DRAFT
1/21/19

TREE PLANTING PROGRAM SURVEY

Thank you for agreeing to take this survey about your city’s Tree Planting Program. The survey is meant to get an accurate picture of what the program looks like in your city, so please don’t feel like there are any wrong answers to any questions.

As you consider the questions, focus on the last fiscal year of the program’s operation. We realize that some Urban Forestry programs have been operating for decades, while others are newer initiatives – go with your intuition in how to best answer questions based on the history of your program. If there is a question you don’t feel prepared to answer, feel free to skip that question and make a note in the fill-in box to tell us who would be a better person to ask.

This research study focuses on how cities’ urban sustainability programs are structured and implemented, and their potential environmental impacts. With an accurate picture of what cities are doing, we hope to be able to figure out how the implementation of urban sustainability programs makes a difference on behaviors and environmental outcomes. We thank you in advance for your willingness to help us understand your program!

The survey is designed to take 30 minutes.

Attachments: Additional documents we are interested in include:

  1. Attach annual work plan outlining the work carried out during the past year. Attach breakdown of community forestry expenditures.
  2. Staff list who work on this program (Names, Years experience, Titles, Hours/week allocated to the program).
  3. Tree inventory sample – if available
  4. If homeowners are responsible for caring for trees planted on their sidewalks, can we get a copy of the flyer that tells them what they have to do?

Your name:
Title:
Office/Department:
Email address:
Phone number:
Official Title of the Tree Planting Program:
Manager/Director of the Tree Planting Program:

[1] THE PROGRAM INFRASTRUCTURE

  1. How many trees will the program plant this year?
  2. How many trees will the program plant by 2020?
  3. How many trees are planted in an average year?
  4. What are the top five (or more) species of trees that are planted?

Are they planting more shade trees? Diversity? Environmental benefit vs. aesthetic value.

  1. ______
  2. ______
  3. ______
  4. ______
  5. ______
  1. What factors to you use in choosing what trees to plant? (better interview Q?)

Existing sidewalk; utilities; existing infrastructure;

  1. How many trees survive after:

Less than 25% / 25-40% / 41-50% / 51-60% / 61-70% / 71-80% / 81-90% / 91-100% / Don’t know
1 year warranty period
3 year warranty period
After 10 years?
  1. Does the program have an arborculturalist on staff? (Y/N)

None / Less than 25% / 25-50% / 50-75% / 75%-100% / 100% / N/A or don’t know
What percentage of trees planted are in good to excellent health after 1 year?
After 5 years?
After 10 years?
After 25 years?
  1. What percentage of trees were planted in each location in an average year:

None / Less than 25% / 25-50% / 50-75% / 75%-100% / 100% / N/A
Along streets
In public parks
On private land
In low income neighborhoods
None / Less than 25% / 25-40% / 41-50% / 51-60% / 61-70% / 71-80% / 81-90% / 91-100% / Don’t know
Along streets
In public parks
On private land
In low income neighborhoods

[1b] DESIGN + Construction

  1. At the tree planting sites, how many (all/most/one half/a few/none) of the trees are surrounded by the following design features?
    Check the category that best applies.

All / Most / One half / A few / None
Grates/Paving/Pavement
Gates
Other landscaping/open space
  1. Please rate each of the following site condition questions about the new tree planting sites.

Always / Most of the time / Sometimes / Never / Don’t know
Do utility trenches interest or interrupt any of the new tree sites?
Was soil compacted at the tree planting sites BEFORE the trees were planted?
Was soil compacted at the tree planting sites AFTER the trees were planted?
Did you analyze soil quality or compaction at the sites?
Is soil contamination a problem at 10% or more of new tree planting sites?

[2] maintenance: Staffing + Funding

Attach annual work plan outlining the work carried out during the past year. Attach breakdown of community forestry expenditures.

