Ryan Klein
Assistant Professor | University of Florida
Gainesville, FL, UNITED STATES
Ryan Klein studies how trees in urban areas are affected by hurricanes and the risks these damaged trees pose to property and residents.
Biography
Ryan Klein studies how trees in urban areas are affected by hurricanes and the risks these damaged trees pose to property and residents. He can address questions about the multitude of variables, including species, defects, site conditions, previous management, wind speed, precipitation, etc. that can cause trees to fail during hurricanes and other intense storms, as well as questions about when trees can be saved or should be removed.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Tree Physiology
Biomechanics
Arboriculture
Tree Health
Tree Care
Media Appearances (2)
UF helps you prevent a tree falling; when to call an expert
WGFL online
2021-09-10
Researchers asked experts to rate the size of the tree and the likelihood of tree parts falling and causing damage, characterizing them as "Negligible," "Minor," "Significant," or "Severe." That rating would show how likely a branch is to hurt people and/or property when it falls. UF scientists found the experts rated the trees with 75% accuracy. “Currently, tree-risk assessments can vary between assessors," said Dr. Ryan Klein, UF Assistant Professor of Arboriculture.
Timmmberrr! … University Of Florida Experts Try To Take Subjectivity Out Of Tree-Falling Assessments
The Free Press - Tampa online
2021-09-07
“All trees near people and property pose some level of risk, should all or parts of them fall,” said Klein, an assistant professor of environmental horticulture at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “When tree-care professionals assess the risk associated with trees, they commonly evaluate the likelihood of the tree failing and the associated consequences.”
Articles (3)
Assessing the Consequences of Tree Failure
Urban Forestry & Urban GreeningRyan W Klein, et al.
2020-03-26
Arborists, urban foresters and other tree care professionals commonly use visual risk assessment methods to evaluate tree safety. Most methods used by professionals have three main inputs: likelihood of impact, likelihood of failure, and consequences of failure. In assessing the latter, the size of the tree part expected to fail and its fall distance are key aspects of determining potential damage to nearby targets.
Can professionals gauge likelihood of failure? – Insights from tropical storm Matthew
Urban Forestry & Urban GreeningAndrew K Koeser, et al.
2020-05-20
Visual risk assessment remains the primary means of gauging urban tree safety and is a key facet of storm preparation and response. While past research has investigated the reproducibility of risk assessment methodologies (i.e., precision), few, if any, studies truly address the accuracy of current inspection practices – especially with regard to the characterization of likelihood of failure.
Evaluating the Likelihood of Tree Failure in Naples, Florida (United States) Following Hurricane Irma
ForestsRyan W Klein, et al.
2020-04-14
The regular occurrence of hurricanes has provided an opportunity to assess factors that influence the likelihood of wind-induced tree failure and develop species failure profiles. We assessed open-grown trees in Naples, Florida, following the passage of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 to determine the effect of relevant factors on the degree of damage sustained by individual trees.
