• Address:
  705 Spear Street
  South Burlington, Vermont 05403
  United States of America
  
  Phone: (802) 391-4135
  Email: femc@uvm.edu
  Website: www.uvm.edu/femc

Using methods like those used to make snow at ski areas, researchers successfully created ice glaze on tree branches (remarkably similar to conditions during the Northeast’s 1998 Ice Storm) over a large northern hardwood forest area. This novel experimental tool will allow scientists to study controlled icing events of different intensity and frequency in different forest types. Researchers also held a workshop with ecosystem scientists, climatologists, physical scientists, computer modelers, social scientists, and industry experts to define the state-of- knowledge on ice storms and examine the nature and extent of these storms in the Northeast. In addition, they developed machine-learning algorithms which allow computer models to identify unique ice storm climatology in past weather systems to better predict ice storms in the future.

• Label: Damage class

• Description: Injury class value based on a visual inspection of the branches

• Storage Type: int

• Measurment Type: ordinal

• Custom List: Tree injury codes
• Code: 1
• Definition: No visible damage
• Code: 2
• Definition: 1% to 49%
• Code: 3
• Definition: 50% to 75%
• Code: 4
• Definition: >75%
• Code: 5
• Definition: Dead

• Label: Diameter

• Description: Diameter at breast height

• Storage Type: decimal

• Measurment Type: ratio
• Precision: 0.1
• Unit: centimeter
• Number Type: real

• Label: notes

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Label: plot

• Storage Type: int

• Label: Species

• Description: Tree species

• Storage Type: text

• Measurment Type: nominal

• Species List: Tree Species
• • Code: abba
  • • Definition: ITIS #18032, balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
  • Code: acru
  • • Definition: ITIS #28728, red maple (Acer rubrum)
  • Code: beal
  • • Definition: ITIS #19481, yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
  • Code: piru
  • • Definition: ITIS #183385, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
  • Code: fagr
  • • Definition: ITIS #19462, American beech (Fagus grandifolia)
  • Code: acpe
  • • Definition: ITIS #28754, striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum)
  • Code: bepa
  • • Definition: ITIS #19489, paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
  • Code: tsca
  • • Definition: ITIS #183397, Canada hemlock; hemlock spruce (Tsuga canadensis)

• Label: tree_id

• Storage Type: int

• Injury rating
  • Method Description: All trees greater than 3.0 cm diameter at breast height were identified and assigned an injury class value based on a visual inspection of the branches.