Why you Need to Know Trees’ Height for Urban Rewilding

Trees play a central role in any urban rewilding policy. But how does knowing tree heights through LIDAR technology advance the management of greener cities? We’ll tell you everything!

Planting trees in cities has never been more popular. And for good reason: in the face of rapid climate change, pollution spikes, and urban heat island effects, trees serve as powerful natural air purifiers and coolers. They are invaluable allies for capital cities, local municipalities, metropolises, and communities that recognize the urgency of bringing nature back into urban areas.

Thus, trees are at the heart of all urban rewilding operations. However, cities cannot implement effective greening strategies without first conducting an automated inventory of their tree population. This essential step facilitates and prepares for the inevitable site visits by arboricultural experts. And that’s our specialty at Natural Solutions!

In various articles posted on this blog, we have introduced LIDAR technology and the efficient processing chain we have developed to accurately and cost-effectively inventory trees and vegetation cover in cities. We have shared the results we achieved for the city of Marseille (France), thanks to Ecoteka, our tree inventory management solution, enhanced with data from LIDAR advancements.

Among the numerous data we collect with our sensors and other smart tools (number of trees and their locations, presence of other plants, vegetation class extraction, canopy model calculations, smoothing...), tree height is an essential piece of information in managing a city's tree inventory. This data allows for:

Tree Growth Monitoring

Having data on tree heights helps track their growth and development. By monitoring these data over time, based on the types of trees planted and their maturity (age), it becomes easier to plan an efficient and sustainable urban vegetation cover.

Trimming and Pruning Schedules

Pruning and trimming trees is crucial for their maintenance and health. Removing dead or low branches ensures tree growth by promoting healing. It also prevents the spread of pests to the entire tree or neighboring plants, which could ultimately lead to the tree's weakening and death if left unchecked. Pruning is thus vital for urban trees’ health, including combating the increasing fire risks due to climate change.

Facilitating Tree Removal

Sometimes, it is necessary to fell a tree, especially if it is diseased or dead. This task can be challenging when the felling space is limited, such as near a building or infrastructure. In such cases, dismantling the tree piece by piece is the only alternative to direct felling. Here too, identifying the tree's height and surrounding space with LIDAR technology is a crucial step before proceeding with removal.

Evaluating Tree Stability

Or the art of dendrometry (literally "tree measurement"). We'll spare you the mathematical theories behind this scientific approach. Simply put, dendrometry, with its precise calculations, characterizes and measures trees and their stands: diameter, height, shape, volume, density, growth... It is an invaluable tool for forestry and forest management, both urban and non-urban. LIDAR technology offers a highly relevant initial glimpse into the dendrometry of any treed area.

Similarly, knowing tree heights allows for calculating the "lever-arm," also known as "W," when there is a risk of the tree breaking or uprooting.

Preserving Mature Trees

Finally, knowing tree heights helps estimate their approximate age and, consequently, their beneficial maturity. It’s worth repeating: planting new trees is good, but preserving old ones is even better. Depending on the species, a tree takes between 20 and 50 years to fully function as an air purifier and natural air conditioner (providing necessary shade for wildlife, absorbing CO2, and producing oxygen). Preserving old trees means investing in our health and the health of all living beings. Using LIDAR to measure tree heights helps identify these ancient trees.

Do you want to implement an automated inventory solution for your tree population and know the heights of your trees with our LIDAR technology? Our experts are here to help. Contact us to discuss further!