Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 39(6): November 2013 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2013. 39(6): 267–277 267 Homeowner Interactions with Residential Trees in Urban Areas Jana Dilley and Kathleen L. Wolf Abstract. Urban forests are a critical element in sustainable urban areas because of the many environmental, economic, and social benefits that city trees provide. In order to increase canopy cover in urban areas, residential homeowners, who collectively own the majority of the land in most cit- ies, need to engage in planting and retaining trees on their properties. This collaborative research project surveyed homeowners in Seattle, Wash- ington, U.S., to examine their behaviors and attitudes toward the trees on their property. Attitudes toward trees were mapped to examine geo- graphic distribution, as Seattle has a legacy of neighborhood-based planning. Results show that homeowners planted trees during non-optimal times of the year, preferred trees that are small at maturity over trees that are large at maturity, and showed increased interest in fruit trees. Home- owners intend to plant fewer trees in the future than they have in the past. This research is a model for social science efforts that can be used to develop targeted public outreach programs at the neighborhood scale to increase the planting and retention of trees on residential property. Key Words. Benefits; Canopy Cover; Fruit Trees; Homeowner; Human Dimensions; Neighborhood Planning; Private Property; Residential Trees; Seattle; Social Science; Tree Planting; Washington. Urban forestry has been described as the planting, cultivation, and management of trees for their present and potential future contri- bution to the physiological, sociological, and economic well-be- ing of urban communities (Jorgensen 1974). A sustainable urban forest is one that maintains “healthy and functional vegetation and associated systems that provide long-term benefits desired by the community” (Dwyer et al. 2003). Tree cover contributes to broader sustainability goals of local government agencies in providing environmental, social, health, and economic benefits to urban residents. For instance, research indicates that trees con- tribute to heat island reduction, efforts to address climate change, and lower levels of stormwater runoff (Rosenfeld et al. 1995; Xiao et al. 1998; McPherson et al. 2002). Recent research indicates as- sociations of trees with health benefits of reduced cardiovascular disease (Donovan et al. 2013), less risk of poor infant birth out- comes (Donovan et. al. 2011), and reduced crime rates (Donovan and Prestemon 2012). Attaining sustainable urban forests requires combined attention to the condition of the natural resource and appropriate management of that resource, as well as recognition of the human dimensions or the impact of people on urban forests. Stormwater management has become an important driver for urban forestry efforts by municipalities in recent years. In 2013, the mayor of Seattle, Washington, U.S., signed an Executive Or- der directing the management of 700 million gallons of stormwa- ter runoff by 2025 using green infrastructure, and included urban forest canopy as a strategy (City of Seattle 2013). The City of Pittsburgh’s Urban Forest Management Plan (Pittsburgh, Penn- sylvania, U.S.) similarly calls out the importance of urban for- ests for stormwater management, and offers recommendations such as targeted planting sites and the use of large trees where possible to maximize benefits (Davey Resource Group 2012). Tree canopy cover can serve as one indicator of the extent to which trees and forests are providing critical services to lo- cal residents (Nowak et al. 2010). To conserve and enhance all tree-related benefits, municipal governments across the United States have set targets for increased canopy cover. The City of Seattle has set a goal to reach 30% canopy cover by 2037, an increase from the 23% cover estimated as of 2007 (City of Seattle 2007; Parlin 2009). Single-family residential proper- ty constitutes 56% of Seattle’s land base, and the City’s urban forest managers estimate that two-thirds of the approximate- ly 300,000 net new trees necessary to meet Seattle’s canopy goal need to be planted on single-family residential property. Many different programs and strategies can be implemented to achieve a city’s tree-planting policy and goals, such as street tree planting campaigns and restoration of public lands. Recogni- tion of the importance of the homeowner population in meeting the City of Seattle’s goals led to a collaborative research project, between the City and the University of Washington, to examine residents’ attitudes and behaviors toward planting and maintaining trees on private residential property. Results of the survey research have contributed to substantial revision of tree planting programs aimed at the neighborhood scale. This paper discusses the im- portance of working with urban homeowners, presents results of the Residential Trees Survey of homeowners in Seattle, and dis- cusses how the survey results apply to urban forest management. LITERATURE AND BACKGROUND To be effective, local government planning and management of urban forests must acknowledge a wide variety of landscape situ- ations and stakeholders. An early model of urban forest sustain- ©2013 International Society of Arboriculture
November 2013
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