Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program

1. Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program http://treesandhurricanes.ifas.ufl.edu

2. Selecting Wind Resistant Trees:Coastal Plain Species Mary Duryea Eliana Kampf

3. Study • Methodology • Results • Lists of wind resistance • Recommendations for a healthy urban forest

4. Hurricanes Measured in Study Andrew 165 mph 1992 Jeanne 120 mph 2004 Ivan 130 mph 2004 Katrina 125 mph 2005 Rita 120 mph 2005 Georges 110 mph 1998 Opal 125 mph 1995 Erin 85 mph 1995 Dennis 120 mph 2005 Charley 145 mph 2004 Funding: FL DOT andDOF, USDA Forest Service Georgia Alabama Mississippi Louisiana Florida Puerto Rico

5. SE Coastal Plain • Subtropical & Tropical

6. Methodology • Urban neighborhoods randomly chosen at point of landfall • All trees along streets were measured • Standing, leaning or fallen • Measured dbh, height for palms • Defoliation, branch damage

7. Wind and Trees Survey • Surveyed 240 arborists, urban foresters, forest scientists • Asked them to rank 160 tree species for wind resistance

8. Results holly american live oak SE magnolia 100 wax myrtle sweet gum crape myrtle Hurricane Ivan (130 mph) dogwood 90 sabal palm laurel oak pecan red maple chinese tallow* sycamore slash pine water oak Bradford pear 80 loblolly pine black cherry SE red cedar 70 SE red oak longleaf pine Carolina laurelcherry 60 sand pine Survival (%) spruce pine 50 40 tulip poplar 30 LSD = 35% 20 10 0 Tree Species * prohibited species in Florida sand live oak

9. Results spruce pine 35 sycamore SE red oak laurel oak Hurricane Ivan (130 mph) 30 SE red cedar chinese tallow* sweet gum live oak pecan water oak sand pine 25 red maple C. laurelcherry black cherry Average Branch Loss (%) 20 SE magnolia slash pine Bradford pear longleaf pine sand live oak wax myrtle 15 dogwood crape myrtle tulip poplar loblolly pine American holly LSD = 11% 10 5 0 Tree species * prohibited species in Florida

10. 35 30 25 39-79 in. 20 20-39 in. 8-19 in. 15 < 8 in. 10 5 0 Large trees do more poorly than small trees Branch Loss ( %) P<0.0001 Tree Diameter

11. sand live oak Results American holly 100 wax myrtle SE magnolia sweet gum crape myrtle Hurricane Ivan (130 mph) dogwood live oak 90 sabal palm slash pine pecan Bradford pear 80 red maple laurel oak water oak loblolly pine black cherry 70 chinese tallow* longleaf pine sycamore 60 SE red oak SE red cedar Survival (Recalculated) (%) sand pine C. laurelcherry 50 spruce pine 40 tulip poplar LSD = 25% 30 20 10 0 Tree Species * prohibited species in Florida

12. Laurel Oak • Rapid growing, short lived (mature at 50 yr) • Light wood (0.56 g/cm3) • Damaging when it falls

13. 100 80 60 Survival (%) 40 P<0.001 20 0 Erin Dennis Opal Ivan (85 mph) (120 mph) (125 mph) (130 mph) Hurricane Sand live oak Live oak Laurel Survival of Oaks in North FL

14. 100 Opal 80 Erin Jeanne Charley Andrew Ivan 60 40 Survival (%) 20 92% 93% 0 85 120 125 130 145 165 Wind Speed (mph) Sabal Palm

15. Southern Magnolia • 96%, 97%, 92% standing after Erin, Opal, Ivan • Excellent survival rate even though it lost about 43% of its leaves

16. 100 80 60 Survival (%) 40 20 Erin Dennis Opal Ivan 0 85 120 125 130 Wind Speed (mph) Southern Red Cedar

17. Opal Slash Pine Longleaf Pine 100 Charley Ivan Erin Opal Erin Jeanne 80 Charley Ivan Andrew 60 40 20 0 Survival after Hurricanes (%) Sand Pine Loblolly Pine 100 Opal 80 Ivan Erin Opal 60 Ivan 40 Jeanne 20 0 165 85 120 125 130 145 85 120 125 130 145 165 Pines Wind Speed

18. Pines • Dangerous to have large trees close to buildings • Medium to Poor wind resistance: • Longleaf & Slash > Loblolly > Sand & Spruce pine • Continue to die after hurricanes: • Ivan (130 mph): Lost an additional 2-3% • Charley (145 mph): Lost an additional 50%

