Browsing by Author "Schmitt-Harsh, Mikaela L."
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- Household Perceptions and Practices of Recycling Tree Debris from Residential PropertiesSchmitt-Harsh, Mikaela L.; Wiseman, P. Eric (MDPI, 2020-08-11)Thousands of trees are lost in urbanizing areas of Virginia each year to land development, storms, and pests. As a result, large amounts of tree debris, much of which could be suitable for high-value wood products, are flowing from Virginia’s urban forests annually. Finding cost-effective, sustainable strategies for recycling this debris, particularly into durable wood products that keep carbon stored, could benefit the local economy and the local environment throughout the state. To inform outreach and technical assistance efforts of multiple groups across the state, a survey study was conducted in the City of Harrisonburg to determine household perceptions and practices of tree debris recycling. A random sample of owner-occupied, single-family dwellings was contacted using a mixed-mode survey approach to determine why and how trees were removed from the properties in the past and how the debris was disposed of or recycled. Survey responses were received from 189 households, with survey responses pointing toward a strong community sentiment for trees and their care. Nearly all respondents agreed that wood from street trees, park trees, and other neighborhood trees should be recycled into products rather than disposed of in a landfill; however, the majority of households do not currently recycle woody debris from trees removed on these properties. The three most important factors that would facilitate future participation in tree recycling include timely removal of the wood, free curbside pick-up of the wood, and knowledge of who to contact to handle the wood. Overall, these results point to household interest and willingness to participate in wood recycling programs given appropriate information to guide their decisions and local services to facilitate transfer of wood to the municipality or commercial woodworkers. This suggests a need for greater availability of neighborhood or municipal wood recycling programs, ideally coupled with greater education and outreach about the economic and environmental benefits of recovering and utilizing wood from felled trees.
- Household survey of tree debris recycling practices and consumer interest in products crafted from local wood sourcesWiseman, P. Eric; Schmitt-Harsh, Mikaela L. (2019-03-01)Thousands of trees are lost in urban areas of Virginia each year to land development, storms, and pests. As a result, large volumes of tree debris, much of which is suitable for high-value wood products, are streaming out of Virginia’s urban forests annually. Finding cost-effective, sustainable strategies for recycling this waste, particularly into durable wood products that keep carbon stored indefinitely, could benefit the local economy and the local environment. To inform outreach and technical assistance efforts of the Virginia Urban Wood Group, we conducted a survey in the cities of Harrisonburg and Lynchburg, Virginia to determine household practices of tree debris recycling. A stratified random sample of owner-occupied, single-family dwelling units (1,000 households per city) were contacted by postal mail and asked to complete either a paper on online survey. We obtained survey responses from 311 households—187 in Harrisonburg and 113 in Lynchburg. Nearly all respondents strongly agreed (57%) or agreed (34%) with the statement, “Wood from street trees, park trees, and other neighborhood trees should be recycled into products rather than disposed of in a landfill.” The majority of respondents (68%) indicated that one or more trees had been removed during their time living on the property. However, 51% stated that they had not considered recycling wood from those trees. The two most important factors facilitating participation in tree recycling were timely removal of the wood (85% agreed) and free curbside pick-up of the wood (76% agreed). Implications of these and other survey findings are discussed.
- Recommendations for University Tree-Care ProgramsSchmitt-Harsh, Mikaela L.; Wiseman, P. Eric (Association of Physical Plant Administrators, 2019-11-18)