 cities in the San Francisco Bay area. Presentation of research findings were presented at national conferences sponsored by the Society of American Foresters and the International Arboricultural Society, as well as meetings of local Bay Area arborists. Manuscripts were submitted for publication to Journal of Arboriculture and Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals: PI: Joe R. McBride Graduate Student Researcher: Igor Lacan TARGET AUDIENCES: Urban forest managers Landscape Architects Arborists

Impacts
This research addresses the relationship between urban forest diversity and stability. Our results to date indicate for the urban forest types we have studied that there is no correlation between the diversity of the urban forest and associated communities of macro-invertebrates occurring in urban streams. This information may influence the use of monocultures in the future planting of streamside buffers in urban areas. The research also challenges traditional held ideas about the negative influence of eucalyptus litter on stream ecosystems.

Publications

  • No publications reported this period


Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06

Outputs
Analysis of s collected from sections of three streams showed that tree species diversity of the adjacent urban riparian forests were not significantly different in terms of the numbers of individuals per species of stream micro-invertebrate, stream micro-invertebrate species diversity, nor stream micro-invertebrate biomass. Additonal analyses of the effects of season, watershed, and stream discharge are in process.

Impacts
These results reverse the commonly held view that there is a relationship between diversity of urban forest trees and insect species diversity of the urban forest. Although the analysis is one step removed from the urban forest itself, the results indicate no relationship between the variesty of litter falling into an urban stream (from the adjacent urban forest) and the diversity of stream insects.

Publications

  • Kobziar, L. N. and McBride, J.R. 2006. Wildfire burn patterns and riparian vegetation response along two northern Sierra Nevada streams. Forest Ecology and Management 222:254-265.
  • Cheng, S. and McBride, J.R. 2006. Restoration of the urban forests of Tokyo and Hiroshima following World War II. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening pct : 155-168.


Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05

Outputs
Data collection of macro invertebrates and physical data continued on urban streams lined with single species plantings of eucalyptus vs. mixed native riparian woodland species. Identification and population numbers of macro invertebrates from these samples was also continued. Comparison of results from sampling at different dates will not be done until the end of the planned field sampling in the summer of 2006. Matrices of commonly used urban trees and their common pests were compiled for cities in the San Francisco Bay area. Interviews with urban foresters, forest pathologists and forest entomologists were initiated to determine the relevance of these pests to tree mortality in bay area cities.

Impacts
This project is in process and no results are currently available.

Publications

  • Yang, J., J. R. McBride, Jinxing Zhou, and Zhenyuan Sun. 2005. The urban forest in Beijing and its role in air pollution reduction. Urban forestry and Urban Greening 3:65-78).