Arborists and urban foresters have a compelling story
to tell—their work to plant and care for urban trees and
forests makes a tremendous difference in our communi-
ties! Fortunately, i-Tree is freely accessible 24/7 to help
tell that story and more. In this article we will explore the
newest tool, called OurTrees, which gives us the power
to engage communities and tell a story about current and
potential tree canopy and the benefits forests provide
in communities across the continental United States.
OurTrees is a web-based app that works with
modern browsers to deliver intuitive summaries
and graphics quickly and easily on the many ben-
efits of trees and forests from the convenience
of the user's favorite device, whether a mobile
phone or a laptop. There's no need to download
and install an app; simply navigate to OurTrees.
The Need for OurTrees
With the unprecedented funding opportunities
in the United States presented by the passage of
the Inflation Reduction Act, community leaders
and practitioners are on the ground floor of sig-
nificant new investment in urban and community
forestry. Sharing the story of the benefits of trees
and forests is critical to growing local support and
securing new investments at the community level.
OurTrees was created to provide relevant, easy-
to-use benchmarks for advocates who are building
and supporting tree care programs while promoting
an equitable distribution of environmental benefits at
the local level. It provides summary reports that high-
light existing and potential canopy contributions to
mitigate climate change impacts and improve human
health outcomes. It also enables users to compare one
community's canopy cover with that of adjacent com-
munities to help inform the urgency of investment.
Putting OurTrees to Work
OurTrees is a quick assessment tool for communities
of all sizes across the United States that can be used in
addition to American Forests' Tree Equity Score (TES) and
the White House Climate and Economic Justice Screening
Tool (CEJST) to begin targeting resources where they are
needed most. Both TES and OurTrees draw their benefit
estimates information from i-Tree Landscape, which
is a powerful, map-oriented tool for the entire United
States. i-Tree Landscape helps users evaluate environ-
mental and demographic data for their area using many
layers of information at a minimum of 30-meter (98-foot)
canopy resolution, with meter level data available at
select locations. A layer of CEJST Census Tracts is newly
available in i-Tree Landscape to support user analysis of
equity in the distribution of tree canopy benefits. >>
From the USDA Forest Service and Partners
What OurTrees Can Tell Us:
The Newest i-Tree Tool to Help
Engage your Community
By Michael Binkley, Manager Technology Development, The Davey Institute, Davey Tree
Expert Company; Eric J. Greenfield, Forester, and Mark Majewsky, Acting i-Tree Team
Leader, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station Forest Inventory and Analysis; and
Phil Rodbell, USDA Forest Service National Program Leader for Urban Forestry Research
urban-forestry.com 29
