Urban Trees Reveal Income Inequality

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Sugg on July 23, 2012 at 3:35pm

Hi Jennifer.... hope all is well your way.  What Tim's blog post describes I have found to be exactly the case during my twelve years of Arboricultural and UF consulting despite the size of each of the communities I work with, including the one in which I reside and have served on the City Appearance (Tree) Commission for many years.

Your post brought to mind an article in Southern Chapter News in the Summer, 2007 issue in which I was compelled to save and file for possible future interest and solutions.  The article entitled "The Environment in Black and White" by Joseph B. Jackson of Duke University describes (at least in a round-a-bout way) this issue from Mr. Jackson's perspective.  Hopefully you can find and read this article from the ISA Southern Chapter website archives.  If not just let me know and I can scan and email you the copy that I have.

I think that one beginning solution to this issue that may be effective at this point is to increase our current outreach initiatives to the "underserved" population groups as the term is mentioned in the current Urban and Community Forestry Grant proposal narrative instructions.  By increasing our outreach to these groups, I think that we can gradually begin to close this "gap" of differences we now see from aerial views of our Urban Forests in NC, the Nation and beyond.

John Sugg  

Permalink Reply by Administrator on August 2, 2012 at 1:00pm

Interesting to ponder.  First was the technological divide, then the achievement gap, and now the canopy chasm!

Permalink Reply by David Howlett on August 16, 2012 at 5:21pm

Can someone post The Environment in Black and White?" (with permission, of course)

Permalink Reply by Susan Di Biase on August 17, 2012 at 9:39am

I'm in a small town in Alabama. We discovered that the lowest amounts of canopy cover in our town were in the public housing areas and around large apartment complexes. We have focused our volunteer planting efforts (with the Boy Scouts) around the HUD housing. The local director was very supportive, but the federal HUD regulations on trees near buildings and sidewalks are strict, so we had to be careful about placement and species selection. Senior citizen residents and members of the Boys & Girls Club have been great about helping with the watering.

Right now we are in an effort to preserve and renovate our neighborhood schools. The current schools are on property with large, established canopy cover, even over the playgrounds. Building on a new site will mean no canopy cover for a generation of kids. If anyone has a link to data on this topic, please share.

Permalink Reply by John Sugg on August 17, 2012 at 10:36am

Hi David,

On vacation this week, but when I get back in my office next week I can scan and post a copy of this article if no one else has located it.  The publication cites Mr. Jackson as being the author, so that should suffice, esp. since it was made publicly available to the UF profession in 2007.  

Permalink Reply by Administrator on August 17, 2012 at 11:14am

I contacted the Southern Chapter and I am awaiting a reply.  If not up by Wednesday next week, please scan!  Thank you.

Permalink Reply by Administrator on August 17, 2012 at 12:03pm

Unfortunately their archive does not go back that far, so John, upon your return please post a copy.  Southern Chapter News Editor, Sarah Mitchell, gave us permission to reproduce.  

Permalink Reply by John Sugg on August 18, 2012 at 9:24am

Thank you for getting permission from Sarah.  I will scan and post during the course of the week.

Permalink Reply by John Sugg on August 20, 2012 at 2:52pm

 

Below is the scanned article, which does not directly mention canopy inequality, but merely an absence of participation among minority populations in general in the Urban Forestry and other "green" professions.  These population groups almost always tend to make up the less forested and "underserved" portions of the scores of NC communities (and some in VA) in which I conduct tree inventories.  It is my desire that we can gradually overcome this socioeconomic imbalance over the next decade which would eventually lead to more evenly forested neighborhoods throughout each community as a whole.  Increased, committed and persistent outreach to these citizens will be the key to better UF management practices in poorer neighborhoods.

   

Permalink Reply by David Howlett on August 23, 2012 at 4:04pm

Thanks for the post- which describes a significant problem, but not much about what we can do about it. I noticed the same problem when I worked in the US Virgin Islands, where the majority of residents are of African descent. Hopefully, we can involve more minority communities in resource management.

Permalink Reply by John Sugg on August 23, 2012 at 10:40pm

Thanks David.  Now what I would like to do is begin to develop effective ways in which to create more UF Management involvement among these particular residents in the communities for which I currently serve as Contracting or On-call Arborist.  This will be quite a challenge (which I really like) so any initial ideas from you or anyone else following this discussion would be greatly appreciated at this point. 
 
David Howlett said:

Thanks for the post- which describes a significant problem, but not much about what we can do about it. I noticed the same problem when I worked in the US Virgin Islands, where the majority of residents are of African descent. Hopefully, we can involve more minority communities in resource management.

Permalink Reply by Neil Norton on August 27, 2012 at 12:28pm

Hi John,

I like the idea of going into the community schools and letting the kids know that you can have a career working with trees and then go out and plant one and hand out a sheet about planting trees or tree benefits.   It takes some energy but you could do one school a week during planting season.  Most schools are happy to have an arborist come to speak, usually because most state curriculum require knowledge about trees (different stuff, and different levels) and the teachers love when someone knowledgeable can teach it for them!

John Sugg said:

Thanks David.  Now what I would like to do is begin to develop effective ways in which to create more UF Management involvement among these particular residents in the communities for which I currently serve as Contracting or On-call Arborist.  This will be quite a challenge (which I really like) so any initial ideas from you or anyone else following this discussion would be greatly appreciated at this point. 
 
David Howlett said:

Thanks for the post- which describes a significant problem, but not much about what we can do about it. I noticed the same problem when I worked in the US Virgin Islands, where the majority of residents are of African descent. Hopefully, we can involve more minority communities in resource management.

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