1

Richard Hauer and Ward PetersonProfessor of Urban Forestry, University of Wisconsin – Stevens PointUrban Forestry Manager, Davey Resource Group

National WebinarSeptember 29, 2016

Municipal Tree Care Management in the U.S.:A 2014 Urban & Community Forestry

Census of Tree Activities

Many Partners and Supports

Universities, Non-profits, Government, Industry

Dr. Kielbaso, Ken Ottman, and Colleagues

Started Collecting Data Since 19741974 >>>> 1993 >>>>1986 >>>>1980 >>>>

Survey Instrument

Long and Short Form Versions

109 Questions 53 Questions

Municipal Tree Care & Management in the U.S.

A 2014 U&CF Forestry Census of Tree Activities

(http://bit.ly/MuniTree) 

4 Regions and 9 Divisions

United States Census Bureau Definitions

2

Study Design

Survey Response Rate

60.6

53.6

38.134.1

38.4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1974 1980 1986 1993 2015

Per

cen

t R

esp

on

se

Study Design

Survey Response Rate

0102030405060708090100

020406080

100120140160180200

Res

po

nse

(%

)

Res

po

nse

s (#

)

Population

# Responses

% Response

N=668

343

525

1,697

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

1974 1980 2014

Mea

n S

tree

t Tr

ee V

alu

e

Year

Nominal Dollars

Value of Money

Nominal (historic) and Real (adjusted) Values

CPI Adjustment1974 to 2014 = 4.801986 to 2014 = 2.16

343

525

1,6971,648

1,134

1,697

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

1974 1980 2014

Mea

n S

tree

t Tr

ee V

alu

e

Year

Nominal Dollars Real Dollars

N=41 N=86

Value of Money

CPI Adjustment1974 to 2014 = 4.801986 to 2014 = 2.16

Nominal (historic) and Real (adjusted) Values

What’s Your Urban Forest Like?

Many Challenges to Growing the Urban Forest

Conduct Tree Activities

Percentage of Who Said Yes

86.0

0 20 40 60 80 100

Total, all cities

Over 1,000,000

500,000 - 1,000,000

250,000 - 500,000

100,000 - 249,999

50,000 - 99,999

25,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 24,999

5,000 - 9,999

2,500 - 4,999

Percent

Po

pu

lati

on

3

How Many Decision Making Levels

From the Field to the Highest Level

4.1

0 2 4 6 8

Total, all cities

Over 1,000,000

500,000 - 1,000,000

250,000 - 500,000

100,000 - 249,999

50,000 - 99,999

25,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 24,999

5,000 - 9,999

2,500 - 4,999

Number of Decision Making Steps

Po

pu

lati

on

31

86

57

46

37

31

29

25

24

25

0 20 40 60 80 100

Total, all cities

Over 1,000,000

500,000 - 1,000,000

250,000 - 500,000

100,000 - 249,999

50,000 - 99,999

25,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 24,999

5,000 - 9,999

2,500 - 4,999

Years Community Has Person Reasonable for Trees

Po

pu

lati

on

Years of Tree Management Responsibility

A Person Responsible for Trees in Community

What’s in your Wallet?

Training and Credentials

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

No Training or Workshops

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

In-House On-The-Job Training

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

Attend Tree Care Workshops

What’s in your Wallet?

Training and Credentials

What’s in your Wallet?

Training and Credentials

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

ISA Certified Arborist on Staff

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

ISA Municipal Specialist on Staff

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

ISA Advanced Credential on Staff

0102030405060708090

100

Per

cen

t

Population

State License or Credential on Staff

Baseline Indicator: What’s in your Wallet?

Training and Credentials

4

Municipal Department Responsible Public Trees

Had to Pick One Department Only

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Pe

rcen

t

Population

Public Works

Streets/Transportation

Municipal Department Responsible Public Trees

Had to Pick One Department Only

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Pe

rcen

t

Population

Forestry/Urban Forestry

Parks&Rec

Municipal Department Responsible Public Trees

Had to Pick One Department Only

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Pe

rcen

t

Population

Forestry/Urban ForestryParks&RecPublic WorksStreets/Transportation 2.0

2.6 2.32.7 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.2

3.7

2.7

0

1

2

3

4N

um

ber

of

Dep

artm

ents

Population Group

Municipal Department Responsible Public Trees

# of Departments Associated With Tree Management

Community Tree Management Statements

Strength with Agree and Disagree with Statement

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t

Population

Municipal Departments Cooperate

SD

D

N

A

SA

n=639

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t

Population

Departments Operate Common Goals & Objectives

SD

D

N

A

SA

n=627

Municipal Department Responsible Public Trees

# of Departments Associated With Tree Management

1

2

3

4

5

Agreement

Population

Municipal Departments CooperateSA

D

SD

A

N

n=627

1

2

3

4

5

Agreement

Population

Departments Operate Common Goals & Objectives

n=627

SA

D

SD

A

N

5

Systematic Management

Henri Fayol – Father of Systematic Management

56.050.0

38.5

55.2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1974 1980 1986 1993 2014

Pe

rce

nt

Northeast Midwest South West Total, all cities

Systematic Management

% of Communities Rated as Systematic

Baseline Indicators: Pruning Cycle

Current, Desired, & Time Off Cycle

Just What are You Worth?

Compensation is Part of This Answer

Positions and Pay (Annual Earnings $’s)

What Do Municipal Staff Earn?

71,219

64,809

56,058

52,483

47,837

44,874

40,567

39,236

36,558

23,160

58,738

53,468

46,997

46,512

40,433

38,185

34,473

33,038

31,797

21,517

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

Forestry Manager/City Forester

Other

Urban Forestry Specialist/Inspect.

Working Foreman (Crew Chief)

Arborist (pruning/trimming)

Equipment Operator

Truck Driver

Clerical Support Office

Laborer

Seasonal Worker

Annual Base Earnings ($’s)

Po

siti

on Starting

Average

20.10 19.42

15.91

20.4719.44

0

5

10

15

20

25

Midwest Northeast South West Total

Ave

rag

e P

ay (

$)

Region

Arborist

23.8226.17

16.53

22.71 22.36

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Midwest Northeast South West Total

Ave

rag

e P

ay (

$)

Region

Working Forman

28.3830.58

24.25

30.6928.24

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Midwest Northeast South West Total

Ave

rag

e P

ay (

$)

Region

Forestry Manager / City Forester

Positions and Starting Pay (Annual Base $’s)

Some Region Examples?

22.2825.05

18.38

25.0622.59

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Midwest Northeast South West Total

Ave

rag

e P

ay (

$)

Region

Urban Forestry Specilalist/Inspector

6

Positions and Pay (Annual Mean Earnings $’s)

How Do Arborists Compare?

33,870 35,150 39,930

42,640 43,390 46,720 46,960 47,837

-

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

An

nu

al M

ean

Bas

e P

ay (

$)

Sector

0

< Private Sector > <<<<<<<<<< Public Sector >>>>>>>>>>>> 

All Occupations National Mean $22.71 or $47,230 annually

Positions and Pay (Annual Earnings $’s)

What is the National Mean for All Occupations?

71,219

64,809

56,058

52,483

47,837

44,874

40,567

39,236

36,558

23,160

47,230

0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000

Forestry Manager/City Forester

Other

Urban Forestry Specialist/Inspect.

Working Foreman (Crew Chief)

Arborist (pruning/trimming)

Equipment Operator

Truck Driver

Clerical Support Office

Laborer

Seasonal Worker

National All Occupations (BLS)

Annual Earnings ($'s)

Po

siti

on

Just How Much Experience

Mid- to late-career positions

10.7 years in Current Job20.0 years Experience in Tree Care / Management

Just How Many Municipal Jobs

First time this has been estimated?

32,588 ( 5,864) Full-Time Equivalents

49,362 ( 9,675) Total Employees

Social• Aesthetics and Shade• Property Values

Ecologic• Energy Savings• Water Interception• Air Pollutant Removal

Economic• Business activity• Human health

Important functions of trees … value, benefits, money

…that no trees & dead trees don’t provide … liability, costs, money

Municipal Budgets

How Much is Needed?

How much money is needed?

What’s the best comparison method?

What’s the context?

