How well do you know the UI's trees?

If you ever wanted to know more about your favorite trees on campus, there’s an app for that. In observance of Arbor Day, UI Facilities Management announced the launch of its UI Tree Inventory web application, which maps and details more than 8,000 campus trees, comprised of 281 species, located on the main campus and in the UI Research Park.  

Tree icons dot the map of the UI Tree Inventory web application. Click on an icon, and up pops information about that specific tree. (Click photo to enlarge.)

The UI Tree Inventory app delivers information about the number and location of trees and their condition, size, and species, with additional links to photos and descriptions. Users can also see if the tree was dedicated or planted as a memorial and view other designations, like state-champion status. Use the “find my location” feature on your mobile device to view information about the trees around you.

Mike Rhinehart, UI arborist, says “The features and information we’ve included in our tree-inventory application make it unique to any other tree inventories we’ve seen. It helps us share details about our urban forest with the campus and surrounding community. It’s more than a planning tool; in the long run, it helps us create a greater understanding about the benefits of trees and their importance on campus.”

Tree inventories help track the health of the trees, record diversity of species, aid in inspections, assess hazards, and can help determine the appropriate response to storms, invasive disease, and pests—like the emerald ash borer.

UI tree information has been requested by students studying everything from forestry to engineering and by local and state agencies like the Iowa DNR.

A database version of the campus tree inventory has been a valuable planning tool for the Landscape Services team since 1989 and is one of several criteria necessary for achieving a Tree Campus USA distinction by the Arbor Day Foundation. The UI was Iowa’s first Tree Campus USA institution in 2009 and is currently one of only five Tree Campus USA award winners in Iowa. The tree crew was notified in early April that the campus had achieved Tree Campus USA status for 2015.