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Municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious goals to increase urban tree canopy (UTC), but there is little understanding of the pace and socioecological drivers of UTC change. We analyzed land cover change in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States) from 1970–2010 to examine the impacts of post-industrial processes on UTC. We interpreted land cover classes using aerial imagery and assessed historical context using archival newspapers, agency reports, and local historical scholarship. There was a citywide UTC increase of +4.3 percentage points. Substantial UTC gains occurred in protected open spaces related to both purposeful planting and unintentional forest emergence due to lack of maintenance, with the latter phenomenon well-documented in other cities located in forested biomes. Compared to developed lands, UTC was more persistent in protected open spaces. Some neighborhoods experienced substantial UTC gains, including quasi-suburban areas and depopulated low-income communities; the latter also experienced decreasing building cover. We identified key processes that drove UTC increases, and which imposed legacies on current UTC patterns: urban renewal, urban greening initiatives, quasi-suburban developments, and (dis)investments in parks. Our study demonstrates the socioecological dynamism of intra-city land cover changes at multi-decadal time scales and the crucial role of local historical context in the interpretation of UTC change.
Lara Roman; Indigo Catton; Eric Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore Eisenman; Jason Henning. Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City. Land 2021, 10, 403 .
AMA StyleLara Roman, Indigo Catton, Eric Greenfield, Hamil Pearsall, Theodore Eisenman, Jason Henning. Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City. Land. 2021; 10 (4):403.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLara Roman; Indigo Catton; Eric Greenfield; Hamil Pearsall; Theodore Eisenman; Jason Henning. 2021. "Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City." Land 10, no. 4: 403.
The provision of ecosystem services is a prominent rationale for urban greening, and there is a prevailing mantra that ‘trees are good’. However, understanding how urban trees contribute to sustainability must also consider disservices. In this perspective article, we discuss recent research on ecosystem disservices of urban trees, including infrastructure conflicts, health and safety impacts, aesthetic issues, and environmentally detrimental consequences, as well as management costs related to ecological disturbances and risk management. We also discuss tradeoffs regarding species selection and local conservation concerns, as well as the central role of human perception in the interpretation of ecosystem services and disservices, particularly the uncritical assertion that ‘everybody loves trees’. Urban forestry decision-making that fails to account for disservices can have unintended negative consequences for communities. Further research is needed regarding life cycle assessments, stakeholder decision-making, return-on-investment, and framings of services and disservices in urban forestry.
Lara A. Roman; Tenley M. Conway; Theodore S. Eisenman; Andrew K. Koeser; Camilo Ordóñez Barona; Dexter H. Locke; G. Darrel Jenerette; Johan Östberg; Jess Vogt. Beyond ‘trees are good’: Disservices, management costs, and tradeoffs in urban forestry. Ambio 2020, 50, 615 -630.
AMA StyleLara A. Roman, Tenley M. Conway, Theodore S. Eisenman, Andrew K. Koeser, Camilo Ordóñez Barona, Dexter H. Locke, G. Darrel Jenerette, Johan Östberg, Jess Vogt. Beyond ‘trees are good’: Disservices, management costs, and tradeoffs in urban forestry. Ambio. 2020; 50 (3):615-630.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLara A. Roman; Tenley M. Conway; Theodore S. Eisenman; Andrew K. Koeser; Camilo Ordóñez Barona; Dexter H. Locke; G. Darrel Jenerette; Johan Östberg; Jess Vogt. 2020. "Beyond ‘trees are good’: Disservices, management costs, and tradeoffs in urban forestry." Ambio 50, no. 3: 615-630.
Invasive species can spread to new landscapes through various anthropogenic factors and negatively impact urban ecosystems, societies, and economies. Public awareness is considered central to mitigating the spread of invasive species. News media contributes to awareness although it is unclear what messages are being communicated. We incorporated Frame Theory to investigate newspapers’ coverage of the emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)), which has killed millions of ash trees in the continental United States. We conducted a content analysis of 924 news articles published between 2002 and 2017 to examine language framing (how a phenomenon like invasive species is constructed and communicated), information sources, management methods, recommended actions for the public and whether this communication changed overtime. Seventy-seven percent of articles used language evocative of distinctive risk framings, with the majority of these using negative attribute frames like invasion-militaristic and/or fatalistic language to describe EAB management. Few discussed positive impacts like galvanizing public support. Most articles used expert sources, primarily government agents. We recommend that public communications regarding invasive species be cautious about language evoking militarism and fatalism. Furthermore, invasive species communication requires a broader diversity and representation of voices because invasive species management requires community effort.
