Nursery Tree Trait Preferences Among Florida (United States) Homeowners

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Abstract
Nursery producers and tree giveaway hosts must do their best to anticipate demand for the wide range of species and traits available. When trying to gauge customer response to various product design choices, companies often employ conjoint analysis to determine what features garner the most customer interest. For this study, we used the method to assess various tree attributes ranging from mature size to hurricane resistance. Our findings indicate that large nursery trees significantly deter consumer interest, though it remains unclear whether this is due to their cost or physical bulk. Similarly, consumers preferred trees that grew to small- and medium-stature at maturity over large-stature trees. Trees labeled as Florida-Friendly, native, or hurricane-resistant had a strong positive effect on purchasing interest among Florida residents.

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