How these entrepreneurs are bringing green solutions to our cities

When Ian Hanou first studied forest management and spatial information systems, he did not know what urban forestry was. “In traditional forestry, you manage trees for lumber, paper, maybe for recreation. Urban forestry is human forestry. You manage trees with the end goal of benefiting people,” he says.

Once he learned how essential urban green spaces are for livability, sustainability, and an element of so-called nature-based solutions, which deal with extreme heat, local climate resilience, biodiversity and more, he was hooked. "When I realized that I had an entrepreneurial spirit and that I loved these things, it was clear that I had to dedicate my career to this field."

He launched his global software and consulting company PlanIT Geo™ in 2012 to provide innovative planning and technology for urban forestry, parks and arboriculture. His team has led hundreds of projects, including urban tree canopy assessments, field tree inventories, and the development of strategic plans; and the company's TreePlotter™ software is widely used by thousands of urban foresters, arborists, park managers and tree care companies around the world.

Hanou believes her company's goal is to add 'technology capability' via data, information and tools to any organization wishing to measure, manage and protect their green assets, be it a major city , a small tree care business, a business or a business. college campus or non-profit organization.

Ian Hanou

Ian Hanou Take more momentum

This year, the United States Forest Service invested $1.5 billion, authorized by the federal Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, to provide grants for urban forestry. “All of us in this industry are stepping up, hiring additional staff and launching programs to turn this immense potential into real progress. At PlanIT Geo, and many of our peers, we are working at lightning speed to build the capacity of governments as they prepare to launch major greening initiatives and, importantly, track the results of this unprecedented funding. »

One of the initiatives Hanou is excited about is the Urban Forest Cover Assessment (UTC). The origin of PlanIT Geo comes from the technological advancements of the early 2000s. High resolution satellite imagery was becoming more widely available and the analysis software to make sense of these pixels was also improving rapidly. "For the first time, the distribution of forest cover within a city could be mapped via satellite imagery with a high degree of accuracy."

Look forward

Today, PlanIT Geo has over 50 employees, software customers on five continents in 20 countries, and offers tree inventory, urban forestry consulting, and geospatial mapping services in addition to its products. subscription software.

"Like storm sewers, street lighting and sidewalks, our urban green spaces are an essential part of our city's infrastructure," he says. "Trees create many significant and measurable benefits, collectively referred to as 'ecosystem services', such as improved public health, cooling air temperature, improving air quality, managing stormwater and carbon capture and storage, to name a few. We shouldn't have to choose between living in an urban area or having access to green spaces. Our cities, our communities and our climate work better with trees around them. »

Nate Wassan

Nate WassanFocus on decarbonization

Like Hanou, Nate Wasson is passionate about the planet. “The health of trees, their maintenance and the care of trees already harvested are essential for our environment and have an impact on our daily lives. Trees play a huge role in our forests, from microorganisms, to fungi like mushrooms, to absorbing the carbon dioxide and oxygen we breathe, to plants that feed animals. from which we get our food. He believes that if everyone could separate...