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Forests
Special Issues
Prediction and Management of Urban Forest Storm Damage
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Prediction and Management of Urban Forest Storm Damage

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards and Risk Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2023) | Viewed by 4501

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andrew K Koeser

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, FL, USA
Interests: urban forestry; tree diversity; trees and storms; trees and development; urban forest policy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Salisbury Allyson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Wimauma, FL, USA
Interests: green Infrastructure; trees and Development; urban biodiversity; urban ecology; urban forestry
Dr. Ryan W. Klein

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Interests: arboriculture; human and tree interactions; tree risk assessment; trees and storms; urban forestry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban forests are critical infrastructure for mitigating urban heat buildup and stormwater flow and improving human health. In maintaining urban forests, storm preparation and response can help prevent undue losses of trees in the face of wind, snow and ice loading, and flood waters/storm surges. After the storm cleanup, past planting and management decisions can be assessed, and the future urban forest can be better tailored to withstand predicted disturbances in our changing climate. In this Special Issue, we welcome any original research or literature reviews related to the prediction of storm damage in trees and aspects of storm preparation and response (i.e., planning, mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery).

Dr. Andrew K Koeser
Dr. Salisbury Allyson
Dr. Ryan W. Klein
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • blow down
  • derecho
  • hurricane
  • ice storms
  • tornado
  • trees and wind
  • tropical cyclone
  • tropical storm
  • typhoon
  • urban forestry

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 4870 KiB  
Article
Assessing the Likelihood of Failure Due to Stem Decay Using Different Assessment Techniques
by Ari Okun, Nicholas J. Brazee, James R. Clark, Michael J. Cunningham-Minnick, Daniel C. Burcham and Brian Kane
Forests 2023, 14(5), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14051043 - 18 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1513
Abstract
Arborists commonly investigate the extent of stem decay to assess the likelihood of stem failure when conducting tree risk assessments. Studies have shown that: (i) arborists can sometimes judge the extent of internal decay based on external signs; (ii) sophisticated tools can reliably [...] Read more.
Arborists commonly investigate the extent of stem decay to assess the likelihood of stem failure when conducting tree risk assessments. Studies have shown that: (i) arborists can sometimes judge the extent of internal decay based on external signs; (ii) sophisticated tools can reliably illustrate the extent of internal decay; and (iii) assessing components of tree risk can be highly subjective. We recruited 18 experienced tree risk assessors who held the International Society of Arboriculture’s Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) to assess the likelihood of stem failure due to decay after each of five consecutive assessments on 30 individuals of 2 genera. The five assessment techniques, in stepwise order, were: (1) observing visually, (2) sounding the trunk with a mallet, (3) viewing a scaled diagram of the cross-section that revealed sound and decayed wood ascertained from resistance drilling, (4) viewing sonic and electrical resistance tomograms, and (5) consulting with a peer. For each technique, the assessors assigned two or more likelihood of failure ratings (LoFRs) for at least 83% of trees, which were proportionally greatest after the assessors viewed the tomograms; the proportions did not differ among the other four assessment techniques. Covariates that influenced the distribution of the LoFRs included percent of the cross-section that was decayed, and assessors’ experience using resistance drilling devices and tomography in regular practice. Practitioners should be aware that disagreement on the likelihood of tree failure exists even among experienced arborists. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prediction and Management of Urban Forest Storm Damage)
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11 pages, 2093 KiB  
Article
Defective or Just Different? Observed Storm Failure in Four Urban Tree Growth Patterns
by Andrew K. Koeser, Ryan W. Klein, Richard J. Hauer, Jason W. Miesbauer, Zachary Freeman, Christopher Harchick and Brian Kane
Forests 2023, 14(5), 988; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14050988 - 11 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2546
Abstract
Practitioners who assess the risk associated with urban trees often factor in the presence or absence of visual tree defects when determining whether a tree may fail. Although these defects are a main fixture in many tree risk assessment systems and best-management practices, [...] Read more.
Practitioners who assess the risk associated with urban trees often factor in the presence or absence of visual tree defects when determining whether a tree may fail. Although these defects are a main fixture in many tree risk assessment systems and best-management practices, the research supporting their usefulness in predicting tree failure during storms is limited. When looking at past research involving populations of storm-damaged trees, several defects have never predicted failure (or have been associated with reduced rates of failure). In this study, we took a closer look at four such defects: codominant branches; branch unions with included bark; multiple stems originating from the same point; and overextended branches. After Hurricane Ian, we revisited 1518 risk-assessed trees where one of these four defects was identified as the primary condition of concern. Fourteen of these trees experienced branch failure during the storm (which hit the study area as a downgraded tropical storm). Upon closer inspection, none of these failures occurred at the defect of concern. Our findings indicate that none of the defects assessed appeared to increase the likelihood of tree failure in the species tested. Our results are in line with past research on these defects derived from post-storm assessments and analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prediction and Management of Urban Forest Storm Damage)
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