Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 46(3): May 2020 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2020. 46(3):197–209 URBAN FORESTRY ARBORICULTURE Scientific Journal of the International Society of Arboriculture & Tree Crew Perspectives on Wood Product Recovery from Utility Vegetation Management By Danielle P. Kloster, Anita T. Morzillo, John C. Volin, and Thomas E. Worthley Abstract. Utility vegetation management generates large quantities of wood that require disposal. To explore opportunities for reducing wood waste and promoting wood recovery, we evaluated the perceptions and experiences of utility-contracted tree crews regarding a wood recovery program. We conducted interviews with tree crew members both involved (n = 24) and not involved (n = 58) with the pilot program. Interview questions focused on workflow, interactions with homeowners and the public, and opportunities for implementation of a wood recovery pro- gram from the crew member perspective. Participants generally had positive attitudes toward a wood recovery program, wanting to provide benefits for communities through revenue from log sales and to reduce wood waste. Potential challenges associated with such a program included: (1) increased time required for tree removal; (2) safety concerns for removing larger logs; (3) physical obstacles such as mailboxes and stone walls; (4) homeowners wanting to keep the wood; and (5) low-quality wood (i.e., containing rot or metal). The protocol was modi- fied to address such concerns. With the input of tree crew members, our findings suggest that a wood recovery program has the potential to be successful in reducing wood waste from utility vegetation management and generating benefits for communities, particularly in urban environments. Keywords. Interviews; Tree Pruning; Tree Removal; Utility Vegetation Management; Waste Wood Recovery; Wood Products. 197 INTRODUCTION Trees in the urban forest and residential environment are generally considered amenities or assets to the community, providing numerous benefits including aesthetics, strengthened community ties, stress relief, and improved property values (Ulrich 1979; Kweon et al. 1998; McPherson et al. 2005; Nowak and Dwyer 2007; Donovan and Butry 2010; van den Berg et al. 2010). However, if trees are removed due to death, disease, construction, or utility line clearance and risk management, they are considered a liability requiring disposal rather than an asset (Bratkovich 2001; Brat- kovich et al. 2014). Alternatively, trees removed from a community could continue to provide benefits in the form of wood products (Bratkovich 2001; Brat- kovich et al. 2014). Several programs and companies have pursued opportunities to use wood products from urban trees. For example, the Sustainable Wood Recovery Initia- tive at Michigan State University is a campus-wide program for trees removed due to poor health, damage, safety issues, or construction. The wood is milled, dried, and provided to artisans for use in marketable products (http://www.canr.msu.edu/for/programs/swri). City Bench, based in New Haven, Connecticut, con- verts trees removed from urban centers and college campuses into high-value furniture (http://www.city -bench.com). Other programs facilitate information exchange or markets for reclaimed urban wood. One example is the Urbanwood Project, a wood market- place that originated from efforts to encourage utili- zation of emerald ash borer-infected trees killed in southeast Michigan (http://urbanwood.org/about/). Elsewhere, the Southeast Urban Wood Exchange provides resources for municipalities and arborists to connect with potential end users, encouraging the highest and best use of urban wood (http://www .urbanwoodexchange.org/about.php). One driver of tree removal in urban and residential environments is utility vegetation management, which produces large quantities of wood that require disposal or utilization. In the northeastern United States ©2020 International Society of Arboriculture
May 2020
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