A Digital Tree Growth Modeling and Visualization Toolkit for Historic Landscape Representation

Abstract

This research involves development of a digital toolkit for modeling tree growth in historic landscapes. This toolkit visualizes tree growth to show evolution of planting plans over several years. It can be used throughout the planning and design stages of a historic landscape project to evaluate the long-term feasibility of replanting schemes, as well as to explore the effects of tree management regimes on the historic character of the landscape. This toolkit is successfully being tested, with success, at two National Park Service sites. The first site, Flight 93 National Memorial, uses the toolkit to model the visual impact that tree mortality rates would have on the memorial groves, as well as to model the growth of a test plot. The second site, the Eisenhower National Historic Site, uses the toolkit to model a historic allée in order to visualize tree replacement scenarios and evaluate their likelihood of success. Although initially successful, this toolkit needs to be used in more historic landscape projects to diversify its functionality and enable it to be widely employed. To accomplish this, we propose using the toolkit on a new test site, the historic Martin Van Buren Orchard. This site presents tree planting and management challenges that have not been previously modeled with the toolkit. By using this toolkit on an experimental historic site, we will be able to expand its capabilities in new ways. The proposed project will result in a user manual documenting the use of the toolkit in all three test sites.

Personnel

Aidan Ackerman

Aidan Ackerman is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at SUNY College of environmental Science and Forestry. He has expertise in digital modeling and visualization of historic and contemporary landscapes. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

John Auwaerter

John Auwaerter is a National Park Service Historical Landscape Architect and a Senior Research Scientist at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He manages the cooperative partnership with the NPS Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. He holds a Master of Landscape Architecture degree from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.