©2023 International Society of Arboriculture 108 O’Herrin et al: A Critical Analysis of the Urban Forestry Profession apart from other occupations and disciplines (Freidson 1999; Bayles 2003). Furthermore, many urban forest professionals now indicate that they view urban for- estr. .s . .ro.ession distinct .rom closel. .llied .elds such as forestry and arboriculture (Day et al. 2022). Many of the characteristics typically associated with professions—such as having a dedicated professional society—may not exist for urban forest professionals. Identifying these gaps and thus the areas in which urban forestry needs to advance as a profession, how- ever, is precisely the aim of the analysis presented here. This paper performs a comprehensive analysis of the urban forestry profession by examining the pro- fessional support landscape experienced by urban forest professionals. We employ a practical ideal type (PIT) methodology (Shields and Rangarajan 2013) suited to analyzing a complex system, such as an entire profession, for which a framework of bench- m.r.s does not e.ist. .n . ... .n.l.sis. .rst . liter.ture. based framework of benchmarks is constructed for a “practical but ideal” version of the system in question— in this case, an ideal modern profession. Then this ideal framework is compared against the case being stud- ied (the urban forestry profession). Identifying gaps between the ideal framework and the case being stud- ied then reveals discrete areas for improvement to the case being studied. To complete this analysis, we rely on both existing literature and results of a recent survey of urban forest professionals about their experiences with existing credentials and whether they believe urban forest pro- fessionals need their own credential or professional society (Day et al. 2022). Importantly, that survey cast a wide net around urban forest professionals in t.e .ro.dest sense. not .ust t.ose ..o sel..identi.ed as urban foresters, which can be construed as more narrowly focused on management of the tree resource (Day et al. 2022). This wide net is an important factor in the analysis of an emerging profession. Because educational programs in urban forestry are relatively few (Vogt et al. 2016) and urban forest professionals belong to a wide array of professional organizations, many self-identify primarily as allied professionals (O’Herrin et al. 2020). By taking a broad view of urban forest professional practice in this analysis, we can better elucidate not just where elements of the profession are strong, but for whom. While urban for- estry has followed a similar trajectory elsewhere in the world (Konijnendijk 2003; Barona et al. 2020), current .r.ctitioners m.. .e ine..cient or dis.ointed. potentially contributing to poor workforce diversity and retention (Phillips and Malone 2014; Kung et al. 2020; Clayborne et al. 2021). Practicing profession- als may feel that their expertise is questioned or poorly understood by colleagues (O’Herrin et al. 2014, 2015; O’Herrin et al. 2016). Even collecting data about urban forest professionals and the impacts of their work is challenging. Parajuli et al. (2022), for example, noted that there are extremely limited analy- ses of the economic contributions of urban forestry because it is poorly differentiated from the green industry, which includes horticulture, landscaping, .nd nurseries. .e.nin. t.e identit. o. ur..n .orestr. is needed .or t.e .ro.ession to .ro.ress .nd .ul.ll its service to society. Professions with strong identities and clarity of .ur.ose en...e in .eriodic sel..reflection t..t see.s improvement by scrutinizing the past, present, and future (Kirkpatrick et al. 2020b). Professions are dynamic in space and time, but likewise are enmeshed in a dynamic society that is the end user of the ser- .ices .ro.ided .. t.ose .ro.essions. .eflectin. on one’s own profession to identify strengths and weak- nesses is commonly seen in the literature of more well-established professions, often in the form of a periodic assessment by a professional society (O’Her- rin .0..). .o.e.er. .ro.ession.l sel..reflection is nearly absent from the urban forestry literature. Urban forestry is changing rapidly both in scope and complexion. For the purposes of this paper, we de.ne ur..n .orestr. .s t.e .rt. science. .nd tec.nol- ogy of managing trees and forests in and around urban ecosystems for their social, ecological, and economic .ene.ts (.oni.nendi.. et .l. .00.. .iller et al. 2015). It has evolved from vegetation manage- ment l.r.el. .ocused on .e.uti.c.tion to ecos.stem management revolving around sustainability. Likewise, the workforce is as diverse as ever in terms of race, gender, culture, and professional pedigree. To forge a strong professional identity that will serve current and future professionals, as well as the public whom t.e. ser.e. ur..n .orestr. must under.o sel..reflection .nd de.ne .o.ls .or im.ro.ement. ..ic. .ill dri.e educational opportunities and career pathways. We assume a priori that urban forestry is a profes- sion because it has the principal characteristics of a profession, in that it provides an essential service and re.uires . .i.. le.el o. s.eci.liz.tion t..t sets . .eld
May 2023
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