Guest Contributor: Rebecca Hargrave, Associate Professor at SUNY Morrisville and a Ph.D. candidate, UMass Amherst
Part Two of a Series Focusing on Urban Forest Management in New York State
In 2021, researchers at UMass Amherst in conjunction with the NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Program and the New York State Urban Forestry Council conducted a survey of forest management program practices. The results have been published in the April 2024 issue of Cities and The Environment (CATE) (see Influence of Community Characteristics on Urban Forest Management Programs in New York State). Additional authors of the CATE article include Rick Harper, Ph.D., UMass Amherst, Jamie Mullins, Ph.D., UMass Amherst and Brett Butler, Ph.D., UMass Amherst/USDA Forest Service.
This series of posts discusses additional findings that may be useful to urban forest practitioners in New York State. Part One described which communities are more likely to manage street trees formally (See Taking Root, https://nysufc.org/results-from-a-formal-survey-of-urban-forest-management-in-new-york-state-part-1-program-status/2024/07/22/).
The current article relates to municipal staffing and contractors. In the results, the municipalities are categorized by size: Small Community (Pop. < 10,000), Medium Community (Pop. 10,000 to 65,000), and Large Community (Pop. > 65,000), and median household income (MHI): Low MHI (<$48,389), Middle MHI ($48,389 to $81,282), and High MHI (>$81,282).
Staff and Contractors
The question of staff to oversee and carry out the day-to-day management of trees is often critical to the success of an urban forest management program. Eighty-one percent of municipalities in the study indicated they employed staff responsible for street trees, and 8% contracted out that role. All Large, 87% of Medium, and 78% of Small Communities employed in-house staff. No Large Communities, 7% of Medium and 9% of Small Communities contracted that role. Additionally, as community Median Household Income (MHI) increased, so did the likelihood of having a contractor as the responsible person, with 83% of Low MHI, 81% of Middle MHI, and 78% of High MHI communities having responsible staff in-house.
Responsible Employee Titles and Departments
The titles of employees responsible for street tree management varied, and few (7.5%) were related to arboriculture, trees or forestry. The top five keywords were “Department of Public Works” (21%), “Superintendent” (21%), “Highway” (7%), “Supervisor” (4%), and “Arborist”(3%).
Only 18% of municipalities had a forestry department (or some equivalent), which was more likely as community population size increased. There was little difference in likelihood based on MHI. Over half (57%) of communities responded that their street tree program was within the purview of “Public Works”, 14% indicated “Highway”, 4% “Parks and Recreation”, 2% “Planning” and 6% “Other.”
Maintenance Staff
Statewide, 84% of communities responded that they employed in-house staff who conduct tree maintenance, including all Large and 95% of Medium Communities. Only 80% of Small Communities featured tree maintenance staff. The MHI of a community had little influence on the presence of maintenance staff.
Communities were asked whether they plan to hire staff in the future. Three percent responded “Yes” while 19% responded “Maybe” and 14% responded that they did not know.
Contractors
Eighty-three percent of communities responded that they had employed contractors in the previous five years. The likelihood of using contractors increased as community size increased. Middle MHI Communities were least likely to use contractors (81%).
Certifications
Municipalities were asked if their employees and contractors had certifications from the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA). More contractors held these certifications than employees, but respondants expressed greater uncertainty about contractor certification status. Large Communities (62%) were significantly more likely to have certified staff than Medium and Small Communities. The likelihood of certified staff was the lowest for Middle MHI Communities.
In summary, almost 90% of municipalities employ staff responsible for street tree management or contract that role out. While some municipalities have an “urban forestry” department or similar, the majority (57%) house tree maintenance in the Department of Public Works. Eighty-four percent of communities employ staff who maintain street trees and 83% use contractors, indicating that many communities utilize both. Few municipalities in the study featured employees with formal certification (15%), while many (46%) hired contractors who did. This may indicate an opportunity to provide formal certification training directed toward municipal employees.
Next Part: Part 3 will discuss Planting and Planting Assessments.