Abstract

OTAYA BURBANO, Leodán Andrés; SANHEZ ZAPATA, Robinson de Jesús; MORALES SOTO, León  and  BOTERO FERNANDEZ, Verónica. GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS), A GREAT TOOL FOR URBAN SYLVICULTURE. Rev. Fac. Nac. Agron. Medellín [online]. 2006, vol.59, n.1, pp.3201-3216. ISSN 0304-2847.

As a pilot phase, to acquire experience, define methodologies, and determine the advantages of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) for applying to Urban Silviculture, an inventory, diagnosis, management plan and economic appraisal were made for the Urban Forest in the Magnolia neighborhood of the Envigado Municipality, Department of Antioquia, Colombia. For the management and analysis of the data collected in field, a database was designed using the software Microsoft Access^®. The species inventoried were mapped digitally and the conditions there were analyzed using some tools and extensions of technological architecture ArcGISÒ 8.3 such as: characteristics, silvicultural practices required, and environmental conflicts. It was determined that the GIS analysis of the Urban Forest conducted for a specific neighborhood can be a tool that permits environmental authorities and interested researchers to have agile and easy access to the information stored in it; it permits programming of required silvicultural activities; it also permits having a general vision of the Urban Forest according to the infrastructure of the neighborhood, complemented by photographs of the area for improved illustration; it permits the inclusion or elimination of information in a rapid and simple manner, thus facilitating decision making with relation to management of the urban woodland and for comparison with other similar studies.

Keywords : Database; geographical information systems (GIS); urban forest; urban silviculture.

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