About UFORE

UFORE is an acronym for "Urban Forest Effects" and refers to a computer model that calculates the structure, environmental effects and values of urban forests. The UFORE model was developed in the late 1990s by researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station in Syracuse, NY.

UFORE Model program development was funded by the USDA Forest Service Northeastern Research Station, USDA State and Private Forestry's Urban and Community Forestry Program and the USDA National Urban and Community Forestry Advisory Council. The UFORE software is in the public domain and available at no cost to all interested individuals and organizations. For an overview, see The Urban Forest Effects (UFORE) Model".

The model currently operates in SAS®, but is being recoded to operate in a Windows platform on PCs. The primary purpose for recoding UFORE is to facilitate easy distribution and use of the program and data from completed projects in a user-friendly format. It is projected that a basic Windows Version of UFORE will be released in 2005 with new modules being released in subsequent years. Prior to the release of the Windows version, U.S. Forest Service staff in Syracuse will assist in analyzing field data collected for UFORE.

The model suite consists of:

Detailed, statistically based sampling and data collection protocols. These protocols allow for estimation of total and variation related to urban forest structure and population effects.
Electronic customizable data collection programs that run on low-cost Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs).
A central computing engine that makes scientifically sound estimates of the effects of urban forests based on peer-reviewed scientific equations to predict environmental and economic benefits.

The UFORE model is currently designed to provide accurate estimates of:

Urban forest structure by land use type (e.g., species composition, number of trees, DBH distribution, tree density, tree health, leaf area, leaf and tree biomass, species diversity, etc.).
Hourly amount of pollution removed by the urban forest, and associated percent air quality improvement throughout a year. Pollution removal is calculated for ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter (<10 microns).
Hourly urban forest volatile organic compound emissions and the relative impact of tree species on net ozone and carbon monoxide formation throughout the year.
Total carbon stored and net carbon annually sequestered by the urban forest.
Effects of trees on building energy use and consequent effects on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
Compensatory value of the forest, as well as the value of air pollution removal and carbon storage and sequestration.
Tree pollen allergenicity index.
Potential impact of pests such as Gypsy moth, emerald ash borer, or Asian longhorned beetle.

Note that not all these functions will be available in UFORE for Windows v 1.0, but will be available in subsequent releases and are currently available in the SAS® version of UFORE.


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