OUR PROJECT
​
Started in 2016
Presented at CCNR 2017 Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources
The initial project culminated in a scientific report and presentation at the Connecticut Conference on Natural Resources.
We built a bench from a diseased urban tree as a proof of concept.
We decided to continue and expand the project while putting a focus on digitalizing our information to illustrate and the impact and importance of the project.
In order to study and describe the many public benefits of urban trees, this project examined the beneficial contributions made during its lifetime by an individual tree located in Bushnell Park in the city of Hartford that had died and was scheduled for removal. Various benefits were calculated using a tool developed for the purpose. From this information, general conclusions can be drawn about the entire urban forest resource. An attempt is also made to show how certain urban tree benefits, particularly carbon sequestration, can be extended even after the tree has died.
THE PROJECT
The goal of this project was to show that urban trees provide significant ecological and monetary benefits and show that when it is time to take down diseased and dead trees, instead of dumping the trees we take down we can make them a benefit to the urban community they were taken from.
THE GOAL
WHY SHOULD WE REPOURPOSE URBAN TREES?
Many people do not realize that carbon from the atmosphere is sequestered, or tied up, in trees. The carbon is trapped in the wood the tree grows each year. If a tree is removed and sent to a landfill or chipped up, all that carbon is released back into the atmosphere as decomposition takes place. If the tree is burned the carbon is released even faster. Recovering some or most of the wood from a tree and turning it into long-lasting items like furniture extends the time all that carbon is kept out of the atmosphere. Instead of simply dumping the wood you can make something new from it like a bench which can go back to benefit the community the tree was taken from.
THE PROJECT
THE PROJECT
THE GOAL
Many people do not realize that carbon from the atmosphere is sequestered, or tied up, in trees. The carbon is trapped in the wood the tree grows each year. If a tree is removed and sent to a landfill or chipped up, all that carbon is released back into the atmosphere as decomposition takes place. If the tree is burned the carbon is released even faster. Recovering some or most of the wood from a tree and turning it into long-lasting items like furniture extends the time all that carbon is kept out of the atmosphere. Instead of simply dumping the wood you can make something new from it like a bench which can go back to benefit the community the tree was taken from.
THE CONCLUSION
Based on the results of the study it is extremely important to have trees in urban areas. The trees in Bushnell Park alone provide the surrounding community with thousands of dollars in benefits every year. While urban trees have considerable benefits large and dead trees cause a considerable amount of damage. They are more likely to fall on buildings, roads, cars, trails, and electrical lines than trees in suburban areas. So once an urban tree dies or becomes large enough to be considered a danger it should be removed. I found that by the time our White Ash had grown to a diameter of 20 inches it had produced enough benefits to pay for its own removal costs and the costs of planting a new tree in its place. Knowing this is it definitely worth it to remove and replace dead urban trees. Once the trees are removed it is beneficial to use the wood for benches or other products. Recovering some or most of the wood from a tree and turning it into long-lasting items like furniture serves to extend the time that all that carbon is kept out of the atmosphere. Instead of simply dumping the wood you can make something new from it like a bench which can go back to benefit the community the tree was taken from. Following that principle, we made our first bench out of three logs taken from the limbs of the White Ash.