  1. Total program expenditures in the fiscal year: $
  2. Community population total:
  3. What are your top three funding sources?
    Examples:
  4. Have to pay to open new well in sidewalk
  5. Fines for injuring a tree (incl. ambulance chasers)
  6. Contributions to mitigate tree removal
  1. Is future funding considered to be:
  2. Limited
  3. Ongoing and plentiful
  4. Uncertain? (check list)

Why? (Please explain in a sentence or two.

  1. For what time period is funding assured?
  2. < 1 year
  3. 1 year
  4. > 1 year

  1. MAKE ATTACHMENT TO BE SUBMITTED SEPARATELY
    Who are the staff who worked or continue to work on this project?

Name / Yrs experience / Job title / Hrs/week on this program / Ongoing work on program? (y/n)
  1. Does the program rely on independent contractors or the public for some aspects of implementation? Please mark whether each of the following roles are included in the program:

Always / Most of the time / Sometimes / Never / Don’t know
Independent contractors identify and select sites
Independent contractors plant the trees
Independent contractors maintain the trees
Community partners identify and select sites
Community partners plant the trees
Community partners maintain the trees
Private landowners plant the trees
Private landowners maintain the trees
City staff plant and maintain the trees.
  1. Is there an ongoing maintenance plan?
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. Is the maintenance plan currently in effect?
  5. Yes
  6. No

[3] POLICY TOOLS

  1. Are the following planting specs, policy tools, or analysis projects included as a part of this program?

Yes / No / Don’t know
Planting specs for planting
Design standards for new developments
Tree protection ordinances
Subsidies need more specific language here
Technical assistance
Benchmarking
Data collection
Data analysis
Transparency
Performance analysis
Educational website or brochures
Mobilization or training of volunteers
Tree maintenance training for private planters
  1. If subsidies are offered as a part of this program, what is the $ total offered? (offer N/A option)
  1. How many subsidies have been disbursed?
  2. If technical assistance is offered as a part of this program, how many entities have used this service?

TECHNICAL AND PLANNING RESOURCES

  1. Is the program part of a larger comprehensive plan? (Yes/no)
    If so, what is the name of the plan?

Budget book with a narrative of what we’ve done; but no comprehensive inter-departmental cooperation.

  1. Was a comprehensive (aka strategic/master) plan developed for the program?
  2. Yes
  3. No
    Try to address it on a project basis rather than city-wide.
  4. Want to get something that captures new practices – distinction between comp plan.
  5. Were individuals or groups outside your agency involved in the planning? (Y/N)
    If yes, in what form? If no, why not?
  1. Does the comp plan address or contain:

Yes / No / Don’t know
Short range planning
Long range planning
Time, responsibility and budgeting
Site specific planning
Specific benchmarks
Monitoring and evaluation
  1. Is the comp plan a signed agreement? Who are the signatories?
  1. Is the comprehensive plan enforceable? In what ways?
  1. Can the plan be modified when deemed necessary?
  2. By who?
  3. Which aspects of it?
  4. Was a management plan developed (if not integrated in comp plan)?
    If no, why not.
  1. What software, if any, was used in the program planning process, and for what kind of analysis?

I-Tree / American Forests’ City Green / GIS / None
Developing a canopy map
Identifying planting locations
Selecting planting locations
Developing a canopy map
Calculating program benefits
Forecasting the program outcomes over time

Other (please describe): ______

Thank you for completing the survey! We will be in touch to follow up with a short interview.

INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

Name of interviewee:
Title/Department:
Phone number:
Email address:
Date of interview:
Time: / Start:
Finish:

Introduction to Interview:

This study focuses on how cities’ urban sustainability programs are structured and implemented, and their potential environmental impacts. With an accurate picture of what cities are doing, we hope to be able to figure out how the implementation of urban sustainability programs makes a difference on behaviors and environmental outcomes.

In this interview I will ask you some questions about your city’sTree Planting Program. Please don’t feel there are any wrong answers to these questions – my goal is to get as accurate a picture as possible of this program, and the city’s experience of creating and implementing the Tree Planting Program.

I will be audiotaping this interview so I can make sure I’ve captured your responses accurately. Is that okay with you?

