City Of Buffalo, NY
Davey Resource Group verified, updated, and added new records for an over ten-year-old tree inventory in Buffalo, NY.
Project Narrative:
Buffalo had completed a tree inventory over ten years ago. After striving to continually update that data over time, they decided to conduct a complete re-inventory. The city selected Davey Resource Group (DRG) to verify, update, and add new records for roughly 110,000 trees, stumps, and planting sites. The re-inventory process consisted of DRG’s certified arborists visiting each site and making edits to existing tree data fields, including: location, species, size, condition, maintenance, etc.
Upon completion of the inventory, the data was delivered to the City to be uploaded into their existing tree inventory database. After a short time, it became apparent that the City’s existing system could not adequately support the volume of tree work that needed to be completed, and did not offer a public-facing page. To resolve this issue, DRG uploaded the inventory data to TreeKeeper®, and programmed a custom Contractor Portal that connected the inventory to the city’s 311 system. This portal facilitates tree pruning contractors to access the inventory data, and locate work orders, complete work assigned, and receive payment.
Going Beyond A Tree Inventory
Starting in 2017, DRG has served as an on-call consulting arborist for the city. In this arrangement, DRG operates as an extension of Buffalo’s City Forester. DRG is called in to assist with 311 tree inspections, manage pruning, removal, and planting contracts, and keep the street tree inventory up-to-date. The City continues to utilize DRG’s TreeKeeper system for all record keeping, work order management, and tree inventory data.