Newswise — It is a well-known fact that trees provide many benefits to city dwellers such as shade and clean air. But when it comes to Torontonians who appreciate trees versus others who plant them in their backyards to revitalize the city’s urban forests, it depends on which neighbourhood you live in, say Ryerson University researchers.
To determine the characteristics of those most likely to plant a native tree in their backyard in the Greater Toronto Area, Chris Greene, a PhD student in Ryerson’s graduate program in Environmental Applied Science and Management, analysed the social-demographic data of people who participated in a tree-planting program run by Toronto-based Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving and protecting urban forests. LEAF’S Backyard Tree Planting Program offers native trees and shrubs to homeowners at a subsidized cost. Certified arborists also advise homeowners the type of trees they should buy and where to plant them, based on soil and light conditions, among other factors. The study was Greene’s master’s thesis in Ryerson’s Spatial Analysis program, and stemmed from his internship with the non-profit organization.
“My research,” says Greene, “grew out of a desire to help make the LEAF Backyard Tree Planting Program as efficient as possible.” He developed the study with two co-authors: faculty advisor Andrew Millward, an assistant professor of geography and Brian Ceh, chair of Ryerson’s Geography Department. Millward is also principal investigator of Ryerson’s Urban Forest Research and Ecological Disturbance Group.
Greene used 2006 census data and the addresses of 4,800 people who took part in LEAF’s planting program from 1996 to 2008 to conduct an analysis of neighourhoods in Etobicoke, Markham, Scarborough and Toronto (before it was amalgamated with Etobicoke and Scarborough in 1998).
Through his analysis, regional demographic differences came to light. For example, Toronto participants in the LEAF tree-planting program were more likely to have a household income of more than $100,000, own a home built before 1946, and come from a Scottish background.
By contrast, Markham participants tended to be women who earn between $50,000 and $60,000, were born in Ontario and have one or more children under the age of five. Etobicoke program participants were more likely to live in single, detached homes, claim British heritage and are men who work in the areas of social sciences, education, government services or religion.
Scarborough dwellers who planted trees through the LEAF program were more likely to own single, detached dwellings, like their Etobicoke counterparts, and showed a similar income trait as Markham residents (higher proportion of women earning more than $60,000). However these participants also have their own distinct characteristics: high proportions of female residents employed in public administration and a low proportion of residents between 15 to 24 years old with a high school diploma as their highest level of education.
“By identifying these strategic points,” Greene says, “LEAF can better target their efforts and hopefully increase the number of tree-planting homeowners in certain regions.”
Greene’s paper, “Urban Reforestation Client Characterization: Explaining Participation in a Toronto-Based Backyard Tree Planting Program Using Multinomial Regression Analysis of Socio-Demographic Data” will be published in a forthcoming journal. The project was partially funded by LEAF.
Ryerson University is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers close to 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to 28,000 students, including 2,000 master’s and PhD students, nearly 2,700 tenured and tenure-track faculty and staff, and more than 130,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca
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