Background
Trees have an important role to play in sequestering carbon dioxide, in building resilience to the changes that climate change brings to our communities, in cleaning our air and water, in providing habitats, in supporting mental health, and in so much more. Yet planting and maintaining trees costs money and when budgets are tight, these may be among the first cut if the services that trees provide are undervalued.
The University of Waterloo is looking for an analysis of the existing number and health of its campus trees, the climate and broader impacts of those trees and the potential to grow its tree canopy. This work supports the campus Ecomap project that aims to assess the biodiversity and evaluate ecosystem health of our campus greenspaces.
This work also relates to Sustainable Development Goals 11, 13, and 15.
Scope of Work Could Include
- Note: this project should focus on trees, not shrubs which are the subject of another living lab project.
- Review existing data sets on campus trees, including data found in the Ecology Lab Dataverse and UW Urban Forest tree data on iNaturalist.
- Conduct a tree inventory of a portion of the University of Waterloo main campus that includes total tree counts, geographical coordinates, species diversity assessments, health assessments and size (e.g. diameter at breast height –dbh).
- Use GIS lidar or to assess the total tree canopy coverage for the campus.
- Conduct a literature review to identify and apply best practices for quantifying the annual carbon sequestered by existing trees now and in the future (eg every five years until 2050).
- Conduct a literature review to identify and apply best practices for qualitatively and quantitatively assessing the non-carbon sequestering benefits of campus trees.
- Research innovative ways of financing the maintenance of trees on campus.
- Identify any additional maintenance practices that could support the health of the existing trees on campus.
- Identify areas on campus that would benefit from greater tree coverage and make recommendations for species selection.
- Make further recommendations as appropriate.
Resources
The Sustainability Office can share a preliminary tree inventory conducted in 1994, a native species list created in 1997, and a report on climate change and the tree canopy of Region of Waterloo. Copies of the tree identification guide “Trees in Canada” are available from the Ecology Lab. The Sustainability Office can also facilitate engagement with the Ecology Lab to review all data currently available on campus trees, including data found in the Dataverse. The Sustainability Office is also happy to facilitate a conversation with Grounds Services.
Stakeholders
- Sustainability Office
- Plant Operations
- Ecology Lab
Proposed Deliverables
The details of the deliverables are flexible but must meet the requirements set out by the course instructor. Some proposed deliverables include:
- A work plan early in the term outlining key milestones and responsibilities.
- Updates on progress at least once during the term.
- A final report outlining the outcomes of the study, including the inventory, climate impact assessment, broader impact assessment, and recommendations (as defined by the final project scope).
- A final meeting to review the outcomes of the report and answer questions.