Jerry Bond, Community Forester

Jerry Bond, Community Forester

Frances Tucker, Program Assistant



Access 97™ Inventory Template User’s Guide

Note: This guide contains descriptions and examples to assist you in the two aspects of setting up a tree inventory: 1) Field Guide: obtaining inventory

and work data efficiently, and 2) Data Entry Guide: using the spreadsheet for this particular application. It does not contain general instructions on

using the database itself, for which other electronic and printed resources that are readily available should be consulted. We do not recommend this

database for use by persons insufficiently trained in Access 97™.



Overview

The street tree inventory is contained in an electronic file called "dbLocal Inventory", created in Microsoft Access 97. The

components to this database are:



1) Field Inventory Form rpt, an Access 97™ report, based on the empty table "Field Inventory Form", used for field

inventory data collection as a blank hard copy printout;

2) rptWorkOrder , an Access 97™ report, based on the "Street Tree Inventory" table, used for field work orders in hard

copy printout format;

3) frmTreeInventory: the collected field data is entered via this form.

4) frmWorkHistory Subform, work history data, consisting of street tree work orders that have been completed, are

entered in this subform, inside the Tree Inventory Form.

5) Other tables, forms, reports, queries and macros: Work History Report, Hazard Report, Species Report, Species

(scientific) table, tblCOND, tblInventory, tblWorkCode, tblWorkHistory, qryInventoryWorkHist, WorkHistory Query,

Species Query, tblInventoryQuery, Species Macro, OpenForm Macro, and WorkHistory Macro are all components of

the database.



In addition, the Appendix to this Guide contains other useful documents such as "cheat sheets" for fieldwork, reference

materials, and definitions.



Access 97™ advanced users will be able to build on the basic concepts included here to customize the database.









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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Field Guide

Section 1. Field Inventory Form

 Header descriptions



Section 2. Field Work Order Form

 Instructions for use



Data Entry Guide

Section 3. frmTree Inventory & frmWork History

 Header descriptions

 Sample data sheet



Appendix

Section 4. Definition tables and lists

 Condition Rating/Hazard Rating

 Hazard Potential Ratings/Codes & Descriptions

 Species Code List

 Planting Site Specifications

 Recommended Underwire Street Trees for New York State

 Hazard Prune/Hazard Removal Guidelines

 Standard Protocol for Corner Lots, Multiple Trees, and Vacant Lots









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1. Field Guide

Section 1. Field Inventory Form :

A hard copy worksheet (report) printed out for field inventory data collection. In the database, this is located in the Report

section as "FieldInventoryForm". Double-click this and print out the form as needed for field use. (The report is based on

the table tblFieldInventoryForm, which remains empty). Data collected in the field on this form will then be entered into

the main database via the " Tree Inventory” form, and will be contained in the “tblInventory” table.



All reference lists and codes mentioned below are located in the Appendix.



Header descriptions:

House # House or property number where the tree is located.



Street Street address of the property where the tree is located. Be sure to write the street extension in a consistent manner;

for example, you might specify that all be written out names ("Street, Road, Avenue," etc.), or that only abbreviations

be used ("St., Rd., Ave.," etc., including the period). If the tree is not in front of the house, see under "Side?" below.



Loc Location: When more than one tree is present at a street address, define the location of the specific tree relative to the

property using approximate compass indicators: N, S, E, W, Center, N-Center, S-Center, E-Center, W-Center. In the

event of a high number of trees as may occur on large properties, enter numbers in Loc to distinguish the trees (e.g.

1,2,3,4,…). Refer to the Appendix for graphic examples. If there are street trees located on a vacant lot, use one of

the options described in "Inventory Protocol Details" in the Appendix.



Side? Is tree located to the side of a property whose street address is different than the street the tree is facing? This is the

most difficult street tree location problem you will encounter. If the tree is on the side, use one of the two following

options (refer to the Appendix for graphic examples). Whichever option you choose, use it consistently throughout

the inventory. If you are unsure which to choose, we recommend option #2.



Option #1: Assign the tree to the street. Enter the actual house number and street address in the section of the

inventory for the street the trees are on. Enter "Yes" for Side?. If there are multiple trees, designate each tree using

the compass indicators and enter in Loc.



Option #2: Assign the tree to the house. Enter the actual house number and street address in the section of the

inventory for the street the house is on. Starting at the corner of the intersection, identify each tree which is located

to the side of the house as S1, S2, S3, S4….and enter that number in Side?. In Loc, enter the name of the street the

tree (and not the house) is on.



DBH Use a D-tape or Biltmore stick to find the diameter (in inches) of the tree at 4.5‟ off the ground. If the tree has a fork

below 4.5', measure just below the split. If the tree has multiple stems originating at ground level, measure the DBH

of each stem, add the values together, and add a clarifying comment. (ex. The DBH for four multiple stems

measuring 10 inches each is entered as "40" and "4 stems" is entered as a comment).



