Urban & Community

AZUTM Community Inventories

i-Tree Logo

Custom i-Tree Streets Analysis for Arizona's Urban Forests

Once an urban tree inventory has been completed and submitted to the AZUTM website, the Department of Forestry and Fire Managment will process and analyze the submitted data with a customized i-Tree Streets software. i-Tree Streets provides structural and benefit analysis for urban forests. This free tool was developed and is maintained with the support of USDA Forest Service and can be downloaded at www.itreetools.org. See the Inventory Report Guide PDF below for detailed information on how to read and use the urban tree inventory reports.

 

Please email [email protected] to request completed reports.

 

 

Disclaimer of Non-endorsement

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise,does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USDA Forest Service. The views and opinions of individuals expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the USDA Forest Service, and shall not be used for advertising or product-endorsement purposes. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

AZUTM Resources

I-Tree Streets Climate Zones in Arizona

Arizona Tree Guides

Urban tree field guides tailored for volunteers and citizen scientists in Arizona. The guides are split into three of i-Tree Streets climate zones but feel free to mix and match the guides for your community.
i-Tree Streets' economic and environmental tree value analysis are based on reference cities within STRATUM Climate Zones developed by USDA-FS. Not until you upload your data to AZUTM to run the analysis, do you have to decide on a climate zone.

 
PDF Download  AZUTM Field Guide - Southwest Desert  04 /28/2015
Tree identification guide for select horticultural tree species found in Arizona and listed in i-Tree Streets' Southwest Desert climate zone. 
PDF Download  AZUTM Field Guide - Interior West  04/28/2015
Tree identification guide for select horticultural tree species found in Arizona and listed in i-Tree Streets' Interior West climate zone.
PDF Download  AZUTM Field Guide - North  04/28/2015
Tree identification guide for select horticultural tree species found in Arizona and listed in i-Tree Streets' North climate zone.
PDF Download  AZUTM Field Guide - Insects and Diseases   05/21/2015
Guide to common insect and diseases that affect Arizona's horticultural trees.
PDF Download  AZUTM Master Tree Index - 06/01/2015 
Master index of tree species found in AZUTM Guides listing their scientific names, common names, species codes, and page numbers.

Tree Inventory Guides and Templates

How-to manuals for tree inventories and template files for communities to get a leg up on their own urban forest inventories. Feel free to modify the template files to your liking. See the "AZUTM - Tree Inventor Instruction Guide" for detailed instructions.

PDF Download  AZUTM Tree Inventory Instruction Guide  5/15/2015 
Inventory and technical manual on how to collect tree measurements, observations, and how to submit inventories to AZUTM for analysis. 
PDF Download  Understanding Your AZUTM Reports Guide  9/28/2015
Guide to AZUTM's custom i-Tree Streets reports with tree structure and benefits analysis results for your submitted tree inventories. 

Download Word document  AZUTM Tree Data Collection Form Template  12/15/2014
Paper-based data collection template used in the field.

Download Excel document  AZUTM Tree Inventory Spreadsheet Template  02/04/2015
MS Excel spreadsheet template used to digitally summarize tree inventories and upload to AZUTM's tree structure and benefits analysis tool.

Download Excel document  AZUTM DBH Calculator 09/29/2015 
MS Excel spreadsheet that helps calculate the combined Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) of trees with multiple trunks.

Arizona Urban Tree Canopy Cover Analysis

i-Tree Canopy analysis reports (PDF) for Arizona's largest Cities and Towns. The 2015 analysis reports provide % tree canopy cover and tree benefit estimates for over 97 communities and were used to estimate the average urban tree canopy cover for Arizona's Counties. See reports below or AZUTM Interactive Maps.

The canopy cover estimates should not be taken as an absolutes but as a comparative estimate between Arizona’s major towns and cities.

The i-Tree Canopy analysis were based on municipal incorporated areas unless otherwise stated.

  • Urban = 2010 Census Urban Areas
  • Intersection = intersection between Census Urban Areas and incoportated areas.

