scholarly journals Why Opt-in to a Planting Program? Long-term Residents Value Street Tree Aesthetics

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dexter Locke ◽  
Lara Roman ◽  
Colleen Murphy-Dunning
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
New Haven ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Street Tree

Many cities are making substantial capital investments in urban tree planting. Residents play active and diverse roles in enhancing and protecting the urban forest, and are therefore critical to many municipal-level policy objectives. The way residents perceive and value the urban forest can have implications for achieving urban forestry goals through residents and volunteers. However, urban residents are not a monolithic block or homogenous category; instead, they have diverse opinions, needs, and constraints. Moreover, relatively little is known about how residents hear about available resources, such as free trees, and decide to ‘opt-in’ to tree planting initiatives, choosing to plant and maintain trees on or near their properties. The focus of this study was to address three questions about participation in a request-driven program that provides free street trees to residents of New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.: 1) Who requests trees through this program? 2) How did the requesters hear about this program? 3) Why did residents request free street trees? Survey respondents were primarily long-term residents of New Haven; mostly learned about the opportunity from their neighbors; and requested a street tree to replace a removed tree, because they value the aesthetics, and to a lesser extent the environmental benefits. Future research should systematically investigate differences between participants and non-participants in local tree planting initiatives, exploring possible trends across cities and programs. Such studies would identify opportunities and barriers to engaging private residents in efforts aimed at increasing canopy.

scholarly journals Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen L. Wolf ◽  
Sharon T. Lam ◽  
Jennifer K. McKeen ◽  
Gregory R.A. Richardson ◽  
Matilda van den Bosch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Weight Status ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Urban Trees ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Future Research

The urban forest is a green infrastructure system that delivers multiple environmental, economic, social and health services, and functions in cities. Environmental benefits of urban trees are well understood, but no review to date has examined how urban trees affect human health. This review provides a comprehensive summary of existing literature on the health impacts of urban trees that can inform future research, policy, and nature-based public health interventions. A systematic search used keywords representing human health, environmental health, and urban forestry. Following screening and appraisal of several thousand articles, 201 studies were conceptually sorted into a three-part framework. Reducing Harm, representing 41% of studies, includes topics such as air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, heat exposure, and pollen. Restoring Capacities, at 31%, includes attention restoration, mental health, stress reduction, and clinical outcomes. Building Capacities, at 28%, includes topics such as birth outcomes, active living, and weight status. The studies that were reviewed show substantial heterogeneity in purpose and method yet indicate important health outcomes associated with people’s exposure to trees. This review will help inform future research and practice, and demonstrates why urban forest planning and management should strategically promote trees as a social determinant of public health.

scholarly journals Can Field Crews Telecommute? Varied Data Quality from Citizen Science Tree Inventories Conducted Using Street-Level Imagery

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Berland ◽  
Lara A. Roman ◽  
Jess Vogt
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Field Data ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Diameter Class ◽  
Tree Diameter ◽  
Street Level ◽  
Street Tree ◽  
High Level

Street tree inventories are a critical component of urban forest management. However, inventories conducted in the field by trained professionals are expensive and time-consuming. Inventories relying on citizen scientists or virtual surveys conducted remotely using street-level photographs may greatly reduce the costs of street tree inventories, but there are fundamental uncertainties regarding the level of data quality that can be expected from these emerging approaches to data collection. We asked 16 volunteers to inventory street trees in suburban Chicago using Google Street ViewTM imagery, and we assessed data quality by comparing their virtual survey data to field data from the same locations. We also compared virtual survey data quality according to self-rated expertise by measuring agreement within expert, intermediate, and novice analyst groups. Analyst agreement was very good for the number of trees on each street segment, and agreement was markedly lower for tree diameter class and tree identification at the genus and species levels, respectively. Interrater agreement varied by expertise, such that experts agreed with one another more often than novices for all four variables assessed. Compared to the field data, we observed substantial variability in analyst performance for diameter class estimation and tree identification, and some intermediate analysts performed as well as experts. Our findings suggest that virtual surveys may be useful for documenting the locations of street trees within a city more efficiently than field crews and with a high level of accuracy. However, tree diameter and species identification data were less reliable across all expertise groups, and especially novice analysts. Based on this analysis, virtual street tree inventories are best suited to collecting very basic information such as tree locations, or updating existing inventories to determine where trees have been planted or removed. We conclude with evidence-based recommendations for effective implementation of this type of approach.