Species Using the Species Code reference sheet, enter the code corresponding to the tree species. If you do not know the

species of the tree you are looking at, enter "unknown." You may want to collect a leaf and twig sample, so that it

can be identified later. Any good tree guide that includes street trees will be useful in correct identification, or there

is a useful tree ID key ("What tree is that?") on the web at http://www.treelink.org/whattree/starthere.



If there is no tree but the location is a good planting site (see Appendix for criteria), enter the appropriate planting site

code from the Species Code list. If there are multiple planting sites at the location (keeping minimum separation of

20' for small trees, 30' for medium trees, and 40' for large trees), record each planting site separately.



Stumps should also be indicated with the code in the Species Code list.



Cond Condition: Use the Condition Rating reference sheet and codes to indicate the condition of the tree. Be sure to

carefully evaluate each tree for root, main stem, and crown problems. Note that the crucial aspect of condition is

whether a major defect is present (see Appendix).



Hazard Hazard (Rating) = Failure + Part Size + Target. Use the Hazard Rating reference sheet and codes to determine the

most likely failure occurrence of the tree during the period before the next field survey. In the field, values for

Failure, Part Size, and Target are recorded. Upon data entry, the value for Hazard is calculated automatically in the

spreadsheet. A rating of “3” is the lowest possible, and indicates current low hazard potential. A rating of “12” is the

highest possible, and indicates a need for immediate action.



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Work1 First Priority: e.g. Hazard Removals: see Hazard Definitions and Work Codes in the Appendix.



Work2 Second Priority: e.g. Hazard Prune: see Hazard Prune and Work Codes in the Appendix.



Work3 Third Priority: Other work codes as indicated.



Comments Add comments which will assist you in locating, identifying, or performing necessary maintenance on

any given tree.









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Section 2. Field Work Order Form

Instructions for use:



The Work Order Form is an Access 97™ report based on the " Tree Inventory" table containing the Inventory data.

Sorted by Work1, Work2, and Work3, the report can be printed as a whole document, or by selected pages pertinent to

scheduled work orders. Check your Access 97™ manual or Help files for details.



Sample Work Order Form report:



Work Order Form



Date: ________ Initials: _______ Man-Hours: _______





Work1 Work2 Work3 House# Street Side? Loc Species DBH Comments Tree ID

HZPR CRRE 24 Old Canton Rd N S ACPL 22 wir es 1

HZPR 131 Elm Street Y W GLTR 28 15

HZPE 56 S. Main Street Y S ACPL 16 c racked branch 17









The Work Order Form is used in the field. Fill in the Date, Initials, and Man-hours. Circle or check off the appropriate

work codes as they are completed during the day.









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2. Data Entry Guide

Section 3. frmTree Inventory

Unless otherwise noted, enter all data as it appears on the Field Inventory Form. In addition to entering data, there are

four control buttons added: 1) Find Record at upper left of form, used to search for a specific record. 2) Species Report

at upper right, runs a print preview of a report sorting all inventory records by species, 3) Hazard Report, right, runs a

print preview of the hazard evaluations totaling 8 or more points. 3) Close Form (a little door icon) closes and saves the

form at the end of the data entry session. Note: Remember to back-up your files per standard office procedure.



Header descriptions:



Tree # Primary key and tree ID number. Deleting record will permanently delete tree ID number: i.e., if

you delete record #1, you also delete the tree number permanently.



Date Date of inventory (if required).



House # House # where tree is located.



Street Street address.



Loc Location: When more than one tree is present at a street address, Loc defines the location of the

specific tree using approximate compass (N,S,E,W) indicators. "C" = "center".



Side? Reference for trees located to the side of a building.



DBH DBH (diameter-at-breast height of 4.5‟ from ground).



Species Species Code: See Appendix for list of Species Codes.



Species (common) Common name of the tree, automatically visible when selecting Species Code from menu.



Species (scientific) Scientific name of the tree, automatically visible when selecting Species Code from menu.



Cond Condition: see Appendix for Condition definitions.



Fail Failure Rating: see Appendix for Failure definitions.



Part Size Part Size most likely to fail: see Appendix for Part Size definitions.



Target Target Rating: see Appendix for Target definitions.



Hazard Hazard Rating: Automatically calculated based on the values entered for Fail, Part Size, and

Target. A Hazard Rating of “3” (1+1+1) is the lowest, and indicates absence of a hazardous

situation. A rating of “12” is the highest, and indicates an urgent need for action.



Work1 First Priority: e.g. Hazard Removals: see Hazard Definitions and Work Codes in the Appendix.



Work2 Second Priority: e.g. Hazard Prune: see Hazard Prune and Work Codes in the Appendix.



