General assessment of urban community forestry activities in Iowa 1994 to 1996

Abstract

Since 1990, there has been an increase in tree planting in Iowa communities largely due to programs sponsored by investor-owned utilities. However, no data are available on the potential impacts of these planting, programs on community forest management in Iowa communities. Objectives of this study were to: (i) measure increases in community forestry activities in Iowa towns after they received utility-based tree-planting funds, and (ii) develop base-line information on types of community forestry management activities occurring in towns between 1994 and 1996. To accomplish these objectives, unique questionnaires were mailed to municipalities and to local tree group volunteers. Total response rate for the two surveys was 60 percent (n=941). Eighty-two percent of the communities responding to the volunteer survey (n= 100) showed an increase in community forestry activities (e.g. volunteer tree planting group, tree board, fund-raising activities, tree inventory) after they received utility-based tree-planting funds, and 40 percent added as many as four new activities. In most cases, the percentage of community respondents in the municipal survey with populations greater than 10,000 people, indicated they had specific forestry management activities more often than respondents from smaller communities. Responding communities to the municipal survey indicated that between 1994 and 1996 at least one tree was being planted for every tree that was being removed from public property. This is the reverse of earlier trends in Iowa. For the communities represented in the volunteer survey, it appears that the existence of structured organization and grass roots support increased the short-term benefits of investor-owned utility tree planting programs. To continue the recent positive trends in Iowa, it will be important for groups like investor-owned utilities and the Iowa Urban and Community Forestry Council to continue their support and encouragement of tree resource management.