Start Date
3-11-2024 2:20 PM
End Date
3-11-2024 2:29 PM
Abstract
Collectively, trees on private property provide broad watershed and human health benefits. The planting and maintenance of these trees, however, is reliant on the knowledge, resources, and stewardship ethics of a multitude of individual property owners. At the same time, climate change will both threaten these existing trees and necessitate a shift in the planting palette of future trees. We use a municipal tree planting program in Portland, OR (Treebate) as a case study for understanding how property owners value, select, and care for their trees. We found that while many property owners claim to have considered future climate in tree selection, a review of the species planted indicates reason for concern about whether these trees will in fact thrive in the future. We explore opportunities individual-scale, public-facing stewardship programs, like Treebate, to support the personal agency of property owners while also contributing to a more climate-resilient urban forest.
Subjects
Climate Change, Environmental social sciences, Land/watershed management
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/41416
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Supporting Private Property Owners in Tree Selection for Future Climate
Collectively, trees on private property provide broad watershed and human health benefits. The planting and maintenance of these trees, however, is reliant on the knowledge, resources, and stewardship ethics of a multitude of individual property owners. At the same time, climate change will both threaten these existing trees and necessitate a shift in the planting palette of future trees. We use a municipal tree planting program in Portland, OR (Treebate) as a case study for understanding how property owners value, select, and care for their trees. We found that while many property owners claim to have considered future climate in tree selection, a review of the species planted indicates reason for concern about whether these trees will in fact thrive in the future. We explore opportunities individual-scale, public-facing stewardship programs, like Treebate, to support the personal agency of property owners while also contributing to a more climate-resilient urban forest.