Current street tree communities reflect race-based housing policy and modern attempts to remedy environmental injustice

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dc.contributor.authorBurghardt, Karin T.
dc.contributor.authorAvolio, Meghan L.
dc.contributor.authorLocke, Dexter H.
dc.contributor.authorGrove, J. Morgan
dc.contributor.authorSonti, Nancy F.
dc.contributor.authorSwan, Christopher
dc.date.accessioned2022-12-14T17:29:59Z
dc.date.available2022-12-14T17:29:59Z
dc.date.issued2022-10-05
dc.description.abstractHumans promote and inhibit other species on the urban landscape, shaping biodiversity patterns. Institutional racism may underlie the distribution of urban species by creating disproportionate resources in space and time. Here, we examine whether present-day street tree occupancy, diversity, and composition in Baltimore, MD, USA, neighborhoods reflect their 1937 classification into grades of loan risk—from most desirable (A = green) to least desirable (D = “redlined”)—using racially discriminatory criteria. We find that neighborhoods that were redlined have consistently lower street tree α-diversity and are nine times less likely to have large (old) trees occupying a viable planting site. Simultaneously, redlined neighborhoods were locations of recent tree planting activities, with a high occupancy rate of small (young) trees. However, the community composition of these young trees exhibited lower species turnover and reordering across neighborhoods compared to those in higher grades, due to heavy reliance on a single tree species. Overall, while the negative effects of redlining remain detectable in present-day street tree communities, there are clear signs of recent investment. A strategy of planting diverse tree cohorts paired with investments in site rehabilitation and maintenance may be necessary if cities wish to overcome ecological feedbacks associated with legacies of environmental injustice.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipWe thank N. Randolph and C. Murphy for their expertise on Baltimore's trees and E. Anderson and two thoughtful reviewers for constructive feedback. This work was supported by NSF DEB 1855277, NSF CNH-2 1924288, and USDA-NIFA 2021-67013-33619. The findings and conclusions in this publication are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or US Government determination or policy.en_US
dc.description.urihttps://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.3881en_US
dc.format.extent11 pagesen_US
dc.genrejournal articlesen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2y35e-eh3e
dc.identifier.citationBurghardt, K.T., Avolio, M.L., Locke, D.H., Grove, J.M., Sonti, N.F. and Swan, C.M. (2022), Current street tree communities reflect race-based housing policy and modern attempts to remedy environmental injustice. Ecology. Accepted Author Manuscript e3881. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3881en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3881
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/26450
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Geography and Environmental Systems Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.rightsThis work was written as part of one of the author's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.en_US
dc.rightsPublic Domain Mark 1.0*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/*
dc.titleCurrent street tree communities reflect race-based housing policy and modern attempts to remedy environmental injusticeen_US
dc.typeTexten_US
dcterms.creatorhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9763-9630en_US

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