Philadelphia park tree cover data, 1959-2018

Metadata:
Identification_Information:
Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Nix, Sabine A.
Originator: Roman, Lara A.
Originator: Healy, Marc
Originator: Rogan, John
Originator: Pearsall, Hamil
Publication_Date: 2021
Title:
Philadelphia park tree cover data, 1959-2018
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0107
Description:
Abstract:
These data represent tree cover for three parks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tree cover was manually delineated on aerial imagery from 1959, 1980, 2000 and 2018. The parks studied were: East Fairmount Park, West Fairmount Park, and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.
Purpose:
Urban foresters in many cities in the United States and around the world have been assessing trends in urban tree canopy cover, and many municipal leaders have set goals for tree cover levels. However, there is a need for greater understanding of the socioecological dynamics of tree cover change over many decades, including varied trends within a city. These land cover change data were collected to assess the rates and drivers of tree cover change, using Philadelphia to investigate the processes of tree cover change in parks of a post-industrial city. Parks are a critical component of urban tree canopy cover, as they constitute one of the largest portions of tree cover in many cities, so changes in park tree cover can have outsized impacts on municipal tree cover more broadly.
Supplemental_Information:
These data were originally published on 12/29/2021. On 02/22/2022 and 06/23/2023 minor metadata updates were made.
Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Multiple_Dates/Times:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1959
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 1980
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2000
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2018
Currentness_Reference:
Ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: As Needed
Spatial_Domain:
Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
Data represent three different parks in Philadelphia, PA: East Fairmount Park, West Fairmount Park, and the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. East and West Fairmount Park are located along the banks of the Schuylkill River, north of center city Philadelphia, with East Fairmount Park being next to the Strawberry Mansion and Brewerytown neighborhoods, and West Fairmount Park being next to the Wynnefield Heights and East Parkside neighborhoods. The Schuylkill Center is also adjacent to this river, upstream in the northwestern part of the city, in the upper Roxborough neighborhood.
Bounding_Coordinates:
West_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.277871
East_Bounding_Coordinate: -75.159617
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 40.068821
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 39.947816
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: biota
Theme_Keyword: environment
Theme_Keyword: location
Theme_Keyword: society
Theme_Keyword: structure
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Research & Development Taxonomy
Theme_Keyword: Ecology, Ecosystems, & Environment
Theme_Keyword: Landscape ecology
Theme_Keyword: Environment and People
Theme_Keyword: History
Theme_Keyword: Recreation
Theme_Keyword: Urban natural resources management
Theme_Keyword: Inventory, Monitoring, & Analysis
Theme_Keyword: Monitoring
Theme:
Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: land cover
Theme_Keyword: urban tree canopy cover
Theme_Keyword: urban forest
Theme_Keyword: urban park
Theme_Keyword: post-industrial city
Place:
Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Pennsylvania
Place_Keyword: Philadelphia
Access_Constraints: None
Use_Constraints:
These data were collected using funding from the U.S. Government and can be used without additional permissions or fees. If you use these data in a publication, presentation, or other research product please use the following citation:

Nix, Sabine A.; Roman, Lara A.; Healy, Marc; Rogan, John; Pearsall, Hamil. 2021. Philadelphia park tree cover data, 1959-2018. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0107
Point_of_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Philadelphia Field
Contact_Person: Lara A. Roman
Contact_Position: Research Ecologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 100 N. 20th St., Suite 205
City: Philadelphia
State_or_Province: PA
Postal_Code: 19095
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 215-917-8899
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: lara.roman@usda.gov
Data_Set_Credit:
This research was supported by the University Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a cooperative agreement between the USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Philadelphia Field Station and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

Author Information:

Nix, Sabine A.
University of Pennsylvania, Department of Earth and Environmental Science
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5633-899X

Roman, Lara A.
USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Healy, Marc
Clark University, Graduate School of Geography
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3687-7229

