Green Infrastructure
Introduction
We are working tirelessly to identify new opportunities to add to Victoria's Green Infrastructure by planting trees, installing gardens, green roofs and living walls. Find out more about our projects that are already underway!
Trees
The Victoria BID is passionate about improving the quality of the local environment for local business employees, residents and visitors to the area. Trees are especially important in built up areas like Victoria. Extra tree coverage improves local environmental quality by reducing street temperatures in summer, reducing storm water run-off and flooding. They also help reduce noise levels along busy transport corridors and reduce the amount of man-made particulates in the air. The Victoria BID is working closely with the Westminster City council and other agencies to develop a tree planting strategy which will ensure that opportunities for planting trees in Victoria are maximised.
Itree Eco Study
The Victoria BID is undertaking an i-tree study of Victoria. An i-Tree study will seek to measure the structure of the Victoria BID trees and to estimate the ecosystem services they provide.
The Victoria BID is undertaking an i-tree study of Victoria. An i-Tree study will seek to measure the structure of the Victoria BID trees and to estimate the ecosystem services they provide.
What is i-Tree Eco?
i-Tree is a peer reviewed software suite (originally The Urban Forest Effects Model (UFORE)) which has been designed by the United States Forest Service. i-Tree Eco has been used to quantify urban forest structure, function and values in numerous communities throughout the world. Field data combined with local pollution and meteorological data can quantify the ecological benefits provided by trees and shrubs.
By understanding the local, tangible ecosystem services that trees provide, i-Tree users can link urban forest management activities with environmental quality and community livability. i-Tree provides the baseline data that can be used to demonstrate value and therefore set priorities for more effective decision-making.
Our key aims will be to achieve a quantitative analysis of the tree stock in Victoria BID in terms of the benefits the trees provide to society. The baseline data and scenario modeling exercise will provide the evidence to inform policy, monitoring and decision making, thereby ensuring the long term delivery of ecosystem services for human health and well being within Victoria BID.
The study and corresponding data will be available to download in 2012.
Your input!
If you have any ideas about how we can improve the green infrastructure in and around Victoria, please send us a short summary of the proposed project and its location, and we will consider each suggestion on its own merit, and do whatever we can to implement your proposals.