The City of Parksville is using a program called TreePlotter to track the number of trees in the region, how healthy they are and how city crews need to tend to them. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

CARBON CAPTURES

Parksville individually counting, categorizing, tracking trees & city assets

Sep 29, 2021 | 7:36 AM

PARKSVILLE — City staff are going to great lengths to ensure trees in their care are healthy through a growing library of information.

In use behind the scenes with the City of Parksville since 2019, TreePlotter allows staff to inventory and monitor the population of trees in the region, their health and what care needs to be done to keep them in top shape.

Warren Payne, Parksville parks supervisor, presented the system to Council on Sept. 20. He said they’re about 60 per cent completed in mapping over 5,000 trees within city limits.

“When we look at the eco benefits for the entirety of the trees we have inventoried so far, 3,643 trees, we can see we’re preventing almost three million gallons of storm water, we’re removing almost two thousand pounds of pollutants and almost 8,000 pounds of carbon stored.”

Records for individual trees include information such as species, health and any maintenance needs.

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Payne added a healthy network of trees is a crucial part of a healthy community.

“The trees are taking carbon out of the atmosphere and using some of it to build their mass, but also directing some of it down to this fungal network which then distributes it to other trees in the forest such as young trees or saplings which may need a boost.”

Data collected can be sorted in a multitude of ways.

During his presentation to Council, Payne narrowed search fields to show the statistics on one individual tree. He also showed the volume of certain species in the region.

A map of the trees currently plotted through the City of Parksville, not including larger areas such as the Nature Trust of BC properties or Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. (City of Parksville)

Payne said around 50 per cent of the trees inventoried to date are maples, which could adjust how future plantings look.

“It is difficult to put into practice because [maples are] readily available at the nursery, in the sizes that meet our specification and they grow well in our climate. If there were to be a new pathogen or pest in our area that focuses on maples, we would be in a lot of trouble.”

The program can also inventory other city assets. A list of park benches available to be dedicated is included in the data already collected.

For now, the program is only available to city staff however Payne said it could be opened up to the public in the future.

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley