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Under-resourced Residents' Perceptions of Urban Forest and Tree Risk
Jason Gordon
University of Georgia- Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
There is a large body of work, primarily descriptive in nature, that demonstrates inequitable canopy distribution in areas of low socioeconomic populations. With few exceptions, the research has overlooked the sociocultural processes, values, attitudes, behaviors, and social positionality that influence the ways diverse groups think about urban landscapes. Meanwhile, in practice, low income residents’ resistance to environmental initiatives such as tree planting has been explained by outsiders as disinterest in trees or, more broadly, lacking interest in environmental issues.
The primary finding of this TREE Fund-supported research was that residents of a low-income, primarily African American neighborhood had valid and sometimes complex reasoning behind their resistance to new tree plantings within their neighborhood, specifically on their private property. Resident resistance was not because they did not acknowledge the benefits of trees, but due to costs associated with tree maintenance, the consequences of tree failure relative to their socioeconomic conditions, and their physical capacity to take care of trees on their property. In the hope of avoiding tree failure, displacement from their home, or inconveniences in general, residents would rather remove declining trees and not plant new trees.
Residents’ attitudes towards their tree canopy and their tree risk perceptions were multidimensional and took into consideration the other risks they faced in that space. As an under-resourced population, they had greater competing risks outside of a tree canopy (such as safety, education, and employment) and their natural environment compared to their higher-income peers. Immediate risks and concerns may influence their willingness to participate or even conceptualize any long-term improvement.
However, despite concerns associated with age, experiences, and economic resources, study participants demonstrated an appreciation for their neighborhood trees. Trees and other landscape characteristics contributed to a sense of belonging, identity, and rootedness in the neighborhood. Results demonstrate that while concerns based on tree condition, age, experience, and income were barriers to fully enjoying trees, residents’ risk perceptions and appreciation for trees were mediated by the capacity of trees – as a functional component of the space – to satisfy certain needs.
In conclusion, participants’ perceptions of risks and benefits regarding neighborhood trees were conditioned on their individual and collective experiences built upon emotional bonds to the landscape. Barriers preventing them from fully enjoying trees included disruption of these bonds as well as negative experiences with the trees and poor (or lack of) adequate involvement by external tree advocates. Rethinking the framework of risk perceptions and place attachment to include the dynamics of competing risks and the need for equity among diverse populations is essential to better help urban tree managers communicate with diverse communities so they may prioritize equity in the management and distribution of urban tree canopy benefits and risks.
This research was previously published as Martin, A.; Gordon, J.; Schelhas, J.; Mattox, T.S. Perceptions of Tree Risks and Benefits in a Historically African American Neighborhood. Sustainability 2024, 16, 3913. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16103913
*This research was funded by a 2019 grant from TREE Fund's Bob Skiera Memorial Fund Building Bridges and John P. White Grant Program. For full details, see TREE Fund's website.
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