Impacts from a Major Ice Storm: Streettree Damage in Rochester, New York    (View PDF)

Susan M. Sisinni, Wayne C. Zipperer, and Andrew G. Pleninger

Abstract: In March 1991, a major ice storm occurred in Rochester, New York. Data from a comprehensive public tree survey, designed to include information on storm damage, were used to identify responses of urban trees to severe glaze accumulation. Storm-damaged trees were classified as follows: Removal 1 (R1s), those that sustained 75% or greater live crown loss; and Removal 2 (R2s), those that sustained 50%- 74% live crown loss. The inventory identified 58,536 trees and 129 species distributed throughout the city. Of the total population, 3,391 trees (5.8%) were listed as R1s and 8,606 (14.7%) were listed as R2s. Seventy species (54.2%) had at least one reported R1, and 87 species (67.4%) had at least one reported R2. Because Rochester's street-tree population is comprised of so many species, each with varying degrees of storm damage, this study focused on those that represented greater than 1% of the total population. Seventeen species met this criterion. Damage to these species is reviewed, and management implications are discussed.

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https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.1995.026