Distributed urban forest patch sampling detects edge effects and woodland condition for monitoring and management

Effective management requires rapid, repeatable assessment of forest composition, structure, and condition at the scale of local decision-making. We present and apply a protocol for characterizing urban woodlands that generates new insight into the status of urban woodlands and baseline data for change detection over time. Samples of overstory composition, ground cover, surface soil measurements, and the Schumacher Vine Encroachment Index were collected at 845 points across each of 47 patches across Baltimore, Maryland. Simple citywide summaries allowed characterization of Baltimore's urban overstories as overwhelmingly native, though dominated by a range of successional conditions. By contrast, we found that ground layers were predominantly exotic, with abundant invasives or ruderal native species benefiting from disturbed conditions. Seven overstory types were distinguished, the majority under threat from aggressive vines. 

In a nutshell, this resource offers:

• An assessment methodology, including soil sampling, for forest patches. 
• Assessment results for Baltimore.

How to use this resource:

• As a protocol for distributed sampling of forest patches.
• As a method of analysis of ecological conditions. 
• As a resource for management based on results of assessment.

Author: Matthew Baker, Ian Yesilonis, Laura Templeton, Beatriz Shobe, Jaelyn Bos, Nancy F. Sonti, and Katherine Lautar

Date published: March 2025

Point of contact: Mathew Baker mbaker@umbc.edu

Citation: Baker, Matthew, Ian Yesilonis, Laura Templeton, Beatriz Shobe, Jaelyn Bos, Nancy F. Sonti, and Katherine Lautar.2025. “Distributed Urban Forest Patch Sampling Detects Edge Effects and Woodland Condition for Monitoring and Management.” Ecosphere 16(3):e70236. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.70236ECOSPHERE 21 of 21

Resource is available online here.