19. Live Oak Strong wood – 0.8 g/cm3 Species with higher wood density survived better and lost less branches (p<0.0001) Defoliates early – Leaf loss was positively correlated with survival (p<0.0001) Strong roots

20. 100 **** 80 **** NS 60 Survival (%) 40 20 0 Jeanne Ivan Charley Native species Hurricane Exotic species Native vs. Exotic Trees

21. Lists of Wind Resistance • 85 surveys (35%) were returned • Combining: • our study results • survey • scientific literature

22. Wind and Trees Survey – Results

23. Medium-High Wind Resistance Dicots Acer saccharum subsp. floridanum, FL sugar maple Acer palmatum, Japanese maple Betula nigra, river birch Carpinus caroliniana, ironwood Carya glabra, pignut hickory Carya tomentosa, mockernut hickory Cercis canadensis, red bud Chionanthus virginicus, fringe tree Diospyros virginiana, common persimmon Fraxinus americana, white ash Liquidambar styraciflua, sweetgum Magnolia virginiana, sweetbay magnolia Magnolia xsoulangiana, saucer magnolia Nyssa aquatica, water tupelo Nyssa sylvatica, black tupelo Ostrya virginiana, American hophornbean Prunus angustifolia, chickasaw plum Quercus michauxii, swamp chestnut Quercus shumardii, Shumard oak Quercus stellata, post oak Ulmus alata, winged elm Palms Washingtonia robusta, Washington fan Highest Wind Resistance Dicots Carya floridana, FL scrub hickory Cornus florida, dogwood Ilex cassine, dahoon holly Ilex glabra, inkberry Ilex opaca, American holly Ilex vomitoria, yaupon holly Lagerstroemia indica, crape myrtle Magnolia grandiflora, southern magnolia Quercus geminata, sand live oak Quercus laevis, turkey oak Quercus myrtifolia, myrtle oak Quercus virginiana, live oak Podocarpus spp, podocarpus Vaccinium arboreum, sparkleberry Conifers Taxodium distichum, baldcypress Taxodium ascendens, pondcypress Palms Butia capitata, pindo or jelly Phoenix canariensis, Canary Island date Phoenix dactylifera, date Sabal palmetto, cabbage, sabal

24. Medium-Low Wind Resistance Dicots Acer negundo, boxelder Acer rubrum, red maple Acer saccharinum, silver maple Celtis laevigata, sugarberry Celtis occidentalis, hackberry Cinnamomum camphora, camphor * Eriobotrya japonica, loquat ** Eucalyptus cinera, silverdollar eucalyptus Fraxinus pennsylvanica, green ash Morus rubra, red mulberry Myrica cerifera, wax myrtle Persea borbonia, redbay Platanus occidentalis, sycamore Prunus serotina, black cherry Quercus alba, white oak Quercus phellos, willow oak Salix xsepulcralis, weeping willow Ulmus americana, American elm Conifers Pinus elliottii, slash pine Pinus palustris, longleaf pine Pinus taeda, loblolly pine Lowest Wind Resistance Dicots Carya illinoensis, pecan Liriodendron tulipifera, tulip poplar Prunus caroliniana, Carolina laurelcherry Pyrus calleryana, Bradford pear Quercus falcata, southern red oak Quercus laurifolia, laurel oak Quercus nigra, water oak Sapium sebiferum, Chinese tallow *** Ulmus parvifolia, Chinese elm Conifers Juniperus silicicola, southern red cedar xCupressocyparis leylandii, Leyland cypress Pinus clausa, sand pine Pinus glabra, spruce pine * Invasive, not recommended by University of Florida/IFAS ** Caution: manage to prevent escape *** Prohibited in Florida (Fox et al. 2005)

25. Recommendations for a healthy urban forest When Establishing New Trees: • Establish a structural pruning program early on • Consider soil depth, water depth and compaction • Plant trees from the highest and medium-high WR lists • Give trees adequate aerial space when mature • Plant high quality trees with good structure • Plant trees in groups as opposed to individually • Plant a mixture of species, ages and layers • Give trees adequate rooting space: • small trees - at least 3 x 3 m • large trees - at least 10 x 10 m

26. Recommendations for a healthy urban forest When Managing Older Trees: • Consider removing trees on the lowest WR list • Remove hazard trees • Know the life span of your tree • Have tree health evaluated • Be aware of root damage during construction • Prune trees regularly • Consult with a certified arborist or urban forester