Research topic | Number (%) “very important” | Number (%) “somewhat important” | Sum of individual scores (ranking) |
---|---|---|---|
Identifying optimal maintenance regime for various management goals (cost versus benefit) | 11 (79%) | 3 (21%) | 67 (1) |
Calculating the economic return on investment for various maintenance practices | 9 (64%) | 5 (36%) | 65 (2) |
Identifying the costs of not maintaining trees (e.g. reduced benefits, built infrastructure costs, etc.) | 10 (71%) | 3 (21%) | 62 (3) |
Comparison of reactive vs. proactive/systematic maintenance efforts with regard to costs, benefits, tree health/condition, and urban tree longevity | 8 (57%) | 5 (36%) | 60 (4) |
Collecting/finding data that supports or refutes maintenance practices currently accepted by the industry | 8 (57%) | 5 (36%) | 60 (4) |
Assessing the impact of structural pruning (frequency, intensity, duration, etc.) on tree longevity and failure potential | 7 (50%) | 6 (43%) | 59 (5) |
Identifying the level in which urban trees influence socio-economic factors (e.g., neighborhood property values, crime rates, community involvement, and risk) | 6 (43%) | 7 (50%) | 58 (6) |
Determining the “dosage” of urban greening that is required to provide various benefits to human health and well-being | 3 (21%) | 10 (71%) | 55 (7) |
Calculating the true costs of tree maintenance from production to removal/disposal | 7 (50%) | 5 (36%) | 55 (7) |
Determining the optimal dosage (frequency, intensity, duration, etc.) of maintenance practices like irrigation, pruning, pest management, etc. | 6 (43%) | 6 (43%) | 54 (8) |
Identifying ways to effectively initiate and sustain communication/engagement with the community | 6 (43%) | 6 (43%) | 54 (8) |
Identifying the minimum level of care required to reduce transplant loss/early mortality to acceptable levels | 1 (7%) | 12 (86%) | 53 (9) |
Developing ways to effectively show the connection between the maintenance of individual trees and higher-level policy goals | 7 (54%)z | 4 (31%)z | 51 (10) |
Assessing the impact of site conditions/region on growth and survival of trees | 2 (14%) | 10 (71%) | 50 (11) |
↵z Includes one non-respondent.