Notes to the interviewer:
In all cases, probe any responses for clarity:
“Can you give me an example of that?” “Can you describe what that looks like?”
Never settle for a yes/no answer.

Goals + origins:

  1. I’d like to start by asking you to describe the goals of the Tree Planting Program. How are you (the city) thinking about the main benefits of the program?
    RATING: Internal Framing: Economic – human health – aesthetic – equity – ______

To increase the overall tree canopy, but still maintain the existing trees that we have; diverse urban forest.

  1. What is your role in the program?
  2. What is the motto or sales pitch for presenting the program to the public?
    And other stakeholders?(Issue framing)
    RATING: External Framing: Economic – human health – aesthetic – equity – ______
  3. Can you describe how the city came to decide to implement this program?
  4. How did the program idea originate?
  5. Was it championed by a particular person (like a bureaucratic champion)? If so, who? (Probe for position title)
  6. Has the mayor or another official embraced or challenged the program?

Obstacles:

  1. What have been the biggest obstacles to overcome in establishing this program?
    Probe for political, organizational, + financial obstacles
  2. And do you foresee any upcoming obstacles?
  3. Can you describe any opposition to this program (internal/community/industry)?
  4. Can you suggest someone who we should talk to who was in opposition?
  5. Have these obstacles or conflicts changed the program in any way from what was originally planned? If so, how and why did you change your plans?

Funding:

  1. Can you describe the funding situation for the program?
  2. What are the program’s initial and ongoing financial resources?
  3. How would you expand the program if more money were available?
  4. Is continued funding an issue?
    RATING: The program’s financial resources are finite/ongoing/uncertain

Publicity/Popularity/controversy:

  1. Do you have a system to disseminate information to the media and the public?
    (If yes, Can you describe what that looks like?)
  2. Have you noticed any negative coverage?
    Can you give me an example of that?
  3. What are the common criticisms of this program?
    (Can you give me an example?)
    Where have they appeared?
  4. Has media coverage been increasing over the life of the program?
  5. Would you characterize the public’s attitude towards the status of the program as widely popular and uncontroversial, controversial, or uncontroversial because of low visibility?Why?
    Probe for:
    Controversy based on the issue, a particular demographic dynamic, power and resources, ‘special interests’, visibility, other: ______
    Popularity based on status as a key public interest issue, popular support, economic reasons, visible outcomes, direct effects on people, other: ______
    Uncontroversial b/c of apathy: unrelated to people’s lives, low visibility, other: ___
  6. Has there been a focusing event related to the program that either consolidated positive momentum or created a challenging roadblock? Can you give me an example of that?

RATING: Refers to publicity and media coverage, but the interviewer can take into account all aspects of public attitude and focusing events as well.

Coverage: hi/low; Quality: good/bad/mixed; Trajectory: improving/worsening

  1. Is there any historical background in your city, such as previous programs or initiatives, which may have shaped or influenced this program?

Program Resources, Staffing, implementation:Now I’d like to ask a few questions about what the actual implementation of the program looks like.

  1. Can you give me a sense for whether program staff have sufficient time and expertise dedicated to the program, or are staff balancing many different projects of which this program is just one?
  2. Can you describe how the program decided where to plant the trees?
    (Probe for mapping, software, use of demographics information)
  3. Is the program designed to integrate information from the public?
    If Y, can you describe what that process looks like?
    if/how the program’s staff solicits or integrates public input/knowlege?
  4. What do you see, if any, as future challenges to this program?
    (Probe for obstacles again:
    Admin/jurisdictional conflict – turf disputes – regulatory disputes – turnover)
  5. Is there anything else you’d like to tell me about this program, your experience implementing it, or what you foresee as next steps?

Thank you so much for taking this time to describe the (city) Tree Planting Program. I know this interview will contribute to what we learn from the study.

Possible questions to add:

Authority: Does the implementing organization have sole authority over program decisions, or must they get permission from other organizations? Explain.

Software and analysis: Why did you choose the software that you did?

1