Ornamental and Shade Trees 



A Department for the Advice and Instruction of Members of the American Forestry Association 



Edited by J. J. Levison, B.A., M.F. 



THE TREE CENSUS 



By A. Oakley Smith, Park Commissioner, City of Mount Vernon, New York 



IN the present day of system and high efficiency, it 

 is necessary for the manager of any business or or- 

 ganization to have a very accurate knowledge of his 

 stock, territory and working capital ; and the newly ap- 

 pointed city forester, or city arborist, is no exception to 

 this rule. In fact, when such a department is being organ- 

 ized, it is well to spend considerable time in a preliminary 

 survey in order to get the situation well in mind before 

 mapping out a course of procedure, and very early in 

 the game one sees the value and necessity of some form 

 of a tree census. 



The question arises, What form is best adapted to the 

 particular case in hand and for what reason ? The differ- 

 ent styles already tried vary greatly in detail, accuracy and 

 expense of production. The simplest form is a mere tab- 

 ulation on sheets of paper, or in books, of the number 

 and species of trees found along the different streets and 

 a few notes as to their condition. 



The other extreme is the card index system, which de- 

 votes one card for each block in the city and has every tree 

 accurately located, the species, size and condition being 

 indicated by symbols and notes. When completed, you 

 have an entire map of the city dissected and filed by blocks. 



Such a tree census is no doubt extremely accurate and 

 valuable, but, can the department justly afford the expense 

 at the beginning of its career when every cent counts? 



The expense 

 in time and 

 trouble of 

 keeping this 

 system up to 

 date, even 

 a f tcr comple- 

 tion, makes 

 one question 

 its desirability 

 even in later 

 years when the 

 Shade Tree 

 Commission, or 

 similar body, is 

 well estab- 

 lished. The 

 initial cost ne- 

 cessitated by a 

 field crew of 

 three men and 

 623 



expensive office work certainly makes this elaborate census 

 impractical during the first years, especially as the im- 

 portant facts may be obtained by cheaper methods. 



This method, finally adopted in Mount Vernon, New 

 York, was designed to gain only the data of practical 

 value and at a minimum expense and seems to have ful- 

 filled the requirements. The field work is done by one man 

 and data are taken on cards 5 inches x 8 inches ruled as 

 Figure 1. 



In tabulating the trees they are thrown into one of 

 three classes. The Sapling Group includes all trees up to 5 

 inches caliper or 25 feet high and represents the poten- 

 tial capital, trees not yet of actual value as shade trees. 



The Thrifty Group comprises all vigorous trees above 

 the sapling group which may be expected to remain intact 

 for at least five years. This group represents actual capi- 

 tal of growing stock on hand. This thrifty group might be 

 broken up into diameter classes but the expense thereby 

 added does not seem to be warranted. A general idea of 

 the size of this class is noted by recording the average 

 diameter for each block. All the trees visibly failing 

 or not expected to be standing for five years hence are 

 classed under the head Old. 



One of the most important functions of a Shade 

 Tree Commission is to plant trees, and in order to have 

 a fair distribution of planting over the city and make the 



Shape trke commission, mount vernon, n. y. 



SECTION 



DATE 



Average diameter of thrifty tree* of se&toa 

 Total numltrr nrrciini' guardf 

 Number u( tl 



NOTES.- 



be planted 



METHOD OF KEEPING A TREE CENSUS 

 Pig. I. By this plan the trees arc divided into three groups Sapling. Thrifty and Old and the work 

 W'TO *>* census can readily be done at moderate expense, and on this account is preferable to the more 

 derailed card index system. 



greatest show- 

 ing with the 

 means at hand 

 it is necessary 

 to know how 

 many trees 

 are needed 

 in the vari- 

 ous sections of 

 the city. These 

 data are read- 

 ily recorded on 

 these cards 

 block by block. 

 Another i m - 

 portant item is 

 that of giving 

 proper protec- 

 tion to the 

 trees by guards. 

 This i n f o r- 





