Campus Tree Inventory & GIS Map

During the summer of 2014, biology student Dakota Snyder ’15 and Emerita Professor Carol Rietsma conducted a campus-wide tree inventory and GIS map.  Josh Simons of CRREO compiled the raw tree data and created a GIS map that is available for the public to view.  The project was administered by Professor Eric Keeling of Biology.  Professor Keeling uses the inventory on a weekly basis in his classes.  Search the inventory at http://crreo.newpaltz.edu/trees/

This project was funded by Campus Auxiliary Services with the support of the Sustainability Committee.  Over 2,000 trees in actively managed areas on campus (not the South Forest) were surveyed.  Data was collected about each tree including the species (both common and scientific name), GPS location, size, condition, photo, etc.  Biology classes are using the inventory for campus-as-a-living-lab-style teaching and learning and cross-disciplinary collaborations are being discussed.