Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 39(6): November 2013 install air conditioning units. Also, 19.1% of survey respon- dents reported either currently have air conditioning units or were considering installing them within the next 5 to 10 years. Not only can urban trees shade homes directly, but they can also reduce heat island effects by reducing the temperature of an entire urban area (McPherson et al. 2007). Increased planting of shade trees may reduce future air conditioning unit installations and the associated increased residential energy use. Cooling shade on a sin- gle property and across the city may also influence homeowner de- cisions about meeting energy needs with solar panel installations. Research about urban forest environmental benefits has typically investigated one benefit or positive co-benefits; investigations about energy benefits tradeoffs is a social science opportunity. Fruit Tree Trends Public programs that promote a civic need may connect resi- dents to related issues of tree benefits and tree care; an ex- ample is food security. There is growing interest in fruit trees in Seattle, with 19% of surveyed homeowners having planted a fruit tree in the past, to 42% who say they will do so in the future. Reported attitudes may be due to general public discourse about urban agriculture, food security, and local food production, as well as the City of Seattle’s declaration of 2010 as the Year of Urban Agriculture (City of Seattle 2010). Fruit trees, though lesser contributors to canopy cover than shade trees given their typically smaller size, could be an entry point to interest homeowners in urban forestry and additional tree planting. Public communications about fruit trees should address their possible downsides, such as the production of more fruit than can be consumed by a household, as well as rats and other pests that are attracted to fallen fruit, and the possible increase in the use of chemicals to treat pests and diseases. A policy concern is that homeowner choice to re- move large, mature trees to create more sunlight for small, deciduous trees could be counter-productive for canopy cover goals, offering another benefits tradeoff research opportunity. Tree Pruning Correct pruning practices contribute to better tree health and vitality, helping to reduce property damage and safety hazards (Gilman 2011). Homeowners are often pruning trees them- selves, rather than hiring trained professionals; 88% of survey respondents reported having pruned a tree in their yard [similar to the 85% rate found by Summit and McPherson (1998)]. Urban forest managers can develop and circulate pruning information, such as brochures and online postings, but other more direct approaches, such as workshops with demonstrations of proper pruning techniques, may be more effective (Close et al. 2001). Ten percent of survey participants reported hiring an un- certified tree worker to prune trees. Pruning work conducted by unqualified persons may be more likely to include arbori- cultural practices that are detrimental, such as topping. The importance of the professional expertise provided by certi- fied, insured arborists is another public outreach opportunity. Geographic Distributions Canopy level assessments across a city generate baseline data, and are often used to inform goals and policy. Better under- Figure 4. Survey respondents’ perceptions of their tree selection and planting knowledge. 273 standing of the resource helps mobilize support for tree plant- ing (such as the Million Tree campaigns of New York City, New York; Los Angeles, California; or Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) and tree conservation. In addition, better knowledge about geo- graphic variations in homeowner behavior and attitudes can help urban forest managers deliver programs to targeted areas, thus using limited budgets and other resources more effectively. Sufficient data were not available in this study to analyze response influences at the parcel or household scale; variabil- ity could be due to factors such as yard size, existing canopy cover within and in proximity to lots, and age of neighbor- hood. Nonetheless, combining canopy cover and planting potential data with respondent attitude data can guide more strategic service delivery at the district or neighborhood level. For example, a neighborhood where residents report being less likely to plant trees in the future compared to other neighborhoods might be judged a high priority for planting outreach to change attitudes. However, if reported attitudes are considered in conjunction with canopy cover and planting potential data, it may be that an existing abundance of trees contributes to residents’ reluctance to plant more. Figure 4 reveals neighborhoods where perceived knowledge of trees, expected future planting, and canopy cover are all low, and planting potential is high. These may be the regions where tree planting outreach and programs will have the greatest impact. ©2013 International Society of Arboriculture
November 2013
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