Rogan, John
Clark University, Graduate School of Geography

Pearsall, Hamil
Temple University, Geography and Urban Studies Department
Native_Data_Set_Environment:
Version 6.2 (Build 9200) ; Esri ArcGIS 10.5.1.7333
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Roman, Lara A.
Originator: Catton, Indigo J.
Originator: Greenfield, Eric J.
Originator: Pearsall, Hamil
Originator: Eisenman, Theodore S.
Originator: Henning, Jason G.
Publication_Date: 2021
Title:
Philadelphia land cover change data, 1970-2010
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0033
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Nix, Sabine A.
Originator: Roman, Lara A.
Originator: Healy, Marc
Originator: Rogan, John
Originator: Pearsall, Hamil
Publication_Date: 2022
Title:
Linking tree cover change to historical management practices in urban parks
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: journal article
Series_Information:
Series_Name: Landscape Ecology
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01543-4
Cross_Reference:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Roman, Lara A.
Originator: Catton, Indigo J.
Originator: Greenfield, Eric J.
Originator: Pearsall, Hamil
Originator: Eisenman, Theodore S.
Originator: Henning, Jason G.
Publication_Date: 2021
Title:
Philadelphia land cover change data, 1970-2010
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: tabular digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Fort Collins, CO
Publisher: Forest Service Research Data Archive
Online_Linkage: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0033
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Data_Quality_Information:
Attribute_Accuracy:
Attribute_Accuracy_Report:
We compared the 2018 visual interpretation of tree cover to 2018 LiDAR-derived tree cover. The agreement for the ‘tree’ class ranged from 90.2% in East Fairmount Park to 98.2% in the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. We suspect these differences are largely due to inherent differences in the methodology. We utilized a minimum mapping unit of 100 square meters, while LiDAR identified tree patches of any size. Furthermore, tree/shrub distinctions are generally impractical in aerial photointerpretation, whereas LiDAR had a minimum tree height threshold of 2.4 meters.
Logical_Consistency_Report:
One individual delineated all polygons for the parks, which promotes internal consistency. A second interpreter also re-delineated 10% of the study area. Percent agreement ranged from 87.4% to 96.2%, depending on the specific park and year. Overall differences in interpreters’ tree cover estimates ranged from 0.8 percentage points to 5.6 percentage points.
Completeness_Report:
There are no missing data in this package. For the purposes of this study, we excluded 32 hectares of West Fairmount Park that are managed by the Philadelphia Zoo.
Lineage:
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
Publication_Date: 1995
Title:
DVRPC Historic Digital Imagery (multiple years) 1959, 1965-1995
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: vector digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: University Park, PA
Publisher: Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)
Online_Linkage: https://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/DataSummary.aspx?dataset=1148
Online_Linkage: http://www.pasda.psu.edu
Type_of_Source_Media: Online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Range_of_Dates/Times:
Beginning_Date: 1959
Ending_Date: 1980
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Publication Date
Source_Contribution:
Scanned aerial images from 1959 and 1980 provided by DVRPC were obtained from PASDA.
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC)
Publication_Date: 2000
Title:
DVRPC 2000 Orthoimagery for Southeast Pennsylvania
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: raster digital data
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Mt. Laurel, NJ
Publisher: BAE Systems via Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)
Online_Linkage: https://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/DataSummary.aspx?dataset=1096
Online_Linkage: http://www.dvrpc.org/
Online_Linkage: http://www.pasda.psu.edu/
Type_of_Source_Media: Online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2000
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Publication Date
Source_Contribution:
Scanned aerial images from 2000 provided by DVRPC were obtained from PASDA. These images were orthorectified to the Pennsylvania State Plane coordinate system.
Source_Information:
Source_Citation:
Citation_Information:
Originator: City of Philadelphia
Publication_Date: 2018
Title:
Philadelphia Aerial Photography 2018
Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: remote sensing image
Publication_Information:
Publication_Place: Philadelphia, PA
Publisher: Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA)
Online_Linkage: https://www.pasda.psu.edu/uci/DataSummary.aspx?dataset=2019
Online_Linkage: http://www.pasda.psu.edu/
Type_of_Source_Media: Online
Source_Time_Period_of_Content:
Time_Period_Information:
Single_Date/Time:
Calendar_Date: 2018
Source_Currentness_Reference:
Publication Date
Source_Contribution:
Scanned aerial images from 2018 provided by the City of Philadelphia were obtained from PASDA. These images were orthorectified to the Pennsylvania State Plane coordinate system.
Process_Step:
Process_Description:
BOUNDARIES AND AERIALS
The park boundaries were obtained from protected open space shapefiles from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC). The scanned aerial images were obtained from the Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) clearinghouse, pasda.psu.edu. The images for 1959 through 2000 were provided by DVRPC, while the 2018 scanned aerials were provided by the City of Philadelphia.

COORDINATES AND MAP PROJECTION
The map projection used in creating these data was NAD 1983 StatePlane Pennsylvania South FIPS 3702 Feet.

INTERPRETATION STRATEGY
We defined a set of five rules for manual delineation of tree cover. These rules helped ensure consistency between interpreters and across parks and years. For each park, tree cover was delineated first on the newest imagery, then moving backwards in time, allowing newer imagery to assist in the interpretation of older imagery. We included both tree and shrub cover in tree cover delineation due to the impracticality of distinguishing trees and shrubs in two-dimensional images.

The rules for delineation of canopy cover patches are listed below:
1. A canopy cover patch must be greater than 10 meters (m) in width, and greater than or equal to 100 m²

2. Exclude a gap/opening within a forest patch if it is at least 10 m by 10 m wide at the widest section of the gap

3. Visually distinct trees should be included as individual canopy cover patches if they are at least 10 m wide and 100 m²

4. Separate roads from canopy cover patches only if the width not covered by tree canopy is greater than 10 m wide

5. Edges of patches that extend beyond park boundary should be clipped to park boundary after all polygons are delineated


For more information see Nix et al. (2022).

