Every number
is verifiable.
ROOT is built entirely on publicly available government datasets and peer-reviewed USDA methodology. Every tree location, valuation figure, permit record, and compliance rate can be independently verified through the sources below. We link directly to the original records.
NYC 2015 Street Tree Census
Conducted by 2,000+ volunteers coordinated by NYC Parks. This is the authoritative record of every street tree in New York City by address and GPS coordinate.
USDA i-Tree Eco — Ecosystem Valuation
ROOT applies per-inch-DBH annual benefit coefficients for NYC's climate zone. Stormwater: $0.14/gal (NYC DEP). CO₂: $0.045/lb ($100/ton, EPA 2023). Electricity: $0.22/kWh (ConEd 2024). Air quality: $3.20/in-DBH-yr.
EPA EJScreen — Environmental Justice Screening
The heat vulnerability index (HVEI) in EJScreen is especially relevant to tree canopy loss, which amplifies urban heat island effects in low-income and minority communities.
NYC DOB Job Application Filings
ROOT cross-references DOB job filings with NYC Parks tree work permits to identify cases where construction projects threaten street trees in their pit buffer zone.
NYC Parks — Tree Work Orders (ForMS)
The Forestry Management System (ForMS) is the authoritative Parks database for tree work. The public extract is used by ROOT's survival check agents to verify planting outcomes.
NYC Administrative Code § 18-107
Requires developers to obtain a permit and provide replacement trees for any street tree removed. ROOT cites this in every generated public comment to ground the intervention in existing NYC law.
OneNYC 2050 — 30% Urban Tree Canopy Target
As of 2020, NYC canopy cover was approximately 22%. Every permitted tree removal that results in no replacement moves the city further from its own stated target. ROOT makes that gap visible.
Developer compliance rates are calculated from NYC Parks ForMS planting inspection records matched by permit number and address. Survival figures reflect GPS-tagged plantings only — unverified or undocumented replacements are not counted. Phase 1 compliance records for Brooklyn developers were manually structured from publicly available DOB filings and Parks inspection data. The ROOT pipeline automates enrichment and verification as new records arrive. All ecosystem valuations use the updated USDA i-Tree per-inch-DBH methodology with 2024 NYC utility and regulatory pricing.