PDF Download Canopy Cover Reports A - G

PDF Download Canopy Cover Reports H - R

PDF Download Canopy Cover Reports S - Z

Urban and Community Forestry Documents

Online Resources

Following are links to helpful urban tree inventory related resources:

Mobile Tree Inventory Apps

For volunteer-driven inventories, we continue to search for an affordable smartphone app and web-based data storage service that allows for customized tree inventory and GPS location capture under intermittent network conditions. Here are some partial solutions:

  • GIS Cloud - commercial online service for creating and managing custom mobile forms and collaborative maps; also collects GPS location, photos, audio, etc.; works offline
  • i-Tree Mobile Data Collection - free, mobile data collection web application that ties in with i-Tree Streets and Eco; requires constant internet access
  • Open Data Kit (ODK) - free, open-source tool set for mobile data collection solutions; requires moderate software configuration skills and your own ODK web server
  • Tree Plotter (Plan-It Geo) - fully featured commercial online service; requires constant internet access
  • OpenTreeMap.org - commercial crowd-sourcing online service; requires constant internet access
  • DoForms.com - commercial online service for creating and managing custom mobile forms that can work offline

Disclaimer of Non-endorsement

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.. The views and opinions of individuals expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the agency, and shall not be used for advertising or product-endorsement purposes.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

About AZUTM

Urban Forest Resource Inventories

The Arizona Urban Tree Map (AZUTM) is part of the Urban Forest Resource Inventories (UFRI), a joint project of the Arizona State Forestry and USDA Forest Service.

The main goals of the project are to:

  1. compile existing urban forest inventory and resource information from communities, towns, and rural areas statewide;
  2. develop and implement a pilot project for gathering data in multiple Arizona communities; and
  3. develop and implement protocols and opportunities for community engagement and long-term urban forest sustainability.

The project goal is to develop an accessible tool that compiles statewide urban forest inventory information, including summary reports of the combined economic and environmental value of Arizona's urban forests. A baseline knowledge of Arizona's urban forests will enable Arizona State Forestry to identify where data and resource gaps exist, develop long-range goals for urban forests, compile statewide canopy cover information, and to provide regular and updated information for multiple needs. 

Arizona Urban Tree Map Analysis Service

See AZUTM Tree Inventory Instruction Guide for detailed information.
AZUTM Tree Inventory Upload Steps Diagram

Contributors

Arizona State Forestry:
Chris Erickson, Wolfgang Grunberg, John Richardson, Alix Rogstad

University of Arizona:
Cori Dolan, Randy Gimblett, Susan Kaplan, Tanya Quist, Matt Rahr, Mickey Reed, Alan Shoults, Craig Wissler

AZUTM Pilot Communities

  • Arizona State Parks - Oracle State Park
  • Town of Bisbee
  • City of Mesa
  • Town of Pinetop - Lakeside
  • Lake Havasu City
  • Town of Prescott Valley
  • University of Arizona Campus Arboretum

Funding

Major Funding Provided By: USDA Forest Service

Contact

Email:

Office: (602) 771-1400

Disclaimer of Non-endorsement

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USDA Forest Service. The views and opinions of individuals expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the USDA Forest Service, and shall not be used for advertising or product-endorsement purposes.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Arizona Urban Tree Map (AZUTM)

Arizona Urban Tree Map

Arizona Urban Canopy Map

 

The Arizona Urban Tree Map (AZUTM) is part of the Urban Forest Resource Inventories (UFRI), a joint project of the Arizona State Forestry and USDA Forest Service. The main goals of the project are to:

  1. support communities throughout Arizona in conducting urban forest inventories and
  2. compile a database of inventory information, local forest resource information, strategies for public involvement and a sustainable plan to enable long-term urban forest management.

 

Project Partners

  • Arizona State Forestry

  • University of Arizona.

Pilot Communities

Arizona State Parks - Oracle State Park Pinal County
Town of Bisbee Cochise County
City of Mesa Maricopa County
Town of Pinetop-Lakeside Navajo County
Lake Havasu City Mohave County
Town of Prescott Valley Yavapai County
University of Arizona Campus Arboretum Pima County

 

The Arizona Urban Tree Map is supported by USDA Forest Service funding. 

The Department of Forestry and Fire management complies with USDA Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination requirements. 

 

Tree Selection and Care

Proper tree selection, placement and care will serve your tree well through the years, allowing your tree to grow to its fullest potential. Selecting the right tree and location can help reduce maintenance issues down the road and will promote a healthy and vigorous tree. 