7

Municipal Budgets

Percent Tree Budget of Municipal Budget

0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0

Total, all cities

Over 1,000,000

500,000 - 1,000,000

250,000 - 500,000

100,000 - 249,999

50,000 - 99,999

25,000 - 49,999

10,000 - 24,999

5,000 - 9,999

2,500 - 4,999

Tree Budget / Total Municipal Budget (%)

Po

pu

lati

on

1974

1980

1986

1993

2014

Municipal Budgets

Percent Tree Budget of Municipal Budget

Municipal Budgets

Per Capita Tree Budget

613,061

376,036 352,834

458,063

801,595

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1974 1980 1986 1993 2014

Tre

e B

ud

ge

t / T

ota

l M

un

i Bu

dg

et

(%)

Bu

dg

et (

$)Budget Percent Total Budget

Municipal Budgets

Budget (Real $’s) and Tree Budget as % of Municipal Budget

Solid line:  direct measurements

Dotted line: inferred from dendrochronology data confirming EAB‐induced ash mortality from 1994 ‐2004

EAB‐Induced Ash Mortality SE Michigan

The outcome of doing nothing (Image by Dan Herms)

Net Benefit of EAB Management

EAB Management Works, If you like it or not EAB will costs $

8

Net Benefit of EAB Management

EAB Management Works, If you like it or not EAB will costs $

Municipal Budgets

Effect of EAB on Budget

0.46

0.570.52

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

No EAB in State EAB in State All Places

Tree

Bu

dg

et a

s %

of

Tota

l B

ud

get

No EAB in State EAB in State All Places

Municipal Budgets

Effect of EAB

7.88

9.408.76

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

No EAB in State EAB in State All Places

Per

Cap

ita

Tree

Bu

dg

et (

$)No EAB in State EAB in State All Places

Municipal Budgets

Real Budget (2014 $’s) Spent Per Street Tree

39.36

30.94

22.94

7.61

37.50

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1974 1980 1986 1993 2014

Do

llars

Per

Tre

e

Year

9

Sources of Funding

Types of Sources Used

0 20 40 60 80 100

General fund

Special frontage tax

Tree mill levy

Road use tax

Endowment

Vehicle tax

Job training/corp

Revenue sharing

Gas tax

Community dev. block grant

Forestry grant

Percent of Budget

Mean 74 - 93

2014

Sources of Funding

Who Pays the Bills?

72.18.5

5.33.12.61.41.40.90.90.80.80.70.50.30.20.20.10.10.10.0490.001

0 20 40 60 80 100

General FundOther

Assessment DistrictGas Tax

Forestry Grants (e.g., State/Federal)Stormwater/Utility

Permit FeesRoad-use Tax

DonationsCommunity Development Block Grants

Special Frontage TaxMill Levy (Forestry/Tree)

Tree MemorialsService Fees

Vehicle TaxEmergency Mgmt./Hazard Mitigation

FinesRevenue Sharing

EndowmentWood Product Sales

Job Corps

Percent of Places

Where Does the Money Go?

The Big Three (Planting, Pruning, Removal) & More

Figure 5. Percent allocation of tree care budget by activity area. (n=268)

Where Does the Money Go?

The Big Three (Planting, Pruning, Removal) by Region

15 16 15 12 1421

1624

36

242834

18 1423

0102030405060708090

100

Midwest Northeast South West Total

Per

cen

t

Region

Planting

Pruning

Removal

Who Does the Work?

A Short Form Story

City Staff54%

Contractor41%

Volunteer5%

6873

8892 93 90

9591

100

88

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t U

sin

g C

on

trac

tors

Population

Who Does the Work?

How Common are Contractors Hired?

10

Who Does the Work?

A Short Form Story

21.2 23.0 22.5 21.1

39.1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

1974 1980 1986 1993 2014

Per

cen

t

Year

Percent of BudgetSpent on Contracting

Cost to Remove Urban Trees and Stumps

368

108

556

174

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

Tree Removal Stump Removal

Co

st P

er T

ree

($)

City Staff

Contractor

Results from 2014 Municipal Tree Care and Management (n=48 to 121)

Cost for Activity Per Tree

Should I Contract or Should I In-house

Yup, Depends, What’s Your Question

139 175

368

10862 36

265

168

423

556

174120

195

791

0100200300400500600700800900

Cost ($)

Tree Activity

2014 CostsIn-house

Contract100 129

293

109

32

175247

488

10949

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Triming Planting TreeRemoval

StumpRemoval

Spraying

Cost ($)

Tree Activity

1980 Costs (In 2014 Real $'s)In-house

Contract

97136

289

102

28

194

287

473

121

37

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Triming Planting TreeRemoval

StumpRemoval

Spraying

Cost ($)

Tree Activity

1986 Costs (In 2014 Real $'s)In-house

Contract

Who Does the Work?

