Maryland Arbor Day & UMBC's Canopy
A new tool for tree health on campus
Maryland's Arbor Day: A Closer Look at
UMBC's Urban Canopy and Remote Sensing of Trees
Maryland Arbor Day is a special day for all of us who care about the environment. It's a day to celebrate and appreciate the importance of trees in our communities, and to raise awareness of the need to protect and preserve our natural surroundings. At UMBC, one of the ways we do this is by paying close attention to our urban canopy.
What is an urban canopy, you ask? It's the layer of leaves, branches, and stems that covers the tops of trees in a city or suburban area. The urban canopy plays a vital role in our environment by absorbing carbon dioxide, providing shade, and improving air and water quality. It's also a critical habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife.
At UMBC, we're lucky to have a thriving urban canopy that covers much of our campus. But, as with any natural resource, it's important to monitor and assess the health of our trees to ensure they continue to provide the benefits we depend on. That's where remote sensing technology comes into play.
Remote sensing involves using instruments like satellites and drones to collect data about the environment from a distance. In the case of trees, remote sensing can be used to assess their health, growth, and even the amount of carbon they absorb. This technology is particularly useful in urban areas, where it can be difficult to access every tree for manual inspections.
At UMBC, researchers are using remote sensing to better understand the health of urban canopies across the globe. They're using satellite imagery to analyze the size and density of our trees, as well as the amount of carbon they store. This information can help us make informed decisions about tree maintenance and planting, and can even inform urban planning decisions.
UMBC's Office of Sustainability and Facilities Management have collaborated to create a program to better understand the health of our trees on campus. This long-term monitoring project is set to kick off a significant data update next school year thanks to the support of the Division of Administration & Finance and a UMBC undergraduate University Business Intern. Over the next year we will update the NEW UMBC urban canopy explorer to better quantify and assess the trees on our campus.
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Posted: April 6, 2023, 7:50 AM
