University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Campus Forest Management Plan
File(s)
Date
2024-09Author
Riemer, Jason
Publisher
College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Advisor(s)
Hauer, Richard
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point takes pride in the natural resources that are part of the campus. One of the campus’s largest and most beneficial natural resource is the campus tree population. Having a management plan in place for the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point is critical to maintaining and improving the campus forest. The 2018 Campus Forest Management Plan evaluates the current urban forests to identify issues and values important to the campus community, describe the goals and objective of campus forests future, and provide potential strategies to achieve the goals and objectives.
There are seven management goals and objectives to the plan:
1- Continue to update the current campus tree inventory.
2- Maximize the benefits provided by the urban forest for the students, staff, and community members of UWSP.
3- Improve species diversity, a diverse urban forest will help reduce impacts from insect and disease issues.
4- Maintain a safe campus forest for everyone on campus.
5- Establish who is responsible for administering and implementing the plan.
6- Maintain status as Tree City USA Campus.
7- Engage and educate student groups on the campus forest management plan objectives.
A total of 1761 trees are located on the UWSP campus, the defined campus area for this management plan can been seen in Exhibit 1 in the Appendix. The campus forest includes 130 different tree species with Northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis) (147) and crabapple (Malus sylvestris) (114) being the two most common trees.
A condition class score was assigned to each tree based on a visual assessment. Planting depth, live canopy ratio, structural defects, and other attributes were used to give the tree a score from 0 to 100%. A dead tree would rate at 0% and a perfect specimen with no visual issues would rate 100%. The average condition class score is 73.8% for all the 1761 trees on campus
A standard for measuring the size of a tree is by measuring the trees diameter at 4.5 (diameter at breast height, DBH) above the ground. The measurement was taken with a forestry diameter tape. The largest tree on campus is a 55” DBH Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), the smallest tree is a 0.3” DBH Mountain maple (Acer spicatum). The average DBH for all trees on campus is 8.4 inches
An urban forest ecosystem assessment used i-Tree Eco software developed by the USDA Forest Service that analyzes tree inventory data to quantify urban forest structure, environmental effects, and monetary value. The value of the campus forest was $2,011,167. Following the management plan strategies outlined in this document will help maintain the health, safety, and value the UWSP campus forest provides.
The vision throughout the plan for the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point’s campus forest focuses on maximizing benefits and maintaining a healthy campus forest while adjusting with potential changes from an expanding campus, insects and disease, and climate change.
The University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Campus Forest Management Plan is to be administered by the Building and Grounds Department. Faculty in the College of Natural Resources assisted with developing this plan. Students, faculty, and other campus users are encouraged to share questions, concerns, or observations regarding the campus urban forest to the campus forest plan administration.
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/85764Type
Thesis