scholarly journals Prioritizing Street Tree Planting Locations to Increase Benefits for All Citizens: Experience From Joliette, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Sousa-Silva ◽  
Elyssa Cameron ◽  
Alain Paquette
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Spatially Explicit ◽  
Species At Risk ◽  
Social Inequities ◽  
Street Tree ◽  
The City ◽  
Health And Well Being

As the climate continues to warm and the world becomes more urbanized, our reliance on trees and the benefits they provide is rapidly increasing. Many cities worldwide are planting trees to offset rising temperatures, trap pollutants, and enhance environmental and human health and well-being. To maximize the benefits of planting trees and avoid further increasing social inequities, a city needs to prioritize where to establish trees by first identifying those areas of greatest need. This work aims to demonstrate a spatially explicit approach for cities to determine these priority locations to achieve the greatest returns on specific benefits. Criteria for prioritization were developed in tandem with the City of Joliette, Canada, and based on nine indicators: surface temperature, tree density, vegetation cover, resilience, tree size and age, presence of species at risk, land use type, socioeconomic deprivation, and potential for active transportation. The City’s preferences were taken into account when assigning different weights to each indicator. The resulting tree planting priority maps can be used to target street tree plantings to locations where trees are needed most. This approach can be readily applied to other cities as these criteria can be adjusted to accommodate specific tree canopy goals and planning constraints. As cities are looking to expand tree canopy, we hope this work will assist in sustaining and growing their urban forest, enabling it to be more resilient and to keep providing multiple and sustained benefits where they are needed the most.

scholarly journals LONG-TERM SURVIVAL OF GOLDEN TRUMPET TREE AND COPPERPOD ON ROCKLAND SOIL IN SOUTH FLORIDA

HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 502A-502
Author(s):  
Joe Garofalo ◽  
Ruben Regalado
Keyword(s):  
South Florida ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Long Term Survival ◽  
Heavy Equipment ◽  
Street Tree ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Crushed Limestone

The soil in south Miami–Dade Co., Fla., consists of 4 to 6 inches of scarified limestone, officially a “very gravelly loam”. The bedrock reaches the surface; with little weathered material or organic matter. Heavy equipment is used to break up the rock, and a rock plow is used every few years to prevent re-compaction. Street trees in swales are installed in shallow holes dug in the rock and back-filled with crushed limestone. Golden trumpet tree, or yellow tab, Tabebuia chrysotricha, and copperpod, Peltophorum pterocarpum, are deciduous, tropical trees of medium size. Both are popular throughout south Florida because they produce spectacular displays of yellow flowers before the leaves emerge in the spring. When planted on rockland soil, both species present maintenance problems which suggest that they may not be good choices for use as street trees. In Summer 2005, after three hurricanes, both species were evaluated for long-term survival. Of 246 Tabebuia, 26% fell, 18% leaned (or 45% damaged), and 25% were missing, having been destroyed in previous years. Only one was broken, the rest fell due to root failure. Six large trees growing near buildings were standing. It appears that yellow tab is not a good street tree in rockland, not even for the short-term. Of 142 Peltophorum, 23% fell, 3% leaned (or 26% damaged), and 4% were missing. Due to an umbrella-like branching pattern, 15% had branches broken on the street side, caused by vehicles, not wind. Though it sustained only half the wind damage of yellow tab, copperpod is not a good street tree, due to poor branching patterns.

