Urban Residential Landowner Interest in Emerging Urban Wood Product Markets: Results from a Multi-City Survey

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Abstract
Background: For the past 20 years, approximately twice as many trees were removed annually from urban areas in the USA as were harvested annually from the US National Forest System. Yet, most of this wood is treated as waste instead of as a valuable resource to generate economic growth and sustainable cities. Residential landowners are key actors in the establishment of local urban wood economies as both sources of material and users of urban wood products, yet they remain a difficult to reach group compared with others, such as tree care companies, mill operators, and public landowners. Methods: We analyze a representative survey of urban residential landowners in 6 United States cities. We assess (1) status of participation in urban wood systems; and (2) interest in and perceived importance of urban wood products. Results: Overall, 15% of residential landowners reported purchasing or acquiring urban wood products in the past. Landowners were more likely to purchase—and were more interested in—lower value products like wood chips and compost than higher value products like lumber or furniture. Private sector actors, like landscaping and tree care companies, and social sources, like friends and family, were more often recognized as sources of trusted information for tree care advice than local or state government and nonprofit organizations. Conclusions: We present baseline results of, to our knowledge, the largest survey of urban wood perceptions and practices to date, which indicate a substantial group of landowners already engaged in urban wood economies, and discuss potential avenues to activate future participation.

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