306 McLean et al.: Seeing the Urban Forest Through the Trees Matzarakis 2003); (3) social benefits and perceptions (includ- ing the allocation of urban forest resources to various socio- economic groups) (e.g., Austin 2002; Hammitt, 2002; Kuhns et al. 2002; Kuo, 2003; Westphal, 2003); and (4) urban forest policy (e.g., Martin et al. 2003; Schroeder et al. 2003; Wolf 2003a, 2003b; McLean and Jensen 2004). Research on economic costs and benefits places the urban forest in the context of the local/regional economy and de- scribes how the urban forest impacts the economy. Ecological and environmental benefits, impacts, and research describe the positive and negative influences of urban forests, ecologi- cal management and maintenance of the urban forest, and elaborates new research methodologies. Research on social benefits and perceptions elucidates the role of the urban forest in a social context, whereas public policy research helps to define the role of policy to maintaining and promoting the urban forest. It is possible for qualitative research to provide deeper understanding and comprehension in each of the areas. For example, qualitative research could be used to examine how city residents perceive the urban forest relative to other city services and provide insight into how scarce monetary re- sources are allocated. It could evaluate how thoroughly local government leaders understand ecological and environmental benefits. The better these benefits are understood, the more favorable local government policy might be influenced (McLean and Jensen 2004). Social benefits of the urban for- est could be examined through comprehensive urban forest quality of life and/or sense of place interviews. Dwyer et al. (1994) stated, “we find that the effort of many urban forestry programs to expand or sustain trees and forests is justified in terms of a few fairly simple dimensions of their significance to urbanites, such as beauty, shade, cooling, or their contribution to global gas balances” (p. 137). Qualitative researchers would ask, “How might we extend existing knowledge to a greater understanding of the urban forest?” Wolf (2003a) found that the consumer/environment relation- ship is positively correlated with urban greening in inner-city business districts. The author drew this conclusion from a national survey and a series of statistical tests that generated quantitative results. A qualitative researcher could ask con- sumers a series of questions about why the areas in which they are shopping are attractive. Knowing that trees and mixed vegetation are important, why not find out if there are other attributes that may not have been measured and could contribute to our understanding? For example, what if con- sumers do not perceive trees as the most important attribute? A qualitative analysis might discover that trees are an impor- tant attribute but that quality of the shops, availability and accessibility of parking, and transportation patterns into and out of the area are equal or more important attributes. Then the question might be, would consumers still come to the area in the absence of trees? This line of research would deepen ©2007 International Society of Arboriculture our understanding of the consumer/environment relationship. Indeed, Dwyer et al. (1994) suggested “the close bonds be- tween people and their urban forests may be enhanced by almost daily contact . . . and by the distinct contrast between trees and the built-up environment” (p. 138). IMPLICATIONS OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH FOR URBAN FORESTRY Qualitative research may enrich our understanding of the ur- ban forest but has been notably absent in the urban forestry literature (Figure 1). From 2002 to 2004, only three of 125 articles in the Journal of Arboriculture implemented qualita- tive methodology. These were written in a quantitative for- mat, perhaps reflecting a bias of reviewers. We assessed the potential for qualitative methods to con- tribute to each of the four research themes (Figure 2) based on previously suggested definitions. Altering the assumptions present in the definitions can result in a shift of potential contributions. For example, by using qualitative data from social benefits as a base, researchers could design instruments that take into account social benefits and quantify the data in terms of economic costs and benefits. Hence, the ability to identify and use qualitative data is limited by the researcher’s willingness to explore and implement new research method- ologies. UTILIZATION OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: EXPANDING QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH There is a symbiotic relationship between quantitative and qualitative research. Conducting qualitative research projects in advance of or following the existing research might in- crease the usability and benefit a larger audience. This section presents three prototypical quantitative research articles and suggests how qualitative methods might enhance the existing research. Figure 1. Distribution of quantitative and qualitative ar- ticles in the Journal of Arboriculture for 2002 through 2004.
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