Work3 Third Priority: Other work codes as needed.



Comments Enter all Comments that may be recorded. You may have to edit for clarity or brevity.



Size Class Each DBH is assigned to one of 4 standard size classes, often useful in determining relative

size/age of the urban forest. A Size Class report is included in the database in the Report

section. It is not visible on the data entry form.



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Section 4. frmWork History Subform

Enter field data of work carried out into the Work History Subform. If accessed through the Tree Inventory form, use the

Find Record button to locate the tree by Tree #. Queries and reports based on the Work History table can be generated as

needed. There is a control button included within the sub-form, "Report by date", which runs a print preview of a

report showing all work history records by date.



Header descriptions:

Tree # Automatic



Date Enter the date the work was done.



Work1 First Priority Work. Select each code as needed from the drop-down menus.



Work2 Second Priority Work. Select each code as needed from the drop-down menus.



Work3 Third Priority Work. Select each code as needed from the drop-down menus.



Comments Enter all Comments that may be recorded. You may have to edit for clarity or brevity.



Man-hours If required, the Man-hours spent per assignment can be recorded in the footer of the Field Work Order

Form. Enter the hours as noted.



Initials Enter the Initials of the worker if needed.



Sample Street Tree Inventory & Work History Form









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Appendix









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Condition Rating Hazard Rating = Failure Potential + Size of Part + Target Rating

5 = Excellent: Young thrifty tree Failure Potential (4 points): Failure potential identifies the most likely failure and

rates the likelihood that the structural defect(s) will result in failure before reinspection.

4 = Good: Healthy tree with minor defects such as: Examples of ratings are:

 Small girdling roots

 Small trunk wounds 1 – low: defects are minor (e.g. dieback of twigs, small wounds with good woundwood

 Minor basal wound from weed whacker or development)

lawn mower

 Restricted soil volume 2 – medium: defects are present and obvious (e.g. cavity encompassing 10–25% of the

 Co-dominant stems without evidence of decay circumference of the trunk, codominant stems without included bark)

 Small pruning wounds

3 – high: numerous and/or significant defects present (e.g. cavity encompassing 30-50%

3 = Fair: Tree with one major defect: of the circumference of the trunk, multiple pruning wounds with decay along a branch)

 Severed roots close to trunk

4 – severe: defects are very severe (e.g. heartrot decay conks along main stem, cavity

 Girdling root (>1/3 circumference with evidence of root death) encompassing more than 50% of the trunk.

 Evidence of butt rot

 Young tree with large (>1/3 circumference) Size of defective part (4 points): Size of defective part rates the size of the part

basal wound most likely to fail. The larger the part is, the greater the potential for damage.

 Large bole wound (>1/3 circumference) with Therefore, the size of the failure affects the hazard potential. Examples are:

evidence of decay

 Co-dominant stems with evidence of decay 1 – most likely failure less than 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter

 Main stems topped

 Low vigor (30” dia. 7-18 2

19-30 3

Target Rating Description 31+ 4

1 Occasional use

2 Intermittent use

3 Frequent use

4 Constant use









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Section 5. Codes & Descriptions

Species Code List

Species not listed here may be defined under "Other" when using the spreadsheet.



Species Species Species

Code (Common) (Scientific)

ACNE Boxelder Acer negundo

ACNE Ash-leaf Maple Acer negundo

ACPL Norway Maple Acer platanoides

ACRU Red Maple Acer rubrum

ACRU Swamp Maple Acer rubrum

ACSA2 Silver Maple Acer saccharinum

ACSA1 Sugar Maple Acer saccharum

ACSA1 Hard Maple Acer saccharum

AEHI Horse Chestnut Aesculus hippocastanum

AIAL Tree-of-Heaven Ailanthus altissima

CASP Northern Catalpa Catalpa speciosa

CR Hawthorn Crataegus spp.

FR Ash Fraxinus spp.

GLTR Honey Locust Gleditsia triacanthos

JUNI Black Walnut Juglans nigra

MA Crabapple Malus spp

PLAC London Plane Tree Platanus x acerifolia

PLAC Sycamore Platanus x acerifolia

PODE Cottonwood Populus deltoides

PODE Eastern Poplar Populus deltoides

PRSE Black Cherry Prunus serotina

PR Cherry Prunus spp

PYCA Bradford Pear Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford'

QUPA Pin Oak Quercus palustris

QURU Red Oak Quercus rubra

ROPS Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia

SA Willow Salix spp

SOAU European Mountain Ash Sorbus aucuparia

TIAM Basswood Tilia americana

TIAM American Linden Tilia americana

TICO Littleleaf Linden Tilia cordata

ULPU Siberian Elm Ulmus pumila

PLL Planting Site - Large

PLM Planting Site - Medium

PLS Planting Site - Small

ST Stump

O Other

U Unknown





*The species codes are derived from the first two letters of the genus and species of the Latin botanical

name (listed in the column to the right), with numbers added when necessary to avoid confusion or to

specify cultivars. New species codes can be created following this convention. Thus, for instance,

Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa) would be coded as TITO, and its cultivar "Brabant" could be TITO1.





