In the face of increasingly frequent and severe weather phenomena, the risks posed by falling trees during extreme storms have become a critical concern for communities worldwide. Recognizing this mounting challenge, an innovative interdisciplinary project based at the University of Oklahoma has received a significant $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to revolutionize how communities anticipate, assess, and mitigate treefall risks. Spearheaded by Dr. Aikaterini Kyprioti, an assistant professor within the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, the initiative—known as TREE-CARE—aims to develop cutting-edge, AI-powered frameworks that combine technological precision with local insights for proactive risk management. This transformative effort promises to redefine the relationship between urban infrastructure and natural environments under extreme weather stress.
TREE-CARE’s core innovation lies in its integration of artificial intelligence, specifically sophisticated image recognition algorithms applied to street-view and satellite imagery, enabling comprehensive detection and categorization of urban trees. These advanced computational tools are designed to assess the structural health and potential fragility of varying tree species by correlating visual data with biomechanical fragility models. Such models simulate how different species respond dynamically to environmental stressors like high winds, ice accumulation, and heavy rainfall, providing an unprecedented predictive capability regarding tree behavior under extreme conditions. By moving beyond traditional static assessment methods, this approach offers scalable, data-driven hazard mapping at neighborhood and city scales.
Complementing the AI-driven detection system, the TREE-CARE project incorporates detailed social and economic impact analyses to quantify the consequences of treefall events. These analyses assess the vulnerability of critical infrastructure such as power lines, transportation networks, water systems, and emergency response routes. Understanding these dependencies enables more precise estimations of potential service disruptions, economic losses, and community impacts resulting from tree failures during storms. Moreover, the project addresses behavioral science aspects related to public risk perception and decision-making, recognizing that community engagement and trust are essential for the adoption of effective risk mitigation strategies.
Dr. Kyprioti articulates the dual nature of urban trees as a “double-edged sword.” While trees provide invaluable benefits, from shading streets and improving air quality to enhancing mental well-being, their structural failure during violent weather can precipitate significant hazards. Fallen trees can block evacuation paths, damage residential and public property, and extend power outages, exacerbating emergency situations. The TREE-CARE initiative endeavors to create actionable guidance tools to identify potentially dangerous trees within neighborhoods, prioritizing them for inspection or preventative management to minimize risks without diminishing urban forestry benefits.
Structurally, the TREE-CARE research program is organized into five interconnected thrusts, each addressing a critical dimension of the problem. The first thrust centers on fully automated hazard detection using multimodal imaging technologies integrated with AI algorithms capable of real-time hazard identification. The second thrust advances detailed biomechanical modeling, refining fragility functions that predict structural failure probabilities for different tree species and configurations. Thirdly, the project conducts rigorous risk and impact assessments incorporating economic models designed to estimate cost-benefit tradeoffs of various mitigation interventions.
On the social dimension, the fourth thrust engages behavioral scientists who investigate community risk perception, exploring how residents understand and respond to treefall hazards. Such insights inform communication strategies and support informed community involvement. The fifth thrust synthesizes these facets into policy and management recommendations tailored for local officials, emergency managers, and urban planners. These comprehensive guidelines aim to balance ecological preservation with public safety through evidence-based, community-informed decision frameworks.
To ground the project in real-world applicability, several Oklahoma communities, including Norman, Yukon, and Ponca City, serve as active testbeds for validating and refining TREE-CARE’s frameworks. This localized focus facilitates collaboration across a broad spectrum of stakeholders—emergency responders, city officials, tribal representatives, nonprofit groups, and homeowners—ensuring solutions are co-created rather than imposed. Through participatory mechanisms such as annual workshops, focus groups, and collaborative mapping sessions, local experiential knowledge and traditional ecological wisdom are seamlessly integrated into the scientific and technological components of the project.
Education and outreach form another critical pillar of TREE-CARE’s mission. By partnering with entities such as the Science Museum of Oklahoma and the Sierra Club Oklahoma, the initiative aims to broaden public awareness and engagement across diverse age groups, from K-12 students to adults. Educational activities designed to foster community resilience and environmental stewardship are anticipated to have lasting impacts beyond the project’s timeline. These efforts reflect a commitment not only to technological innovation but also to social equity and inclusive knowledge exchange.
The genesis and momentum of this ambitious project owe in part to seed funding and institutional support from the University of Oklahoma, including a Junior Faculty Fellowship and backing from the Institute for Community and Society Transformation (ICAST). These grants enabled the research team to establish a proof-of-concept, build initial stakeholder relationships, and formulate a comprehensive research agenda responsive to community needs. The project exemplifies how academic-industry-community partnerships can catalyze transformative solutions to complex socio-environmental challenges.
Ultimately, TREE-CARE is designed for adaptability and scalability beyond its initial geographic scope. The frameworks and methodologies developed through this work have the potential to be applied to other regions facing diverse environmental hazards, making the project a model for nationwide and even global urban forestry risk management. By weaving together artificial intelligence, biomechanical modeling, social science, and community engagement, TREE-CARE exemplifies a holistic approach to disaster risk reduction in the era of climate change.
The anticipated outcomes of this NSF-funded effort include dynamic, data-rich risk assessment platforms that empower municipalities to monitor tree health conditions continuously and prioritize proactive mitigation strategies. This capacity holds promise for minimizing catastrophic failures, reducing emergency response times, and limiting economic and social disruptions. More broadly, TREE-CARE contributes to the emerging field of environmental resilience science, demonstrating how interdisciplinary research can generate practical, inclusive, and sustainable tools for contemporary urban planning.
As urban centers worldwide grapple with unpredictable and intensifying weather extremes, projects like TREE-CARE offer a beacon of hope and a roadmap for harnessing technology and community wisdom synergistically. Dr. Kyprioti’s vision reflects a forward-thinking paradigm where nature’s benefits are maximized safely, and hazards are anticipated comprehensively. The initiative underscores the imperative of embedding advanced science within community contexts to build smarter, safer, and more resilient cities in an era of uncertainty.
Subject of Research: Interdisciplinary development of AI-driven frameworks and community-integrated approaches for assessing and mitigating treefall risks during extreme weather events.
Article Title: Transforming Treefall Risk Management: AI, Ecology, and Community Partnership in Extreme Weather Resilience
News Publication Date: Not specified
Web References:
– https://www.ou.edu/research-norman/research-support/research-council/funding-opportunities/junior-faculty-fellowship-program/jff-previous-awardees
– https://www.ou.edu/icast/news-events/2024/seven-multidisciplinary-projects-receive-seed-funding-grants-spring-2024
Keywords: Disaster management, Extreme weather events, Trees, Civil engineering, Urban forestry, AI risk assessment, Environmental resilience, Community engagement
