Forest health comparison of city park and Stephen F. Austin State University Campus trees, Nacogdoches, Texas

Trees in landscapes are valued for physical as well as aesthetic benefits and biodiversity. Trees on campus and city parks also help provide an environment for students and visitors to study and relax. A critical decision facing urban foresters, arborists, and planners is to decide when an existing tree should be removed and replaced. It is often based on an evaluation of the tree's health, condition and safety concerns. In this project: we compared tree health and replacement value of the trees in city parks in Nacogdoches, Texas and the trees on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University in the same city; calculated and compared biodiversity of park and campus trees; and analyzed the tree health conditions and distributions using geographic information systems (GIS). A total of 3,335 trees of 72 species on campus and 1,572 trees of 45 species in city parks were evaluated. Although there is statistical evidence revealing that campus trees were statistically significant healthier than city park trees, the biodiversity status for both of them are not desirable. It is recommended to identify and remove those trees with extensive wood decay and introduce new species when performing urban forest maintenance and management.