I started using the i-Tree suite of tools in the
summer of 2016, right after the release of version 6. I was keen
to learn i-Tree after having had experience with a modeling
program for tropical trees called SILVIA. My first experience
with i-Tree was a challenge because it involved inventorying the
public trees of one of the 15 most populous cities in México,
Mérida (pop. ~ 827,000), on the Yucatán Peninsula.
At the time, Mérida's tree data was limited to aerial photos that
had been used to roughly estimate the City's tree canopy per-
centage. City officials were now seeking species information,
health status, size, and so on—things that are rather difficult to
get with aerial photographs. In Mérida´s case, we started with
a group of volunteers, the support of the municipality, and the
director and staff of the UDS (sustainable development unit).
After the Mérida inventory, more cities showed interest in having
i-Tree inventories, including the resort town of Playa del Carmen in
the State of Quintana Roo, the municipality of Guadalajara in the State
of Jalisco, the City of Puebla in the State of Puebla, and many others.
This article recollects some of the experiences I had during this
time, lessons learned, and my personal analysis of what we
need to do here in México to bring our urban forest canopy per-
centage up to double digits in cities around the country. >>
The First
i-Tree Eco
Applications
in México
Streetscape in Puebla
By Horacio
de la Concha,
CEO, Agrinet
Urban Forestry
Consulting
www.urban-forestry.com 33
