for free, residents may worry about financial
costs and potential liability (Riedman
et al. 2022).
Prioritizing maintenance in communities that have
been historically neglected could help rebuild
trust, shift away from histories of systemic racism,
and increase tree planting in neighborhoods with
fewer trees. Such prioritization was a key strategy
for
Philadelphia's urban forest plan (released after
our publication). That plan involved an exten-
sive community engagement process, focusing
on under-resourced neighborhoods. Residents
voiced concerns about years of backlogged main-
tenance, and the plan's authors recommend that
implementation move at the 'speed of trust'.
Notably, the historical, cultural, and institutional
factors influencing community perspectives con-
cerning city trees may not always be related to
trees. For example, past discriminatory planning
practices and the siting of toxic waste sites in
disadvantaged neighborhoods have resulted in
cumulative injustices and distrust among com-
munity members toward municipalities (Bullard,
1993).
Further, these unjust practices often
become systemic and normalized such that the
same neighborhoods that experience disinvest-
ment or redlining often have less tree cover (Schell
et al., 2020; Locke et al., 2021). Therefore, to
build solidarity and trust with communities that
have been historically neglected and oppressed,
practitioners may wish to consider acknowl-
edging past discriminatory planning practices
within their UFMPs, even if they are not directly
linked to urban trees. The UFMPs from Seattle
and Philadelphia provide strong examples.
Public outreach regarding the benefits of trees
was described as one of the most vital strate-
gies for ensuring future community-driven tree
plantings and maintenance across most of the
analyzed UFMPs. This narrative suggests that if
a person or community knew more about the
value of urban trees, then they would be more
willing to plant them, care for them, and invest
in them financially. Moreover, that reasoning
implies that distributional inequities related to
tree cover may be due to some residents not fully
appreciating trees. This narrative oversimplifies
the spatio-temporal and socio-ecological com-
plexity of urban forest systems, as there are other
legitimate structural, historical, and institutional
factors that impact the distribution of urban trees,
including urban renewal and institutionalized
racism (Locke
et al., 2021; Roman et al. 2021). >>
Philly Tree Plan
Philadelphia published their first UFMP in 2023 which was
shaped by values of environmental justice, community engage-
ment, and sustainability. Philadelphia hired the Hinge Collective
to run a comprehensive community engagement process that
utilized creative outreach strategies such as virtual self-guided
presentations about redlining, neighborhood ambassador 'walk-
shops', and social media photo challenges. Municipal urban
foresters in Philadelphia recognize the importance of rebuilding
trust with city residents and have outlined some strategies for
how to do so within their UFMP; these include developing a
proactive maintenance cycle for public trees, improving com-
munication with residents, and hiring community organizers.
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