Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 32(5): September 2006 237 developed this theme further, characterizing the public’s at- titude as “I love trees, but . . . not-in-my-back-yard.” Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s Tree Strategy ex- presses the equally negative view that “Those very same trees that make Solihull a pleasant town to live and work are, for many residents, a source of frustration” (Anon 2003, p. 7). As another example, after someone had secretly planted trees in residents’ front gardens, a local authority tree officer was quoted in a national newspaper as saying, “It’s refreshing to see someone planting trees rather than what we all too often see, which is people wanting to take them out” (Daily Mirror 2004). Such views appear to have been long held by profes- sionals in the United Kingdom. An article from over 35 years ago states, “Let it be recognised that many urban trees are too large for their positions . . . many often cause inconvenience to those against whose property they are situated” (Riseley 1969, p. 195). Do residents indeed have a lower opinion of street trees in the United Kingdom than in the United States? Despite the negative reports from arborists, research (e.g., Kaplan and Kaplan 1989) suggests that people’s positive responses to vegetation are the result of underlying perceptual and cogni- tive factors that apply to human beings in general. Several researchers (e.g., Heerwagen and Orians 1993) have hypoth- esized that evolutionary factors common to all humans create an inborn affinity for nature, particularly for the kind of en- vironments in which humans evolved. Supporting this view, Sommer and Summit (1995, 1996), Sommer (1997), and Summit and Sommer (1999), found similar preferences across diverse international communities for tree shapes re- sembling those in the African savanna. Moreover, the existence of strong legal tree protection measures (Anon 1990) and the annual planting of one million trees during National Tree Week suggest that trees are in fact valued in the United Kingdom. O’Brien and Claridge (2002) and Coles and Caserio (2004) describe strong support for urban and rural woodlands and trees in the United Kingdom. One study about the public’s attitude to the environment and quality of life in the United Kingdom found that the loss of trees and hedgerows was becoming a growing cause for con- cern, rising from 17% of respondents in 1986 to 46% in 2001 (DEFRA 2002). Finally, the experience of one author of this article, while working as a local authority tree manager in the United Kingdom, strongly suggests that public support for trees exists. The emphasis on negative public response to trees de- scribed in the UK professional literature might indicate that people who genuinely dislike living near trees are more likely to volunteer their opinions in the form of complaints to the local authority, whereas residents who hold less negative views may remain silent unless their opinions are actively sought out. It may also reflect an asymmetry in the impacts of benefits and annoyances on community residents. That is, the aesthetic and other benefits of a tree in front of a person’s home accrue not only to that person, but also to their neigh- bors. The annoyances of the tree (fallen leaves, shaded gar- den, and damaged pavement) on the other hand are more likely to impact the property owner exclusively. Thus, a per- son might want to be rid of the annoyances from the particu- lar tree in front of their own home while still appreciating the benefits of trees in the neighborhood at large. This would be consistent with the sentiment of “I like trees, but not in front of my house” reported previously. In any case, it is clear that more in-depth investigations of UK residents’ attitudes to- ward street trees are needed to understand the actual impacts of the urban forest—both positive and negative—on resi- dents. Such knowledge could be considered crucial if the resource is to be managed optimally. As a first step toward obtaining this knowledge, Flannigan (2005) surveyed two communities in southwest England us- ing the methodology of Sommer et al. (1989). This survey methodology was first developed in California cities and was later applied to a Chicago suburb by Schroeder and Ruffolo (1996). It provides a detailed assessment of residents’ opin- ions and perceptions of both positive and negative features of the street trees immediately outside their homes. Flannigan’s study established that, with suitable modifications, Sommer’s survey method could be adapted to work with residents of the United Kingdom. In this article, we use the data from Flan- nigan’s surveys along with that from Schroeder and Ruffolo’s earlier study to take a first look at similarities and differences in attitudes toward street trees between residents of commu- nities in the United Kingdom and the United States. SURVEY METHOD Flannigan (2005) surveyed the communities of North Som- erset and Torbay in southwest England in 2003 using a modi- fied version of the questionnaire that Schroeder and Ruffolo (1996) had used in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove in 1988 and 1990. In all three communities, respondents were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with a specific street tree directly in front of their home, the significance of various benefits and annoyances associated with that tree, and their satisfaction with the size, shape, and growth rate of the tree. Survey forms were distributed by mail along with a cover letter explaining the purpose of the survey and a prepaid envelope for returning the survey. The Downers Grove questionnaire was modified for use in Flannigan’s study. A few questions that were not relevant to North Somerset and Torbay were removed, for example, questions about birds, squirrels, and bees being attracted to the tree (a common occurrence in Downers Grove but not in North Somerset and Torbay). Some more specific questions were added regarding problems that were of particular con- cern to the UK communities, for example, root damage (a significant liability issue in the United Kingdom) and shade- ©2006 International Society of Arboriculture
September 2006
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