An Urban Forest Inventory at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama

Abstract

Redstone Arsenal (RSA) is a United States Army Post in Huntsville, Alabama. To promote RSA’s management goals, an urban forest inventory was conducted to make good land management decisions in urban areas and maintain healthy, native flora. There were two primary objectives; (1) conduct an urban forest inventory at Redstone Arsenal and, (2) determine urban areas of hydrologic concern and assess potential benefits of the addition of urban trees. The urban forest inventory contains data on measurements, assessments, location, and presence of invasive and high-risk trees. Changing land cover from grass to tree/shrub showed significant benefits using i-Tree Canopy in Priority Area 1. Incorporating more trees on the landscape gave an estimated value of approximately $630,000 in carbon storage, and over 78,000 gallons of water in hydrological benefits. Future studies can be done to assess what native trees should be planted in urban areas, and the implementation of green infrastructure.