A Volunteer Story

270 159 158 368 631 1,090

3,087 2,607

12,538

852

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

Mea

n V

olu

nte

ers

Ho

urs

Population

26.2

7.0 8.4 9.5 9.17.4 8.0

3.7 4.8

9.8

0

5

10

15

20

25

Tim

e P

er P

erso

n

Population

34 31 38 211 119 252 324 526

4,069

205

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

Nu

mb

er o

f V

olu

nte

ers

Population

5260 61 57

71 75

9182

100

65

0

20

40

60

80

100P

erce

nt

Usi

ng

Vo

lun

teer

s

Population

Who Does the Work?

A Volunteer Story

345,466 (195,754 SEM) people volunteered

1,484,204 (665,460) hours with tree activities

714 (320 SEM) FTE’s (2080 hour base year)

$35 million volunteer impact ($23.56 per hour)

Why Do We Write Standards?

The Concept of Tree Pruning is Complex

11

Standards of Work and Practice

Commonality of Incorporation into Tree Management Procedures

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t

Population

ANSI A300

ANSI Z133.1

Have Not Heard of These Standards

Standards of Work and Practice

Use with Hiring Contractors

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t

Population

Require use ofANSI Z60.1standards

Require use ofANSI Z133.1standards

Require use ofANSI A300standards

Hiring preferencegiven to ISACertified Arborists

Hiring preferencegiven to TCIAAccreditedcompanies

Standards of Work and Practice

Use with Hiring Contractors

0 20 40 60 80 100

Require use of ANSI Z60.1 standards

Require use of ANSI Z133.1 standards

Require use of ANSI A300 standards

Hiring preference given to ISA CertifiedArborists

Hiring preference given to TCIAAccredited companies

Percent

Know About Your Tree Population?

Commonality of Tree Inventory Systems

30

42

5968

76 79

100

82

67 67

0

20

40

60

80

100In

ven

tory

(%

)

Population

Tree Inventory

What Data is Collected

98

89

88

77

70

55

51

15

6

0 20 40 60 80 100

Tree species

Tree diameter

Tree condition

Tree planting locations

Tree removal

Insect/disease problems

Tree risk assessment

Other

Potential debris volume

Percent

Act

ivit

y

Tree Inventory

What They are Used For

0 20 40 60 80 100

Identifying tree planting locations

Selection of tree species for planting

Removal of trees exceeding acceptablerisk rating

Scheduling tree pruning

Communicating tree benefits tocommunity

Tree pruning for height clearance(street/sidewalk)

Policy and ordinance development

Assessing canopy cover changebetween time periods

Percent

Act

ivit

y

12

Tree Canopy

Do you have a goal or developing one?

Tree Canopy

Do you have a goal or developing one?

44

32

13

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Canopy Goal (%) Current Canopy(%)

Years to ReachGoal

Un

it (

Yea

rso

r P

erce

nt)

The Urban Forestry Through Your Eyes

What is your urban forest?

Defensive Dieback

Not so Convinced

High Risk Eucalyptus Removal

Policy Through Ordinance

Does a Community have a Tree Ordinance

6773

8895 96 100 100 100 100

91

0102030405060708090

100P

erce

nt

Population

Policy Through Ordinance

Does a Community have a Tree Ordinance

0 20 40 60 80 100

Regulate species planted on street

Regulate species planted on privateproperty

Define tree maintenanceresponsibilities

Regulate removal of dead ordiseased trees

Require developer to plantsubdivisions

Require replacement of publicallyremoved trees

Identify formula for monetary value

Percent

Ord

inan

ce

Mean 1974 - 1993

2014

Policy Through Ordinance

Tree Preservation Ordinance

0

20

40

60

80

100

Per

cen

t

Population

1974198019862014

Tree Preservation Ordinance

13

Critical Root Zone Calculations – “Absolute”

Smiley, E.T. 2008. Root Pruning and Stability of Young Willow Oak. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 34(2)123-128

Tree Stability and Trenching

Subject Trees: 15 cm (6 in)

Tree Stability and Trenching

3 Times DBH or Further

<30%

Critical Root Zone

Critical and Absolute Values

Critical Root Zone

Critical and Absolute Values (Image by Jeremy Barrick)