Mysha K. Clarke; Lara A. Roman; Tenley M. Conway. Communicating with the Public about Emerald Ash Borer: Militaristic and Fatalistic Framings in the News Media. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4560 .
AMA StyleMysha K. Clarke, Lara A. Roman, Tenley M. Conway. Communicating with the Public about Emerald Ash Borer: Militaristic and Fatalistic Framings in the News Media. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (11):4560.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMysha K. Clarke; Lara A. Roman; Tenley M. Conway. 2020. "Communicating with the Public about Emerald Ash Borer: Militaristic and Fatalistic Framings in the News Media." Sustainability 12, no. 11: 4560.
Street tree inventories are a critical component of urban forest management. However, inventories conducted in the field by trained professionals are expensive and time-consuming. Inventories relying on citizen scientists or virtual surveys conducted remotely using street-level photographs may greatly reduce the costs of street tree inventories, but there are fundamental uncertainties regarding the level of data quality that can be expected from these emerging approaches to data collection. We asked 16 volunteers to inventory street trees in suburban Chicago using Google Street ViewTM imagery, and we assessed data quality by comparing their virtual survey data to field data from the same locations. We also compared virtual survey data quality according to self-rated expertise by measuring agreement within expert, intermediate, and novice analyst groups. Analyst agreement was very good for the number of trees on each street segment, and agreement was markedly lower for tree diameter class and tree identification at the genus and species levels, respectively. Interrater agreement varied by expertise, such that experts agreed with one another more often than novices for all four variables assessed. Compared to the field data, we observed substantial variability in analyst performance for diameter class estimation and tree identification, and some intermediate analysts performed as well as experts. Our findings suggest that virtual surveys may be useful for documenting the locations of street trees within a city more efficiently than field crews and with a high level of accuracy. However, tree diameter and species identification data were less reliable across all expertise groups, and especially novice analysts. Based on this analysis, virtual street tree inventories are best suited to collecting very basic information such as tree locations, or updating existing inventories to determine where trees have been planted or removed. We conclude with evidence-based recommendations for effective implementation of this type of approach.
Adam Berland; Lara A. Roman; Jess Vogt. Can Field Crews Telecommute? Varied Data Quality from Citizen Science Tree Inventories Conducted Using Street-Level Imagery. Forests 2019, 10, 349 .
AMA StyleAdam Berland, Lara A. Roman, Jess Vogt. Can Field Crews Telecommute? Varied Data Quality from Citizen Science Tree Inventories Conducted Using Street-Level Imagery. Forests. 2019; 10 (4):349.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAdam Berland; Lara A. Roman; Jess Vogt. 2019. "Can Field Crews Telecommute? Varied Data Quality from Citizen Science Tree Inventories Conducted Using Street-Level Imagery." Forests 10, no. 4: 349.
David J. Nowak; Allison R. Bodine; Robert Hoehn; Alexis Ellis; Sarah C. Low; Lara A. Roman; Jason G. Henning; Emily Stephan; Tom Taggert; Ted Endreny. The urban forests of Philadelphia. The urban forests of Philadelphia 2016, 106, 1 -80.
AMA StyleDavid J. Nowak, Allison R. Bodine, Robert Hoehn, Alexis Ellis, Sarah C. Low, Lara A. Roman, Jason G. Henning, Emily Stephan, Tom Taggert, Ted Endreny. The urban forests of Philadelphia. The urban forests of Philadelphia. 2016; 106 ():1-80.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavid J. Nowak; Allison R. Bodine; Robert Hoehn; Alexis Ellis; Sarah C. Low; Lara A. Roman; Jason G. Henning; Emily Stephan; Tom Taggert; Ted Endreny. 2016. "The urban forests of Philadelphia." The urban forests of Philadelphia 106, no. : 1-80.
Lara A. Roman; John J. Battles; Joe R. McBride. Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches. Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches 2016, 158, 1 -24.
AMA StyleLara A. Roman, John J. Battles, Joe R. McBride. Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches. Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches. 2016; 158 ():1-24.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLara A. Roman; John J. Battles; Joe R. McBride. 2016. "Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches." Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches 158, no. : 1-24.