The Oahu Urban Tree Canopy Assessment: Methods and Uses

Sean MacFaden
Smart Tree Pacific, Kapolei, HI

Forestry and Tree Mapping
Monday March 5, 2012 - 3:15 to 4:30 pm

Smart Trees Pacific, a Hawaii non-profit organization, has just completed an Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) Assessment study for Leeward Oahu. Funded by the USDA Forest Service in cooperation with DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, this study leveraged existing satellite imagery, LiDAR, and a host of ancillary GIS datasets from federal, state and local agencies. Using advanced automated feature extraction techniques, land cover was characterized for approximately 250 square miles of Oahu from Kalaeloa through Honolulu to Kaneohe. The resulting high-resolution map showed land-cover features to the scale of individual trees, permitting estimation of existing tree canopy within each property parcel. It also permitted estimation of non-canopy features (e.g., grass/shrubs) that could theoretically support additional trees. This presentation will describe our data-fusion mapping techniques and will also show how the UTC assessment can be used by state and city planners, non-profit groups, and private citizens to better understand, manage, and improve Leeward Oahu’s UTC.