In the summer of 2016, the Village of Brown Deer contacted Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) for assistance in developing an urban forestry project that would be strong enough to meet the application needs of the DNR's Urban Forestry Grant. Three main goals were identified.
Updating the Village's tree inventory using GIS.
Applying Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) treatments to their Ash tree population to combat the increased presence of EAB.
Identifying the existing tree canopy coverage throughout the Village.
With these goals in mind and the potential grant funding assistance, R/M partnered with Wachtel Tree Science for their professional expertise.
R/M organized a meeting with the Village and Wachtel to draw up a plan so the two firms could divide and conquer these goals for the 2017 Urban Forestry Grant Project. Wachtel worked with the Village on handling the inventory collection of all publicly owned trees as well as conducting the EAB injections. R/M's role in the project was to write the grant application, use LiDAR imagery to calculate canopy coverage for all public and private trees within the Village limits, and implement R/M's GIS Tree inventory tools into Brown Deer's GIS web application.
After Wachtel had finished the inventory, R/M processed and incorporated the data into the Village's web-based GIS application. With the data residing in their website, the Village can track and manage their tree population from any device that has internet connection. The tree data is also backed up to Amazon's Cloud allowing for secure storage and ample amounts of storage space.
The projects need to be finished within the specified project year and Brown Deer's project, started this past spring, is nearing completion!
About the Author
Kevin M. Korth
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS ADVISOR
Kevin has a diverse background focused around GIS, public works processes, software implementations, and client success management. He utilizes these skills to work closely with clients to advise them on the best technologies to meet their goals. A combination of his skill set and personality drives his passion for training clients and setting them up for success. His involvement with numerous software implementations has given him the experience of working with several departments within an organization to achieve both community and department goals.
