Project goals: This research examines (1) the ecological structure and function of residential urban forests, and (2) the role that Neighborhood Association (NA) and Homeowner Association (HOA) rules, norms, and strategies play on homeowner tree care practices. This work employs a mixed method approach, including household survey questionnaires, ecological surveys, and tree canopy analysis, to examine household- and neighborhood-scale factors associated with urban residential tree structure.
Project rationale: Because the majority of trees and potential planting sites in many urban landscapes are located on residential property, there is a need to understand how residential landscapes are being managed and the institutions that foster or constrain sustainable tree care practices. A number of frameworks have emerged to conceptualize and operationalize social-ecological system dynamics (e.g., Human-Environment System framework, Ecosystem Services framework, The Natural Step framework). These frameworks provide different types of diagnostic insights, with the prevalence and clarity of institutions varying extensively. We utilize the Social-Ecological System (SES) framework because it provides a systematic and comprehensive method for defining social-ecological system attributes, and because it treats institutions endogenously in the modeling of social-ecological outcomes.
Publications
- Schmitt-Harsh, M. and S.K. Mincey. 2020. Operationalizing the social-ecological system framework to assess residential forest structure: A case study in Bloomington, Indiana. Ecology & Society 25(2): 14.
- Schmitt-Harsh, M., S. Mincey, M. Patterson, B. Fischer, and T. Evans. 2013. Private residential urban forest structure and carbon storage in a moderate-sized urban area in the Midwest United States. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 12: 454-463.
- Mincey, S.K., M. Schmitt-Harsh, and R. Thurau. 2013. Zoning, land use, and urban tree canopy cover: The importance of scale. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 12(2): 191-199.