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PLANTING SITE SPECIFICATIONS

How to Identify Potential Planting Sites along Municipal Streets



General Planting Site Specification



The following specifications will be used to assign a planting site. Planting sites will not be

located closer than 10 feet from observable underground utilities. All planting sites will be at least

35 feet back from street intersections and at least 10 feet from fire hydrants, driveways, utility

poles and street lights. Where multiple planting sites may be possible at one location, the largest

planting site classification will be used to determine the number of trees that the site can hold.

Competing trees on private property will be considered in assigning of planting locations. No

planting sites will be assigned where adjacent trees on private property may invade the spacing

requirements defined for each planting site size outlined below.



Planting Site Size



Large Size Planting Site

 Large-sized planting sites will be used for tree species that at maturity will be large in size or

will fill the available growing space

 Tree lawn (the actual space where the tree will be planted, usually between the sidewalk and

the curb) greater than 8 feet in width

 A minimum of 40 feet between adjacent trees

 No overhead high voltage utility wires present



Medium Size Planting Site

 Medium-sized planting sites will be used for tree species that at maturity will be medium-

sized or will fit the available growing space

 Tree lawn between 5-8 feet in width

 A minimum of 30 feet between trees

 No overhead high voltage utility wires present



Small Size Planting Site

 Small-sized planting sites will be used for tree species that at maturity will be small-sized or

will fit the available growing space.

 Tree lawn between 3-5 feet in width

 A minimum of 20 feet between trees

 Overhead high voltage utility wires with at least 25 feet of overhead clearance are acceptable

for small size planting sites.





Source: CJ Luley, Davey Resource Group June, 1999









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Some Recommended Underwire Street Trees for Northeast US

Dependent on site analysis

Amur Maackia (Maackia amurensis)



Crabapple (Malus spp)

„Dolgo‟, „Professor Sprenger‟, and other upright, disease-resistant cultivars



Goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)



Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)

Winter King hawthorn (Crataegus viridis „Winter King‟)



Hedge maple (Acer campestre)



Hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana)



Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata)

Ivory Silk tree lilac (Syringa reticulata „Ivory Silk‟)



Norwegian Sunset maple (Acer x „Keithsform‟)



Serviceberry, shadblow (Amelanchier spp.)

'Robin Hill' (Amelanchier x grandiflora „Robin Hill‟)





Details and other recommendations:



Bassuk, Nina, et al. 1998. Urban Trees: Site Assessment Selection for Stress Tolerance

Planting. Ithaca, NY: Urban Horticulture Institute, Cornell University.

Reynolds, Mary K., and Raymond Boivin. 1994. Selecting Trees for Urban Landscape

Ecosystems. Concord, NH: State of New Hampshire, Dept. of Resources.









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Hazard Prune Hazard Removal



Only branches 4 inches in diameter or greater will be considered as 1. Dead Trees

potentially hazardous.

2. Live Trees with the Following Defects:

Roots

Common Conditions or Defects for Hazard Prune Category:

Three or more large flare roots that have been cut within one foot of

the stem, or have observable decay or cracks that may not support the

1. Dead Branches

tree in high winds.

2. Live Branches with Obvious Structural Defects Such as: A leaning tree with soil cracking or bulging, indicating that the tree

is failing from the roots.

Active Cracks (not “frost seams”, ribs or other general indicators of

decay) associated with decay or other significant defects. Trunk

Active cracks (not “frost” seams or other ribs that may be indicators

Decay with more than 2/3 the diameter decayed. of internal defect) associated with extensive stem decay or other

defects.

Cavities covering 2/3 or more of the stem circumference.

Decay with more than 2/3 of the stem diameter decayed.

Cavities covering 1/2 or more of the stem circumference with 1/3 of the Cavities covering more than 1/2 of the stem circumference and 1/3

stem diameter decayed. of the stem diameter decayed.



Cavities covering 2/3 or more of the stem circumference.



Trunks with co-dominant stems (or multiple attachments with main

structural branches) and observable decay, cavities, or active cracks in

union where the branches join, where these defects cannot be

alleviated with pruning.

Crown:

Extensive dieback of ½ or more of the crown, or a majority of main

structural branches dead or mostly dead.



A majority of main structural branches with extensive decay or

cavities (as above for the trunk), such that if these defective branches

were removed, the tree would be highly unbalanced.



Source: Christopher J. Luley, Davey Resource Group

Source: Christopher J. Luley, Davey Resource Group









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