Contribution of Thuja occidentalis to urban forest biodiversity

Eastern white cedar represents 41% of the trees found in the city, yet it is almost absent from the official inventories of the City of Montreal, since it is primarily present in the form of hedges. This result comes from a recently completed MSc projet (run by Emma Bacon) and forced us to re-evaluate how we consider, and measure, cedars in urban forest inventories. As such, this projet aims to build upon existing uncertainties raised and knowledge gaps uncoverd by Emma's work.

We must first and foremost determine whether the sampling method used for these hedges was approprite, or wherther it overestimated or underestimated their abundance. Another objective is to develop a sampling method adapted specifically to hedges, using leaf area index and crown volume. Finally, trees from this family are also known for their allergenic pollen, which raises a public health concern.

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