PARENT SESSION
Poster Session # 6: Urban Ecology.
Monday, August 4 Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. SITCC Exhibit Hall B.
Urban tree cover and species richness in three Miami-Dade, Florida neighborhoods.
Hopper, William*,1, Akinboyewa, Olayeni*,1, 1 Florida Memorial College, Miami, Florida, USA
ABSTRACT- GIS analysis of historical aerial photographs was used to calculate the percent tree cover and the number of species present in three urban neighborhoods in Miami-Dade County, Florida . These neighborhoods are located in Bay Shore (Miami), Opa-locka, and Hialeah. Demographic characteristics of each neighborhood were also calculated and correlations established to identify areas of concern and to develop strategies to be utilized in increasing urban tree cover. Preliminary results show that the number of trees in at least two neighborhoods have decreased significantly between 1968 and 1980 due to factors such as death of trees, natural disturbance, and disease.
Key words: species richness, urban tree cover