Download Urban Ecologist Uses GIS to Study Urban Forestry

Urban Ecologist Uses GIS to Study Urban Forestry,
Natural Systems, and Human Networks
by Barbara Shields, GIS Journalist
An advocate of using technol-
Percent Change
ogy to integrate human and
natural systems, Gary Moll has
been a force in bringing the
Gary Moll
studies natural
systems.
value of urban ecology to the
attention of federal and local
leaders. Moll is the senior vice president of the
1986
2001
2008
1986–2008
1986–2001
2001–2008
Open Space
187.20
210.89
181.92
-2.90
11.23
-15.92
Trees
212.49
161.67
142.74
-48.86
-31.43
-13.26
Urban
126.90
155.18
202.69
37.39
18.22
23.44
Water
23.10
21.94
22.34
-3.40
-5.25
1.76
Urban Ecosystem Center at American Forests
This table indicates that Mecklenburg’s urban growth occurred at the expense of trees, as opposed to open space
conversion in the more distant suburbs.
and is one of the nation’s foremost authorities
agery) along with climate data from the National
the USGS, NOAA, USFS, the Census Bureau,
on urban forestry and urban ecosystems. ESRI
Oceanic
Administration
and the Army Corps of Engineers, the team
recently recognized Moll as a GIS hero who
(NOAA) and soils data from the Natural
found the area to be much different than expect-
uses GIS to apply solid scientific and engineer-
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). This
ed. Ninety-nine percent of the southern forest of
ing data to decision making.
data drives the scientific and engineering mod-
the Piedmont area is gone, and 93 percent of the
Along his life path as a conservationist, Moll
els that produce accurate measurements of how
forest of the Smoky Mountains is gone. The sys-
has successfully worked with Congress to in-
land cover affects the movement of air and wa-
tem is in total disarray. These findings have been
crease funding for urban forestry and with the
ter in a particular place. Once these volumes or
published in the map book Piedmont Crescent.
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to expand urban for-
quantities are known, they are converted to dollar
One of the study’s biggest surprises was that all of
estry programs to 50 states. His work in the de-
estimates that decision makers can use. The soft-
the thousands of rivers in the Piedmont Crescent
velopment of GIS software program CITYGreen
ware includes models for storm water, air pollu-
area had been altered—every single one. In real-
helps local governments measure urban forests
tion, carbon storage and sequestration, land-cover
ity, the area is not a natural system but actually an
and harness their benefits.
breakdown, and alternate scenarios. Based on a
unnatural one.
“The human network needs to be built with
current land-cover map, the Alternate Scenario
A complex question is, If expansion of the hu-
the natural system in mind,” posits Moll. “Urban
model calculates the effects of future land-cover
man network is inevitable, how do we manage
forests and green infrastructure are part of the
change before those changes are made.
its impact? It is important to determine ways in
city ecosystem. GIS shows the relationships be-
For example, Mecklenburg County, North
which the human network can move through
tween social and ecological systems and offers a
Carolina, was the subject of a land-cover assess-
these places without destroying them. Questions
means for us to weave the city structure into the
ment that used CITYGreen. The county has un-
need to be asked: What economic and social pat-
natural system.”
dergone enormous growth in population. From
terns are driving the development of a region?
Community leaders traditionally make their
1984 to 2001, the county saw a 127 percent in-
Where are the transportation corridors? Where
decisions about community structures based on
crease in areas covered by impervious surfaces
are the economic corridors? What metro areas
dollar values. Sadly, they almost always over-
(streets, parking lots, etc.). Moll’s research team
are nearby? How are they linked? How is expan-
look the value of the natural system on which
used Landsat imagery, high-resolution aerial im-
sion and change happening? How do air and wa-
these community structures are built. People
agery, and GIS to assess the region. They then
ter move through these ecosystems?
need to be made aware that if the natural system
calculated storm water runoff and air quality
“The solution to building better communities
remains intact, then it can do much of the work
benefits of the tree cover in the city of Charlotte
in the future lies in learning how to interact the
a structure does.
and the county as a whole.
natural system with the human network,” ad-
Moll and his team developed the ArcGIS ex-
Recently, Moll and his team studied the
vises Moll. “The first step is to understand how
tension CITYGreen. This program makes it pos-
Piedmont Crescent, which lies north of
the natural system functions, and the second is to
sible for local communities to calculate the func-
Birmingham, Alabama; extends up into south-
understand the human network’s real needs. GIS
tions of their natural system, attach dollar values
ern Virginia; and includes areas within North
technology can help people understand how the
to storm water and air quality, and use this infor-
Carolina, South Carolina, the Appalachian
two will interact and help guide them to better
mation to make better decisions about managing
Mountains, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky.
decision making.”
their communities.
The task to collect the data and maps about the
Read more about American Forests at
Here is how it works. CITYGreen users clas-
region’s many different systems was long. and at
www.americanforest.org. Download a free PDF
sify remotely sensed data (satellite or aerial im-
times, tedious. Using GIS to analyze data from
version of the booklet 2009 Co-Evolution at
and
Atmospheric
www.americanforest.org/Co-Evolution. Contact
Gary Moll by e-mail at [email protected].