Prospects and Perils for Urban Forestry and Ecosystem Services: Applications and Research J. Morgan Grove 1, Austin Troy 2, Matthew Wilson 3 1 Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service 2 Rubenstein School of the Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont 3 School of Business and Administration and Gund Institute for Ecological Economics, University of Vermont

Overview Prospects for Application of Ecosystem Services to Urban Forestry Perils for Ecosystem Services Research Improving Applications through Research

New Prospects: Urban Tree Canopy Goals and Private and Public Lands in Urban Areas Urban Tree Assessment, Baltimore City

New Prospects: Urban Tree Canopy Goals and Private and Public Lands in Urban Areas Urban Tree Assessment, Baltimore City

No Effect Low Effect Medium Effect High Effect Urban Tree Canopy Goals: Linking Urban Forestry to Ecosystem Services

Perils of Ecosystem Services Research Current focus of Ecosystem Services –Measuring stocks and fluxes of ecosystem services –Valuation and methods for valuation of ecosystem services Geography of Analyses and Advances in Data Questions that are really, really hard: –Interactions among variables –Non-linearities and thresholds –Differences in preferences among social groups –Changes in preferences over time

Farber et al “Linking Ecology and Economics for Ecosystem Management.” Bioscience 56(2):

Geography of Ecosystem Services ecovalue.uvm.edu $2,746,828 / year

Geography of Urban Forestry Applications and Advances in Data

No Effect Low Effect Medium Effect High Effect Peril 1: Interactions Among Variables

Peril 1: Interaction Effects among Proximity to Parks, Safety, and Property Values

Parcel Level Estimates of Ecosystem Services: - Access to Parks, - Safety (Crime), and - Property Values

Peril 2: Non-linear Relationships and Spatial Configuration: Tree Stocking Densities and Property Values

The relationships among household property values and environmental amenities are not constant over space or among social groups, Tree canopy cover is valued highest in the urban core. Peril 3: Differences Among Social Groups and Spatial Non-Stationarity of Household Property Values and Environmental Amenities

Area of Residential Realized UTC by Block Group Peril 3: Differences Among Social Groups: Realized UTC & Lifestyle Extrusion Factor = 25 PRIZM 62 Lifestyle Classification Money & Brains 47% more realized stewardship than Bohemian Mix Bohemian Mix

Peril 4: Differences in Preferences for Ecosystem Services Over Time 1931: Living close to the workplace (TRI site) and industrial areas, and 2001: Living far away from TRI sites (workplace) and industrial areas

1931: Living close to the workplace (TRI sites) and industrial areas

2001: Living far away from TRI sites (workplace) and industrial areas

Conclusion Areas of Focus to link Research to Application: Spatial and temporal resolution of data needed (scale of market transactions: parcel / annual) Types of data need to characterize and value ecosystem services over space, time, and for different social groups Models of ecosystem service change over space and time due to ecological and social dynamics Link ecosystem services assessments to urban forestry interventions and monitoring and evaluation

Abstract Prospects and Perils for Urban Forestry and Ecosystem Services: Application and Research Ecosystem Goods and Services are the benefits people obtain either directly or indirectly from functioning ecological systems. Assessment of Ecosystem Services focuses principally on three issues: measurements of ecological functions, estimates of values for specific ecological functions, and the spatially explicit transfer of valuation estimates from study sites to policy sites. An Ecosystem Service approach has been proposed as a compelling framework for natural resource management because it provides a framework for assessing diverse tradeoffs (Farber et al. 2006). In the case of urban forestry research and applications, however, important issues need to be addressed before an Ecosystem Service approach will be useful in general. In this presentation we discuss some of the perils and prospects for adopting an ecosystem service approach with examples from Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) research and Revitalizing Baltimore (RB) applications. These issues include the following questions. Do the measurements of ecological processes and valuation of those processes correspond to the resolution at which urban forestry occurs? Do our valuation estimates account for interactions among social and biophysical processes? Are existing valuation estimates related to urban forest ecosystem services similar enough in context to be transferred to Baltimore? Do our estimates of ecosystem service values depend upon linear relationships or constant variation over space? We conclude with a discussion of the challenges and limitations to value transfer approaches as well as future opportunities in making this analysis spatially and contextually specific. Support for this research comes from the Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service and NSF DEB Grant # Citation: Troy, A, Grove, J.M., and Wilson, M Prospects and Perils for Urban Forestry and Ecosystem Services: Application and Research. 12th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Vancouver, British Columbia. June 3 rd – 8 th, Published Abstract.