The Impact of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Installation on Surrounding Health and Safety
This study investigated the health and safety effects of urban green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) installments.Michelle C. Kondo, Sarah C. Low, Jason Henning, Charles C. Branas, “The Impact of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Installation on Surrounding Health and Safety”, American Journal of Public Health 105, no. 3 (March 1, 2015): pp. e114-e121. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2014.302314 View Resource
Does Tree Cover Reduce Gun Violence?
The answer — provisionally — seems to be yes. Researchers from the US Forest Service and the University of Pennsylvania tracked the daily movements of gunshot victims and compared them to a comparable group of non-victims. The odds of getting shot decreased significantly in areas with significant tree cover when compared to the control group, […]
Urban Environmental Stewardship Practices as Indicators of Social Resilience: The Case of Living Memorials
The authors studied living memorials and interviewed volunteers and participants in building out the sites. They concluded that stewardship practices embedded in “living” memorials create strong social attachments, promote community cohesion, and even influence public policy.2016McMillen, H., Campbell, L., Svendsen, E., & Reynolds, R. (2016). Recognizing stewardship practices as indicators of social resilience: In living […]
Development Practices and Ordinances as Predictor of Tree Canopy
This study compared the management practices and ordinances enacted by 43 Florida communities to assess their potential impact on tree canopy coverage. This information was paired with each community’s responses to a 2014 survey of municipal forestry management practices in the United States. Canopy coverage ranged between 17.6% and 63.3% among the communities assessed, with […]
Branching Out to Residential Lands: Missions and Strategies of Five Tree Distribution Programs
Residential lands constitute a major component of existing and possible tree canopy in many cities in the United States. To expand the urban forest on these lands, some municipalities and nonprofit organizations have launched residential yard tree distribution programs, also known as tree giveaway programs. This paper describes the operations of five tree distribution programs […]
Regulations, Incentives, Outreach and Fragmented Ecosystem: Miami-Dade County
The County adopted a forest property tax program in 1979, passed a forest preservation ordinance in 1984, and created a land acquisition program in 1991. Outreach and filling in the gaps between preservation areas are critical for the survival of a number of species.Duncan, James; Possley, Jennifer; Gil, Janet; and Grossenbacher, Craig (2020) “Conservation Strategies […]
Health Impact Assessment of Philadelphia’s Tree Canopy
A team of scientists, including researchers at the USDA Philadelphia Field Station, projected the impact on mortality if Philadelphia reaches its 30 percent canopy goal in all neighborhoods. If the 30 percent goal is reached throughout the city, their findings suggest 403 deaths could be prevented annually — more than half in low-income communities.Health impact […]
Census of Municipal Urban Forestry Programs, 2014
Hundreds of programs from cities and communities around the nation — from very small to the largest — completed a detailed questionnaire about their operations, staffing and budgets. The report offers a unique glimpse into the current state of municipal urban forestry programs.Hauer R. J. and Peterson W. D. 2016. Municipal Tree Care and Management […]
STEW-MAP in the New York City Region: Survey Results of the Stewardship Mapping and Assessment Project 2017
The STEW-MAP process, developed by the USDA Forest Service, provides officials and civic leaders a unique tool to identify and characterize the many organizations that promote environmental conservation in their communities. Knowing who’s doing what, how and with whom can amplify the impact of urban forest initiatives. This report on stewardship networks in New York […]
Urban Trees and Human Health
While most research focuses on the relationship between green space or “nature” and public health, this analysis drills down to the particular impact of trees in urban environments. Following screening and appraisal of several thousand articles, 201 studies were conceptually sorted into a three-part framework. Reducing Harm, representing 41% of studies, includes topics such as […]
Annual biomass loss and potential value of urban tree waste in the United States
Urban trees provide numerous benefits to society, but upon removal, this resource is underutilized and often considered a waste product to be discarded.Nowak, D. J., Greenfield, E. J., & Ash, R. M. (2019). Annual biomass loss and potential value of urban tree waste in the United States. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 46, 126469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126469 […]
The Effects of Historical Housing Policies on Resident Exposure to Intra-Urban Heat: A Study of 108 US Urban Areas
Through a spatial analysis of 108 urban areas in the United States, we ask two questions: (1) how do historically redlined neighborhoods relate to current patterns of intra-urban heat? and (2) do these patterns vary by US Census Bureau region? This study reveals that historical housing policies may, in fact, be directly responsible for disproportionate […]