Nix, Sabine A.; Roman, Lara A.; Healy, Marc; Rogan, John; Pearsall, Hamil. 2022. Linking tree cover change to historical management practices in urban parks. Landscape Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01543-4
Process_Date: 2021
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Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
Direct_Spatial_Reference_Method: Vector
Point_and_Vector_Object_Information:
SDTS_Terms_Description:
SDTS_Point_and_Vector_Object_Type: GT-polygon composed of chains
Point_and_Vector_Object_Count: 1
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Spatial_Reference_Information:
Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:
Planar:
Map_Projection:
Map_Projection_Name: NAD 1983 StatePlane Pennsylvania South FIPS 3702 Feet
Lambert_Conformal_Conic:
Standard_Parallel: 39.93333333333333
Standard_Parallel: 40.96666666666667
Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -77.75
Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 39.33333333333334
False_Easting: 1968500.0
False_Northing: 0.0
Planar_Coordinate_Information:
Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: coordinate pair
Coordinate_Representation:
Abscissa_Resolution: 0.000000026907964745248598
Ordinate_Resolution: 0.000000026907964745248598
Planar_Distance_Units: foot_us
Geodetic_Model:
Horizontal_Datum_Name: D North American 1983
Ellipsoid_Name: GRS 1980
Semi-major_Axis: 6378137.0
Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222101
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Entity_and_Attribute_Information:
Detailed_Description:
Entity_Type:
Entity_Type_Label: tree cover
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: FID
Attribute_Definition:
Internal feature number.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Esri
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: Shape
Attribute_Definition:
Feature geometry.
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Esri
Attribute_Domain_Values:
Unrepresentable_Domain:
Coordinates defining the features.
Attribute:
Attribute_Label: PatchArea
Attribute_Definition:
area of tree cover patch (square meters)
Attribute_Definition_Source:
Forest Service researchers
Overview_Description:
Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:
Below you will find a list and description of the files included in this data publication.

DATA FILES (12)

All data files are Esri ArcGIS shapefiles (associated files also included). Each file contains 'PatchArea' which is the area of tree cover patch in square meters.

1. \Data\EastFairmount_1959.shp: tree cover in East Fairmount Park in 1959
2. \Data\EastFairmount_1980.shp: tree cover in East Fairmount Park in 1980
3. \Data\EastFairmount_2000.shp: tree cover in East Fairmount Park in 2000
4. \Data\EastFairmount_2018.shp: tree cover in East Fairmount Park in 2018

5. \Data\Schuylkill_1959.shp: tree cover in Schuylkill Center in 1959
6. \Data\Schuylkill_1980.shp: tree cover in Schuylkill Center in 1980
7. \Data\Schuylkill_2000.shp: tree cover in Schuylkill Center in 2000
8. \Data\Schuylkill_2018.shp: tree cover in Schuylkill Center in 2018

9. \Data\WestFairmount_1959.shp: tree cover in West Fairmount Park in 1959
10. \Data\WestFairmount_1980.shp: tree cover in West Fairmount Park in 1980
11. \Data\WestFairmount_2000.shp: tree cover in West Fairmount Park in 2000
12. \Data\WestFairmount_2018.shp: tree cover in West Fairmount Park in 2018
Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation:
Nix, Sabine A.; Roman, Lara A.; Healy, Marc; Rogan, John; Pearsall, Hamil. 2022. Linking tree cover change to historical management practices in urban parks. Landscape Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01543-4
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Distribution_Information:
Distributor:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Research and Development
Contact_Position: Research Data Archivist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 240 West Prospect Road
City: Fort Collins
State_or_Province: CO
Postal_Code: 80526
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: see Contact Instructions
Contact Instructions: This contact information was current as of June 2023. For current information see Contact Us page on: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS.
Resource_Description: RDS-2021-0107
Distribution_Liability:
Metadata documents have been reviewed for accuracy and completeness. Unless otherwise stated, all data and related materials are considered to satisfy the quality standards relative to the purpose for which the data were collected. However, neither the author, the Archive, nor any part of the federal government can assure the reliability or suitability of these data for a particular purpose. The act of distribution shall not constitute any such warranty, and no responsibility is assumed for a user's application of these data or related materials.

The metadata, data, or related materials may be updated without notification. If a user believes errors are present in the metadata, data or related materials, please use the information in (1) Identification Information: Point of Contact, (2) Metadata Reference: Metadata Contact, or (3) Distribution Information: Distributor to notify the author or the Archive of the issues.
Standard_Order_Process:
Digital_Form:
Digital_Transfer_Information:
Format_Name: SHP
Format_Version_Number: see Format Specification
Format_Specification:
Esri ArcGIS shapefile (and associated files)
File_Decompression_Technique: Files zipped with 7-Zip 19.0
Digital_Transfer_Option:
Online_Option:
Computer_Contact_Information:
Network_Address:
Network_Resource_Name: https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2021-0107
Fees: None
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Metadata_Reference_Information:
Metadata_Date: 20230623
Metadata_Contact:
Contact_Information:
Contact_Organization_Primary:
Contact_Organization: USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Philadelphia Field
Contact_Person: Lara A. Roman
Contact_Position: Research Ecologist
Contact_Address:
Address_Type: mailing and physical
Address: 100 N. 20th St., Suite 205
City: Philadelphia
State_or_Province: PA
Postal_Code: 19095
Country: USA
Contact_Voice_Telephone: 215-917-8899
Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: lara.roman@usda.gov
Metadata_Standard_Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
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