From managerial to entreprenurial urban ecology: Challenges with devolving forestry to the local private sector

Background/Question/Methods

Much importance is now placed on expanding multiple stakeholder partnerships in providing provision for urban and community forestry. Research conducted in Wisconsin between 2005 and 2006 reveals that state-level strategies to increase support for urban and community forestry is successful, albeit applied unevenly. Programs like the one in Wisconsin that seek to support local forestry initiatives via expanded local citizen input rely heavily on extant informed and motivated citizen groups, rather than helping to produce these groups throughout all Wisconsin communities. This is problematic because evidence in this study suggests that these already active groups tend to exist in affluent communities home to strong forestry programs. Poorer communities with fewer ‘forestry-minded’ citizens tend to lose out because they aren’t aware of state programs and funding for which they must apply to bolster their ailing local forests.

Results/Conclusions

This qualitative research project is based on 36 in-depth interviews with stakeholders and suggests that as structured, Wisconsin’s Urban and Community Forestry Program actually enhances- rather than ameliorates- structural unevenness of public urban forests across the state. In order to overcome this deficiency, the state needs to scrap its ‘first-come-first-served’ policy and specifically target forest-deficient communities for direct assistance. In this process, awareness within marginalized communities need be made about program opportunities related to the importance of urban forests for quality of life, and more assistance given to these communities regarding application procedures and program requirements for successful implementation and fulfillment.