Determining the Public’s Perception of Urban Trees: A case study from Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi
This research project is a collaborative study led by The Outdoor Circle, the University of Hawaiʻi, and the University of Copenhagen that seeks to better understand how residents of Oʻahu perceive urban trees and urban forestry initiatives within Hawaiʻi’s unique multicultural and socio-ecological context. The project recognizes that urban trees are essential green infrastructure that contribute to climate resilience, public health, biodiversity, stormwater mitigation, and equitable access to green spaces, yet support for expanding urban canopy depends heavily on community attitudes, cultural perspectives, and lived experiences. Rooted in Hawaiʻi’s cultural landscape and informed by Native Hawaiian values and history, the study examines how diverse demographic groups across Oʻahu understand the benefits, challenges, and role of trees in their communities.
The project was developed in response to alarming trends showing significant urban canopy loss on Oʻahu, including the loss of more than 76,000 trees between 2012 and 2016, much of it occurring incrementally on private lands. Recent data from the US Forest Service show much of urban Honolulu only has 1-8% canopy cover. This is well below the recommended minimum value of 30%. This project combines qualitative and quantitative methods including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and geospatial analysis to investigate how residents perceive urban forests, what benefits and concerns they associate with trees, and what barriers may exist to increasing urban canopy. Survey topics include community satisfaction with existing greenspace, support for street and park trees, willingness to plant or maintain trees, preferred methods of urban forestry education, and perceptions surrounding issues such as maintenance costs, safety, infrastructure conflicts, and cultural values associated with trees. The study also incorporates demographic data such as age, ethnicity, zip code, property ownership, and years living on Oʻahu in order to better understand how attitudes vary across communities and social groups.
Ultimately, this project aims to provide empirical data that can help guide more inclusive, culturally informed, and socially equitable urban forestry policies and programs across Oʻahu. By identifying patterns in public attitudes and understanding how historical land use changes, urbanization, and cultural dynamics shape perceptions of trees, the study seeks to help urban foresters, planners, policymakers, and environmental organizations design strategies that generate greater community buy-in and long-term support for urban canopy expansion. The findings are intended to inform future ordinances, legislation, outreach campaigns, educational initiatives, and urban greening programs while strengthening Oʻahu’s resilience to climate change, heat, flooding, biodiversity loss, and declining urban canopy cover. This study can be replicated on all of Hawaiʻi’s islands to form a more complete and holistic understanding of public perceptions towards Hawaiʻi’s urban forests.
The project was developed in response to alarming trends showing significant urban canopy loss on Oʻahu, including the loss of more than 76,000 trees between 2012 and 2016, much of it occurring incrementally on private lands. Recent data from the US Forest Service show much of urban Honolulu only has 1-8% canopy cover. This is well below the recommended minimum value of 30%. This project combines qualitative and quantitative methods including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and geospatial analysis to investigate how residents perceive urban forests, what benefits and concerns they associate with trees, and what barriers may exist to increasing urban canopy. Survey topics include community satisfaction with existing greenspace, support for street and park trees, willingness to plant or maintain trees, preferred methods of urban forestry education, and perceptions surrounding issues such as maintenance costs, safety, infrastructure conflicts, and cultural values associated with trees. The study also incorporates demographic data such as age, ethnicity, zip code, property ownership, and years living on Oʻahu in order to better understand how attitudes vary across communities and social groups.
Ultimately, this project aims to provide empirical data that can help guide more inclusive, culturally informed, and socially equitable urban forestry policies and programs across Oʻahu. By identifying patterns in public attitudes and understanding how historical land use changes, urbanization, and cultural dynamics shape perceptions of trees, the study seeks to help urban foresters, planners, policymakers, and environmental organizations design strategies that generate greater community buy-in and long-term support for urban canopy expansion. The findings are intended to inform future ordinances, legislation, outreach campaigns, educational initiatives, and urban greening programs while strengthening Oʻahu’s resilience to climate change, heat, flooding, biodiversity loss, and declining urban canopy cover. This study can be replicated on all of Hawaiʻi’s islands to form a more complete and holistic understanding of public perceptions towards Hawaiʻi’s urban forests.
