Abstract

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Paper
GIS in Disaster Recovery for the Historic Preservation of Trees
Track: Ecology and Conservation
Author(s): Alicia Williams, Robert Harrison

This research applies geospatial analysis to the recovery of the trees at the historically significant site of the Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson, a 1,200 plus-acre nineteenth century cotton plantation. The grounds suffered the devastating effects of an F3 tornado on April 16, 1998. Since that time, a landscape restoration effort has been underway to repair the damage caused by the storm. The mapping of existing plant materials and landscape features is a critical part of this restoration. The primary objective of this project was to identify and analyze the existing dendrological resources and those that were destroyed in the tornado utilizing the latest geospatial analysis technology. The groundwork laid in this project will serve as a firm foundation for future additions to the GIS for this property. Furthermore, it will serve as a model for other historic sites that have not yet begun their venture into geospatial analysis.

Alicia Williams
Amec Earth and Environmental
GIS Technology
3800 Ezell Rd.
Nashville , TN 37211
US
Phone: 615-333-2055
Fax: 615-781-0655
E-mail: alicia.williams@amec.com

Robert Harrison
Tennessee State University
Institute of Cooperative Agricultural Research
3500 John A. Merritt Blvd
Nashville , TN 37209
US
Phone: 615-963-5183
E-mail: Rharrison@tnstate.edu