Tree Advisor: A Novel Woody Plant Selection Tool to Support Multifunctional Objectives

Abstract

Purposefully planted trees and shrubs can provide multiple benefits when appropriately planned and designed. Tools to help select species that will function more effectively than other species for ecosystem services, production, and aesthetic purposes are generally lacking. To address this challenge, we developed an interactive plant selection tool entitled Tree Advisor that rates woody species for a wide range of different purposes based on plant attributes. In this prototype decision support tool, 90 species of trees and shrubs are rated for 14 different purposes in the northern and central Great Plains region of the United States. A rating algorithm was developed based on the scientific literature regarding plant functions and related attributes that determine relative performance of a species for each purpose. User input and best practices for developing effective decision support tools informed the tool development process. Based on user feedback, the tool supports multifunctional planning and enables a user to quickly develop a short list of the better species to use which can then be refined by the user based on suitability under local site conditions, commercial availability, and availability of locally adapted cultivars and hybrids. This tool development approach can serve as a model for producing multifunctional woody plant selection tools for other ecoregions.

Decision Support Systems in Forestry and Tree-Planting Practices and the Prioritization of Ecosystem Services: A Review

“…A recent example is the online platform "Which Plant Where" in Australia, which was developed using Python, Django, and PostgreSQL [20]. In addition, others use tree-selection tools developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) such as the Tree Advisor and the Woody Plant Selection Tool for multi-functional purposes, using MySQL and the Drupal framework [21]. In addition, a spatio-temporal urban tree DSS was developed using ensemble CAD and GIS tools.…”

Drought- and Salt-Tolerant Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Diverse Applications: The Case of Crete

“…In many cases, these species are hiding in plain sight, and are thus sporadically studied, with some of their traits-mainly those associated with their nutritional and aesthetic value-being neglected. These traits and uses, which could also be interesting as alternative and sustainable crops, have only been sporadically documented and while several plant databases (e.g., [31][32][33][34]) and plant selection tools (e.g., [35][36][37][38]) exist, to our knowledge no work has focused on Mediterranean plants.…”