SCC-IRG: TREE-CARE: Treefall Risk Evaluation and Empowerment for Community Assessment and Resilience Enhancement

Urban trees play a critical role in shaping healthy, resilient communities—providing shade, improving air quality, reducing flood risk, and enhancing public well-being. Yet, during extreme weather events such as windstorms, hurricanes, and ice storms, trees can become significant hazards, causing power outages, infrastructure damage, and safety risks. Currently, there is no reliable, proactive system for identifying high-risk trees and integrating that information into local planning. The TREE-CARE project addresses this gap by developing a science-based, data-driven, and community-centered framework for assessing and managing tree-related hazards. Through close collaboration with municipal partners, utility companies, and residents in Oklahoma, this project will empower communities with the tools and knowledge needed to reduce risk, enhance infrastructure resilience, and adapt to increasingly severe weather conditions. By advancing cross-disciplinary methods that integrate engineering, artificial intelligence, environmental, social and economic aspects, along with constant public engagement, TREE-CARE supports NSF’s mission to promote innovative research that addresses pressing societal challenges and strengthens community preparedness.

TREE-CARE will integrate AI-powered image recognition, numerical fragility modeling, and hazard data to identify individual trees at risk of failure during high-wind or ice events. The project will develop models that link tree structure (e.g., diameter, height, canopy shape) to damage potential, using image-based data and historical records of storm impacts. Machine learning tools will help automate the detection of hazardous tree features, while field observations and 30 years of Oklahoma weather data will support probabilistic simulations of extreme events. Five coordinated research thrusts will drive this effort: (1) automated hazard detection from community images; (2) structural and fragility modeling of tree failure; (3) risk and impact analysis on infrastructure through robust economic analysis; (4) behavioral science on public risk perception and decision-making; and (5) policy and management guidance for local implementation. Community engagement and feedback will ensure that scientific findings translate into practical guidelines and tools tailored to real-world needs. TREE-CARE will deliver scalable, transferable solutions for tree risk assessment and urban resilience—benefiting not only Oklahoma but other regions facing climate-driven hazard risks.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.