City Trees and Consumer Response in Retail Business Districts

2014 ◽  
pp. 152-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen L. Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Marketing Theory ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Psychological Reactions ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Patronage Behavior

Many cities and communities are working toward urban sustainability goals. Yet, retailers and merchants may not find environmental benefits to be compelling when compared to the direct costs of landscape and trees. Nonetheless, a quality outdoor environment may provide atmospherics effects that extend store appeal to the curb and heighten the positive experiences and psychological reactions of visitors while in a shopping district. A multi-study program of research shows that having a quality urban forest canopy within business districts and commercial areas can promote positive shopper perceptions and behavior. Positive responses include store image, patronage behavior, and willingness to pay more for goods and services. This chapter provides a summary of the research, connects results to psychological marketing theory, provides evidence-based design recommendations, and makes suggestions for potential future research activity.

The Effects of Residential Street Tree Spacing and Crown Interactions on Crown Dimensions and Canopy Cover

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 183-195
Author(s):  
Bimal Aryal ◽  
James Steenberg ◽  
Peter Duinker
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Projection Area ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Street Tree ◽  
Crown Shape ◽  
Crown Projection Area ◽  
Crown Dimensions

Urban trees provide people with a range of ecosystem services. Trees planted along streets have been a large focus of urban forest research and practice, and municipalities invest significant resources in their survival. However, the optimal spacing of street trees is not addressed in the scientific literature, and existing municipal street tree spacing standards are highly variable and poorly enforced. In this study, we examine variability in crown shape and size for street trees to test for possible interaction effects at closer spacings. We measured variability in crown diameters both parallel and perpendicular to street tree rows to test whether changes in crown dimensions can be explained by interaction effects with neighbouring trees, and whether crown interactions lead to a reduction in total crown projection area (i.e., canopy cover). We measured the crown dimensions and diameter at breast height of 1,338 street trees in Halifax, Canada. We used two-way analysis of variance to test whether crown shape and crown projection area were affected by crown interactions and spacing. We found that the effect of narrower spacing and interactions (i.e., crowns touching/overlapping) among trees translated to crowns extending away from the direction of interaction. We also found that these changing crown dimensions were associated with increases in canopy cover. Urban forest ecosystems are a vital resource for the increasingly urban population. There is a need for empirical research on spacing standards and practices that investigate their influence on the supply of ecosystem services, such as stormwater retention, air pollution removal, and cooling.

scholarly journals Street Tree Inventory of Campinas, Brazil: An Instrument for Urban Forestry Management and Planning

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan André Alvarez ◽  
Bruna Cristina Gallo ◽  
Edlene Aparecida Monteiro Garçon ◽  
Osvaldo Tadatomo Oshiro
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Images ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Urban Street ◽  
Palm Trees ◽  
Forestry Management ◽  
Tree Inventory ◽  
Street Tree

Campinas Metropolitan Region is the third richest city in Brazil. This study assesses the urban street trees of Campinas based on data from a survey performed using satellite images in the year 2011. All public domain trees in the street system were counted and separated into trees, shrubs, palm trees, and seedlings. The density of trees was obtained using the images census and expressed as trees per linear kilometer for the perimeter of the block. The number of trees per linear kilometer was grouped into nine classes of different densities for data validation. The final number of trees was estimated based on the validation’s results. The Gini coefficient shows that the number of trees per person is very irregular in city neighborhoods (i.e., Campinas has a fairer income distribution than street trees distribution). There is a lower density of trees in the downtown area, due to the high concentration of population, and in more peripheral neighborhoods, due to the lack of design planning. The results obtained here may be used to support a new setting of local priorities for planting actions aimed at urban forestry management.

scholarly journals Soil Water Dynamics and Growth of Street and Park Trees

2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 231-245
Author(s):  
Christian Nielsen ◽  
Oliver Bühler ◽  
Palle Kristoffersen
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Water Loss ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Water Retention Capacity ◽  
Street Trees ◽  
Retention Capacity ◽  
Street Tree