Ask an Arborist

The Department of Forestry and Fire has many tree experts on staff who are happy to answer any of your questions. See our Frequently Asked Questions or contact us .

Top 5 Tree Mistakes

Not Selecting the Best Tree from the Nursery

 Tree Selection

Planting the Wrong Tree in the Wrong Place

 Wrong tree in the wrong place

Planting the Tree too Deep

 Planting the Tree too Deep

Watering – Not Enough or Too Much

 Watering – not enough, too much

Incorrect Pruning

 Incorrect Pruning

Tree Care

There are a variety of resources available regarding specific tree care options in Arizona. 

Right Tree in the Right Place

The International Society of Arboriculture provides questions to consider when determining what tree selection for a given area. Some questions to consider might be:

Native Tree

  • Why is the tree being planted? Will it provide shade, fruit, seasonal shading, or color?
  • How big is the planting area and where is it located? What size tree can the planting area accommodate?
  • Are there utility lines above or below the selected planting area?
  • What is the soil like in the planting area? Is the soil deep, fertile and well-draining? Or is the soil very rocky, compacted, shallow, or draining poorly?

These questions, among others, will help determine the “right tree for the right place”.

Arizona Plant Climate Zones

Climate zones in Arizona vary from the low or subtropical desert areas to the coldest mountain and intermountain areas of the 48 contiguous United States. These differences in climate dictate what trees are most suitable in each zone. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension provides a great breakdown of the different Arizona Plant Climate Zones. 

Plant Native Trees

It is always recommended to consider planting native trees over non-native. Native trees are better able to cope with the local environmental conditions of the area and typically require less attention than non-natives. They also serve as wildlife habitat for local animals, and are more resistant to harmful pests. 

 

Trees Native to Arizona (below 4,500 feet)

 

Trees Native to Arizona (between 4,500 feet and 6,000 feet)

 

Trees Native to Arizona (above 6,000 feet)

Resources and Tools

Resources and Tools 

Besides this website and the Department of Forestry and Fire Management staff, there are a variety of resources and tools available for anyone interested in learning more about urban forest management.

 

Professional Organizations

  • The Arizona Community Tree Council’s mission is to encourage and facilitate the care and planting of trees in Arizona.
  • Arizona Nursery Association is a professional trade organization dedicated to the promotion and advancement of the nursery industry for its members and the public they serve in Arizona.
  • The City of Phoenix Citizen Forester Program - citizen foresters advocate for trees by promoting best practices regarding proper tree planting and maintenence techniques, while supporting community efforts to achieve tree and shade canopy goals. 
  • The Tree Care Industry Association is a public and professional resource on trees and arboriculture and provides tree care companies and professional arborists with safety and educational programs, meetings, publications and guidelines for tree service operations, ANSI A300 tree care standards, and much more.
  • The Society of Municipal Arborists is an organization of municipal arborists and urban foresters. Our membership also includes consultants, commercial firms and citizens who actively practice or support some facet of municipal forestry.
  • The Alliance for Community Trees supports the needs of communities, nonprofits, businesses, and others engaged in urban forestry.
  • Trees Are Good helps to educate the public about the importance and value of proper tree care.
  • The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) promotes the professional practice of arboriculture and fosters a greater worldwide awareness of the benefits of trees through research, technology, and education.
  • Society of American Foresters seeks to advance sustainable management of forest resources through science, education, technology, and promoting professional excellence. The Southwestern Section operates in New Mexico and Arizona, with local chapters throughout. Members enjoy access to publications, working groups, grants, scholarships and student internship opportunities.
  • Utility Arborist Association provides resources in industry news & information, networking, education, certification, events, and continuing education credits. 
  • Don't Move Firewood is an organization dedicated to outreach and education related to invasive species spread through the movement of wood products. 

     

 

Tree Management Tools

 

Green Infrastructure and Tree Master Plans - Guidance

 

Tree Risk Assessment - Liability 

 

Tree City USA 

 

Arizona Urban Tree Map (Inventory)

 

Shade Tree Planting Prioritization

 

    Disclaimer of non-endorsement

    Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. The views and opinions of individuals expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of DFFM and shall not be used for advertising or product-endorsement purposes.

    Recognition Programs Overview

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    Urban and Community Forestry Projects