By Izzy Davis
A buzz filled the air outside of the Durham Extension Office on Tuesday May 20th as NC State University researchers, in partnership with Keep Durham Beautiful, prepared to deliver a training on monitoring tree health across Durham. The team, led by Meredith Martin, an assistant professor in the College of Natural Resources, aims to collect data on tree health throughout Durham to help urban forestry managers maximize the impacts of tree planting for climate change mitigation.
After volunteers received literature with graphics of tree density and measurement guides, the researchers explained the importance of our urban forests as they provide invaluable ecosystem services such as air pollution mitigation, temperature moderation, and carbon sequestration. Maintaining healthy urban tree canopy is essential to providing these services and will become even more important as climate change creates warmer conditions across the southeastern US.
Dr. Meredith Martin teaches volunteers how to take DBH of trees on Foster St.
In the latter half of the training, the volunteers were given large and colorful spools of tape for tree diameter measuring called, D-tape. The volunteers used this tape to learn DBH, or Diameter at Breast Height. DBH is a consistent unit of measurement amongst foresters to determine the true diameter of trees within an area of land. The researchers led the volunteers outside to put their newfound forestry skills to use, finding the DBH of trees outside of the Extension Office and diagnosing canopy density and overall tree health with the help of graduate student Maggio Laquidara.
Laquidara shows volunteers how to determine canopy density.
The session ended with information on how participants could help aid in the research. The call to assistance came into fruition in a later email that excitedly pronounced the completion of “the 9th Street, Trinity Park, and Downtown districts, all in record time, in spite of sneaky thunderstorms and some early-summer heat.” These efforts revealed which tree species are thriving and which need extra care in our urban environment. The rest of the email contains a palpable excitement from the Research team suggesting that the volunteers have been a necessary and appreciated part of this research.
Interested in Joining the Effort?
The team will now expand to East Downtown, Albright, Forest Hills, Hayti, NCCU area, and East Durham. No experience is necessary - the research team will provide all the training and tools. You can participate in organized group surveys or conduct independent surveys in your own neighborhood. Sign up today using our volunteer form here or email Maggio at lmlaquid@ncsu.edu to learn more. Every volunteer makes a difference in protecting Durham's urban forest for future generations. Together, we can ensure Durham remains green and resilient!