Soil water dynamics were studied in 100 street tree planting pits and in the soil surrounding five park trees. Volumetric soil water content and stem cross-sectional area increment were measured on both park and street trees. Different levels of irrigation were implemented on the 100 street trees. Winter assessments of soil wetness at field capacity showed that the water retention capacity was lower in street planting pits than in the park soil attributable to the rather coarse substrate used in the planting pits. High variability among street tree planting pits in regard to water retention capacity was determined and may be related to poor standardization of the substrates, but may also be affected by varying drainage conditions. The rate of water loss in the street tree planting pits was very high immediately after rainfall or irrigation and decreased exponentially during the first 10 days after water input. This was attributed to rapid drainage. The water loss rate in the park soil was on average slightly higher than in the nonirrigated control street pits but showed a more linear decrease over time. We concluded that the water loss in the park soil during summer was primarily driven by transpiration of trees (above 10 L/day [2.6 gal/day]), which complies with common Danish forest experience. The relationship between water loss and tree growth was reversed in the street tree planting pits. The street trees did consume water for growth, but growth and transpiration of the street trees were not a noticeably driving mechanism in the planting pit hydrology. The large variation in street tree increment is attributed to the variation among street planting pits in their ability to retain water. The faster the water loss rate, the slower the tree growth. Irrigation did not prevent final depletion of the soil water resource in planting pits, but irrigation elevated the water content for limited periods during the growing season and thereby enhanced tree growth. Besides the obvious possibilities for improved water balance by horizontal and vertical expansion of the rooting zone, we also suggest improving the water retention capacity of planting pit soil by adding clay nodules. Options for continuous monitoring of tree vitality and soil water content to optimize maintenance are discussed.

scholarly journals Morgan Arboretum — A Model Urban Forest

1977 ◽  
Vol 53 (5) ◽  
pp. 281-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. C. Jones ◽  
J. D. MacArthur
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Social Attitudes ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Educational Role ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Vital Element

A project in urban forestry, the Morgan Arboretum and Woodlands, near Montreal is described indicating how this property has evolved over three decades from a demonstration woodlot to a multiple-use, people-oriented urban forest. The evolution of this versatile urban forest in response to changing social attitudes and needs is traced. Long-term financial and moral support from an active Association of concerned citizens and corporations has been a vital element in the survival and growth of the project from the outset. More recently the project has attracted support from government agencies as its ability to respond to a wide range of public needs has been recognized and developed. The importance of urban forests in an amenity and educational role is indicated and some specific and general problems of urban forestry are discussed briefly.

Planting trees for carbon credits: a discussion of context, issues, feasibility, and environmental benefits

1996 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Freedman ◽  
Todd Keith
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Effect ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
Carbon Offsets ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Anthropogenic Emissions ◽  
Carbon Credits ◽  
Integrated Strategy ◽  
Forest Carbon Offsets

Increasing concentrations of certain atmospheric gases, particularly CO2, may be intensifying Earth's naturally occurring greenhouse effect. Anthropogenic emissions of CO2 are mostly associated with fossil-fuel combustion and deforestation, both of which are intimately associated with diverse economically important activities. This circumstance will make it difficult for society to rapidly achieve large reductions in the emissions of CO2. The extensive planting of trees can contribute to offsetting a portion of the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and other radiatively active gases (RAGs). Growing plants fix atmospheric CO2 into organic carbon of their accumulating biomass, and ecological budgets suggest that substantial carbon credits can be achieved by planting large numbers of trees, in both urban and rural environments. Moreover, many additional noncarbon environmental benefits are achieved by planting trees over extensive areas. A tree-planting strategy could not, however, be practically used to offset more than a relatively small portion of the RAGs emitted through human activities. This limitation is mostly due to the immense areas of land that would have to be afforested to achieve more substantial offsets. Ultimately, effectively dealing with an anthropogenic enhancement of Earth's greenhouse effect will require a comprehensive integrated strategy, the major component of which will be reduced emissions. However, carbon offsets associated with the planting of trees will also be an important element of that integrated strategy. This review discusses issues involved in the planting of trees to offset emissions of CO2 and other RAGs. Forest-carbon offsets are discussed in the contexts of the greenhouse effect and climate change, options for reducing emissions of CO2, and the feasibility and environmental benefits of achieving CO2 offsets by extensively planting trees. Attention is paid to both carbon and noncarbon benefits, in the contexts of industrial and nonindustrial forests, both urban and rural.Key words: forest-carbon offsets, carbon credits, afforestation, rural forest, urban forest.

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