Connecting communities to growing trees
image: Examples of resource allocation across the three phases of an urban tree planting initiative.
Credit: Left image courtesy of City Plants in Los Angeles, CA. Center image courtesy of Canopy in Palo Alto, CA. Right image in Worcester, MA, courtesy of Lara A. Roman
A 100-year-old sycamore stands sentinel in a Los Angeles park, surrounded by humanity’s buzz. Its outstretched limbs beckon weary pedestrians to find reprieve under its generous girth. Many do, not realizing this natural therapist is a hardened warrior.
“City trees are some of the hardest working trees there are. They must live in a built environment with thousands of people,” Erika Svendsen, social scientist with the Forest Service’s Northern Research Station stated.
Svendsen, fellow Northern Research Station social scientist Lindsay Campbell, and Pacific Southwest Research Station research ecologist Lara Roman and partners published Beyond the Golden Shovel—a how to guide on tree planting initiatives for city planners, landscape architects, urban foresters, and others. The scientists worked as a team with Theo Eisenman from UMass Amherst and Johan Östberg from the Nature Based Solutions Institute on the article.
Promoting Sustainable Cities
“In our article, we suggest that tree planting itself is not the goal. Rather, tree planting is a means towards the greater goal of creating more livable, equitable and sustainable cities,” Roman emphasized.
The research team is excited about the $1.5 billion in unprecedented federal funding for tree planting initiatives and urban forest management. But they caution that urban trees need a lifetime of investment.
From street trees getting banged by car doors to construction projects that damage roots, urban trees have it rough. According to Urban Tree Mortality: A Literature Review, half the trees planted in an urban environment only live 13 to 18 years, and over 30 percent die within five years. The trees’ death is a loss for the environment, the community, and the city, especially in the face of climate change.
“It takes roughly three decades for the carbon sequestration of a new urban tree to offset carbon emissions from vehicles and tree care equipment used during nursery production, planting, and pruning,” the researchers noted.
Beyond the environmental and emotional loss, a tree’s death is expensive. In the U.S., city officials typically spend $500 to $3,500 planting one tree. If that tree dies, it contributes to ‘greenwasting’ where projects touted as environmentally meaningful fail. Greenwasting is not only costly but can erode a community’s trust in local government.
Planting Trees Takes a Village
On the flip side, successful tree planting initiatives can build community support. Like roads, sidewalks and other gray infrastructure that require ongoing maintenance, trees and other green infrastructure need adequate care and resources throughout their lives. Successful tree planting initiatives, the researchers believe, require a holistic approach and engaging arborists, nursery industry staff, and other tree professionals. They recommend city planners, municipal leaders, and others who support tree planting initiatives consider the type of tree, its location, and how it will fare with climate change.
“Our paper channels the best practices and recommendations we have heard from amazing urban forestry and arboriculture collaborators,” Roman stated.
Beyond weighing these environmental factors and constraints of planting trees, the researchers emphasize that community involvement is key. The benefits of trees in providing shade and beautifying urban landscapes are well-known, but not everyone is a fan of trees. Some are allergic to certain species. Others view them as potential hazards that could knock down powerlines or crash into buildings. Getting people to connect to and care about trees is vital for their survival.
“When a tree falls in an urban forest, do people care? The real shame is not when a stewardship program tries something new and it fails, but when a tree dies and no one cares,” Svendsen stated.
Even when residents do care about trees, however, equity issues come into play. Some residents live in underserved neighborhoods with little to no greenspace and few trees. Planting trees in these areas seems like a simple solution. But it’s not that easy.
When Roman and colleagues at Philadelphia’s Temple University spoke to residents and community leaders, many expressed concerns about the expense of caring for a tree throughout its life. Residents in other cities have voiced similar concerns. That’s why Roman and fellow researchers believe it takes a village to properly care for a tree.
“Over a city tree’s lifecycle, it may be cared for by non-profit staff and their volunteers, residents, municipal employees of parks or public works departments, utility companies, private tree care firms, and more,” Roman stated.
Greening Cities
Modeling this village approach, some cities are taking a stand for trees in their neighborhoods. In New York City, the parks department completed an ambitious campaign to plant and care for one million trees. In Philadelphia, the city released an urban forest strategic plan focused on environmental justice. In Los Angeles, an urban forestry program is creating more space for trees in low canopy neighborhoods and sponsoring paid Tree Ambassadors. Social scientist Francisco Escobedo and other Forest Service researchers are evaluating these model programs, which can promote civic pride and a sense of community.
“Successful tree planting initiatives can create a network of support for trees that comes from caring for another living thing. And that benefits us all,” Svendsen said.