The discussion of survey findings is grouped into four major sections: urban forest health, training and information needs, preferred educational outreach methods, and detection and evaluation needs. Urban Forest Health Survey findings indicate an overwhelming need to improve the general health of urban forests in the 20 northeast and Midwest States and the District of Columbia, as evidenced by the fact that fewer than 25% of survey respondents ranked the general health of their State and local urban forests as being good to excellent. This need supports the position of the State Foresters who recently identified the need to “improve urban forests” as one of the top forestry issues and resource priorities in the region. These findings document a need to expand the focus of Urban and Community Forestry programs to include greater emphasis on urban forest health management issues. Survey findings reveal a disparity between the high level of interest, on the part of urban forestry professionals, in preserving the health of urban forests (99% in favor of) and the shortage of Urban and Community Forestry programs that specifically address and actively implement urban forest health management and preservation strategies (less than half). These findings highlight the need to develop comprehensive urban forestry programs that (1) address issues critical to the preservation and sustainability of urban forests, and (2) implement long-term plant health care practices and strategies. The survey identifies specific problems or issues respondents felt were adversely impacting the health of urban forests and key long-term tree care management strategies deemed critical to the preservation and sustainability of urban forests. The most frequently mentioned factors cited to be adversely impacting the current condition of urban forests were specific tree health problems. These responses suggest that respondents view the urban forest in the limited context of trees and do not address the broader issue of managing all natural resources within the forest ecosystem. Future surveys targeted at assessing ecosystem management issues will need to be very clear in defining the scope of the urban forest. Top ranking long-term tree care management strategies closely parallel factors identified to be adversely impacting urban forest health and include proper tree pruning, proper site and species selection, minimizing construction damage, insect management and control, tree health monitoring, disease management and control, and hazard tree evaluation and management. Top ranking tree health problems and long-term tree care management strategies should receive major program emphasis and be addressed as integral components of Urban and Community Forestry programs. Training and Information Needs Survey results provide valuable needs assessment information that can be used to develop and implement educational outreach programs in urban forest health management, specifically targeted to identified training and informational needs. Survey findings clearly indicate interest and demand by urban forestry professionals for training and printed information in the area of urban tree health management. Respondents expressed interest in receiving training and printed information within all long-term tree care and maintenance subject areas listed in the survey. The top five ranking training needs include hazard tree evaluation and management, disease management, tree health monitoring, natural disaster planning and mitigation, and insect management. The top five ranking printed information needs include insect management, tree health monitoring, minimizing construction damage, disease management, and proper fertilizing and watering techniques. Respondents also identified specific topics, within the major long-term maintenance subject areas, in which they were in need of training or printed information. When setting priorities for education outreach efforts, top ranking training and printed information needs should be targeted and addressed first. Publications currently exist on many of these topics and should be compiled and reviewed for technical accuracy and visual quality. Effective distribution of existing publications that are technically accurate and of high visual quality should be a program priority. The survey identifies key partners who assist urban forestry professionals in the development and distribution of urban forest health information. This information can be used to identify and target audiences for the development and distribution of urban forest health training and publication materials, and serve as a framework to link partners and establish collaborative educational outreach projects. Preferred Educational Outreach Methods Identification of preferred educational outreach methods will help to facilitate the effective transfer of technology and information to urban forestry clients. The survey identifies some strong preferences among urban forestry professionals in their rankings of effective educational outreach methods. Over 90% of respondents agreed that one- to two- page fact sheets, “How To” informational brochures, and workshops were effective educational outreach methods. Pest alerts, reference books, State conferences, videos, regional conferences, and popular magazine articles were selected by 80-89% of respondents as effective methods. Slide sets and press releases were selected by 77% and 70% of respondents, respectively. Just over half of respondents agreed that posters, Internet and interactive videos and CD-ROMs were effective methods. Internet and interactive videos and CD-ROMs may gain popularity as people become more familiar with them and discover their full range of capabilities. Over 85% of respondents agreed that it is more effective to produce two versions of informational pieces: one tailored for homeowners and another more technically oriented for professionals. Top ranked educational outreach methods should receive high program priority in the development of training and printed materials. Implementation of preferred educational outreach methods in program delivery will help to ensure that technology and information are transferred to our urban forestry partners in a meaningful and accepted manner. Detection and Evaluation Needs Survey respondents did not cite many specific needs for assistance in the survey, detection, or evaluation of urban forest health problems or pests. The five requested needs ranged in content from training and education to financial assistance. Since requests for assistance were few in number, there does not appear to be a need to identify the top ranking requests. Addressing and responding to all requested needs should be feasible.

Table of Contents

Return to Urban Forestry Publications and Info. | On-line Publications and Info.