Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 42(6): November 2016 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 2016. 42(6): 377–388 377 The Cost of Not Maintaining Trees: Findings and Recommendations from an International Symposium and Summit Andrew K. Koeser, Jess Vogt, Richard J. Hauer, Robert J. Northrop, and Ward Peterson Abstract. Urban trees are both an asset and a cost to municipalities. Past research has focused largely on the asset—quantifying and valuing the social, economic, and environmental benefits provided by trees in urban areas. Relatively fewer studies have focused on defining the appropriate level of tree care (costs or inputs) for efficiently maintaining tree health and structural integrity, and potential resulting liabilities. On 18–20 March 2015, the International Society of Arboriculture assembled a panel of research and industry experts for a research symposium and summit titled, The Costs of Not Maintaining Trees. In the weeks leading up to the summit, the Delphi technique was initiated to help build consensus on key research questions related to the eco- nomics of trees and their care. After three iterations of questions and discussion, the panel identified 14 research topics that were deemed “very important” or “important” by at least 12 of the 14 expert panelists (80% being a commonly used threshold for con- sensus). Results of this work are intended to help focus future research and funding efforts in arboriculture and urban forestry. Key Words. Arboricultural Practices; Delphi Technique; Management Challenges; Net Benefits; Optimization; Research Summit; Stakeholder Engagement; Symposia, Urban Forest Management; Urban Tree Benefits. Trees in urban areas are a valuable asset, both to urban residents and to municipal governments. Managers of urban forests are well aware of the ecosystem services urban trees provide. These ecosystem services include helping manage storm- water runoff (Xiao et al. 1998; Elmqvist et al. 2015; Scharenbroch et al. 2016), mitigating the urban heat island (Onishi et al. 2010), reducing air pollution (Nowak et al. 2013), sequester- ing carbon dioxide (Nowak and Crane 2002), increasing property values (Dimke et al. 2013) and retail sales (Wolf 2005), reducing crime (Donovan and Prestemon 2012), and benefitting human health and well-being (Nilsson et al. 2011). Like any asset, however, urban trees also have costs. The costs of trees include those directly tied to urban forest management efforts (e.g., those result- ing from the planting, maintenance, and removal of trees), repair costs (e.g., infrastructure damage or liability-related costs due to improperly planted or maintained trees), costs associated with envi- ronmental externalities (e.g., air pollution result- ing from the emission of biogenic volatile organic compounds [BVOCs]), and opportunity costs (i.e., land used to plant trees cannot also be used for sidewalks, outdoor café seating, or bike lanes) (Vogt et al. 2015). These costs of trees are incurred by both urban residents and businesses located near trees, and by the municipalities frequently respon- sible for the planting, maintenance, and removal of street trees and park trees. Other costs include liabilities resulting from the improper planting or care of trees on public property or public right-of- way (e.g., injuries and damage from tree failure). Any party paying for the costs of trees is inher- ently limited by budgetary constraints and finite resources. Urban foresters and those respon- sible for managing urban trees rarely have all the necessary funds they desire for the plant- ing, maintenance, and removal of trees in the urban forest. Thus, the many benefits provided by urban trees must be weighed against the costs ©2016 International Society of Arboriculture
November 2016
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