Create CAD layers for:

•TREE ID #

•Absolute CRZ 

•ISA CRZ

Do You Speak Engineer

Computer Aided Design (CAD) (Image by Jeremy Barrick)

Municipal Forestry Disposal of Removed Trees

Results from a 2014 National Survey

83.5

48.5

31.1

13.5

12.0

8.6

7.2

5.6

5.3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Mulch

Firewood

Landfilled

Processed into lumber

Biofuel for energy

Made into furniture/flooring/art

Other

Sale of round wood(e.g., sawlogs, pulp, veneer)

Burned in open

Percent

A community may do one or more of these options (n=643)

14

Municipal Forestry Disposal of Removed Trees

Results from a 2014 National Survey (y axis in percent, x axis as population)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100 Mulch

0102030405060708090

100

Firewood

0102030405060708090

100

Biofuel for energy

0102030405060708090

100

Burned in open

Municipal Forestry Disposal of Removed Trees

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Processed into lumber

Results from a 2014 National Survey (y axis in percent, x axis as population)

Municipal Forestry Disposal of Removed Trees

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Processed into lumber

Results from a 2014 National Survey (y axis in percent, x axis as population) Treatment by Divine Intervention (Photos by Joe Hoffman)

Innovations in Arboriculture

Tree Diversity and Scale (Landscape Level)

The entire U.S. urban forest is diverse

All RegionsSpecies % FreqAcer platanoides 5.3Fraxinus pennsylvanica 3.2Gleditsia triacanthos 3.0Acer saccharinum 2.8Acer rubrum 2.8Quercus virginiana 1.2Acer saccharum 1.2Pyrus calleryana 0.8Liquidambar styraciflua 0.7Tilia cordata 0.7Platanus x acerifolia 0.7Celtis occidentalis 0.7Ulmus pumila 0.6Lagerstroemia indica 0.6Quercus palustris 0.5

115 Species

71 Genera

32 Families

Tree Diversity and Scale (Regional Level)

Diversity if a city has this tree species (% of total)

Midwest RegionSpecies Places (n) % Freq SEMAcer platanoides 34 14.2 1.6Fraxinus pennsylvanica 31 13.8 1.6Acer saccharinum 37 12.6 1.8Acer rubrum 25 9.8 1.3Quercus palustris 7 9.3 2.0Gleditsia triacanthos 48 8.7 0.6Ulmus americana 7 7.9 2.1Picea pungens 7 7.9 1.4Acer x freemanii 7 6.9 1.6Pyrus calleryana 6 6.7 1.1Acer saccharum 17 6.6 0.7Fraxinus americana 9 6.6 0.7Tilia cordata 11 6.6 1.0Celtis occidentalis 12 5.6 1.0Quercus rubra 5 4.2 0.5

15

Tree Diversity and Scale (Local Level)

Dominance by the top 6 species in a community

61.3

23.7

13.4

8.5

6.3

5.1

4.3

0 20 40 60 80 100

Total top six

Most common

Second most common

Third most common

Fourth most common

Fifth most common

Sixth most common

Percent of Total Tree Population

Urban Forestry Program Models

Tree City USAUSDA-FS CARS

SMA Accredited UF ProgramsClark & Matheny 1997 Model

Kenney et al. 2011 Updated Model

Tree City USA Standards

Tree Board or Department

Tree Care Ordinance

Budget $2 Per Capita Annually

Arbor Day Observance & Proclamation

Meet these four Standards and your in

Tree City USA Standards All Four Standards

0 20 40 60 80 100

Total, all cities

Over 1,000,000

500,000 ‐ 1,000,000

250,000 ‐ 500,000

100,000 ‐ 249,999

50,000 ‐ 99,999

25,000 ‐ 49,999

10,000 ‐ 24,999

5,000 ‐ 9,999

2,500 ‐ 4,999

Percent

Population Group 4 3 2 1 0

Meet these Seven Standards and your in

3.16

0

1

2

3

4

Sta

nd

ard

s M

eet

Population Group

Tree City USA Standards All Four Standards Arbor Day Observance & Proclamation

Budget $2 Per Capita Annually

Tree Board or Department

Tree Car Ordinance

Meet these four Standards and your in

Tree City USA Standards All Four Compared

Meet these four Standards and your in

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Population Group

Department

Ordinance

Budget

Arbor Day