Developers USDA FS, Northeastern Area, Center for Urban & Community Forestry Davey Resource Group Storm Damage Assessment Protocol

Overview Quick Shot Sampling Protocol Estimating Engine Report Means Data Collection

Quick shot

What’s this all about? Easy and accurate estimate Tree storm damage Costs for recovery Data quality and integrity Simple method Quick reporting

Context of use Planning Framed by overall natural disaster plan FEMA funding: Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program Tree Emergency Plan Worksheet (Burban) Recovery First 24 hours Response to state emergency agency

Pre-storm setup Create random sample Before emergency! Use electronic or manual means Measure tree density and size class Within ROW Also 50’ back from ROW edge Take final steps Pre-Storm report form: useful estimate Storage for future use

Post-storm work Revisit sample segments Record for all trees within 50’ of ROW Choose method of estimating debris (by segment)  Indirect by average crown loss class  0-25%, 26-50%, etc.  Historical records form basis  Loss category images available from FS  Direct as CY of debris Hazard pruning by size class Hazard removal by size class Paper or PDAs Enter data, report results

Sampling protocol

Based on random sampling General discussion earlier Storm type Tested for ice storms Low variance 2% sample got within 5% of true value in field test Not tested for wind storms Larger variance May affect required sample size Area of ongoing i-Tree research

Estimating Engine

Spreadsheet Estimator built as Excel ® spreadsheet 6 worksheets Home/ReadMe – navigation, help PreStorm Data – setup data PreStorm Analysis – preliminary analysis PostStorm Data – damage data PostStorm Analysis – report form Codes, lookup tables – functional elements Use of Excel ® based on user survey

Hyperlinks for easy navigation

Report Means

Procedure Estimation Starts with field data Uses local costs Scales up with simple formulas Calculation page = report Credibility Ease, speed

Validation Sampling indicated on report Means of random sampling Percent of street miles sampled Numbers derived right on sheet Debris Pruning, removal Local costs shown

These values can be adjusted by end user

Data Collection

Data collection Means Paper forms PDAs

Paper forms

Manual data entry Easiest to use Excel’s entry form Highlight top row of headers On menu, click Data  Form Ignore any error message! Can also just start typing at cell A1

Paper advantages Low cost No technical training No batteries Tough Always have backup to electronic Currently only way to record non- linear plots

Paper disadvantages Error-prone Decipherment QA harder Can be slower in field Much slower in office

PDAs

Hardware i-Tree only supports Pocket PC operating system Cost $ or more Making the choice Online Search “PDA review” CNET.com, PCMAG.com, etc. Local merchant

Software: handheld Installed on handheld through Start menu Data uploaded automatically during synchronization Details in Manual

Software: desktop Management of data and applications Simple, intuitive Details in Manual

Desktop interface Installs with single double-click Requires user input Community name Street mileage Random selection file location New Interface makes this automatic Places field data into spreadsheet

PDA Advantages Fast data collection Low error rate No data entry Many processes automated

PDA Disadvantages Up-front equipment expense Training required Low battery life in cold Some PDAs have battery packs available Units not protected Plastic freezer bag often sufficient Waterproof cases (e.g., Otter) available

Exercise!