Trees offset many challenges endemic to developed areas, like the urban heat island effect and stormwater runoff. Research has shown that urban areas are racially segregated, and there are broad inequities in the distribution of trees; minoritized neighborhoods have less tree canopy (“canopy”). Most research focuses within major city boundaries, while the majority of Americans live in the broader metropolitan region in suburban or exurban communities. While suburbs and exurbs are growing faster than cities and becoming more demographically diverse, little is known about metropolitan canopy equity. This research focused on the seven-county Chicago metropolitan region, which spans from highly urban to agricultural lands with economically and racially diverse suburbs in between. We separated the region into urban, old suburban, new suburban, and exurban groups, and found that racial segregation varied across the groups as did the extent to which socioeconomic and ecological characteristics correlated with canopy cover. Canopy inequity was lower in exurban and urban areas and highest in the suburbs. We also found that the distribution of canopy in urban areas was mostly explained by housing density and racial and ethnic makeup, while historic land cover and housing age explained more in suburban and exurban areas. Understanding the factors that drive variation in canopy cover across the wide spectrum of community types commonly found in metropolitan regions may assist in drafting effective strategies to increase canopy equity.

The ecological and developmental history of the Chicago, Illinois, region has affected the current distribution of forests therein. These same factors, along with systemic and long-lasting racial segregation, have shaped the distribution of the urban populations that benefit from the ecosystem services provided by urban forests. This study demonstrates that forest patch history is related to forest attributes like tree species composition, tree density, canopy height, and structural heterogeneity-all of which are important predictors of a forest's ability to provide ecosystem services. However, this effect of forest history was only seen in forest cores, as forest edges were similar regardless of patch history. We also found that forests in minoritized communities tended to be less able to support high levels of ecosystem services. This research indicates that, when improving green equity, it is important to consider the variable capacity of forests to provide ecosystem services.

The number of women researchers in wildlife disciplines is increasing, yet gender-based differences persist in research funding and publications. Our objective was to evaluate gender differences between men and women authors among articles published in the Human Dimensions of Wildlife journal from 1996 to 2024. Using content analysis, we coded authorship information for journal papers based on gender, institutional affiliation, geographic region, and focal taxa. Since 1996, the majority of authors were men. Since 2012, the proportion of women first and coauthors has increased overall, particularly for those with a university affiliation, and across various focal taxa. Nations represented by the most papers included the United States of America, Canada, and Australia. The total number of nations represented overall, and the number with women authors, has increased since journal inception. Although men continue to outnumber women, authorship in the journal illustrates trends toward greater gender-based and geographic diversity in authorship.

Forest patches in urban landscapes make outsized contributions to biodiversity, ecosystem function, and human health and well‐being. However, urbanization can alter environmental conditions that underpin forest health. Most studies of forest health in urban landscapes have focused on few forest patches across a single metropolitan region, and synthesis is needed to understand broader patterns. We assessed variation among measures of forest health across land cover gradients and ecoregions by determining (1) whether the degree of urban, agricultural, and forested land surrounding a forest patch was reflected in differences in tree community composition, diversity, and structure and (2) whether these differences were consistent across ecoregions. We synthesized data from 17 observational studies (3334 plots) and remotely sensed land cover (1‐km buffer) across four metropolitan regions (Baltimore–Washington DC, Chicago, New York City, and Philadelphia) spanning five ecoregions of the eastern deciduous forest of North America. Land cover surrounding forest patches differed among ecoregions, and forests were surrounded by heterogeneous land cover even in the most urbanized areas. Patterns of tree species composition and forest structure reflected landscape context. Forest patches surrounded by high canopy cover had greater or equal tree species diversity, density, basal area, and diversity of tree sizes relative to patches surrounded by highly agricultural or highly impervious landscapes. In contrast, there was little difference in structure and diversity between forests in highly agricultural and impervious settings. Tree species composition varied among ecoregions, yet tree community assemblages of forests in intensively urbanized areas were consistently distinct from those of forests in other contexts. Forest patches in the most urban and most agricultural landscapes shared predominantly native species communities and were characterized by low tree species diversity, basal area, and size class diversity, as well as high non‐native tree abundance, highlighting commonalities among these intensive anthropogenic landscapes. These results point to both common challenges to forest health and common opportunities for forest stewardship in urban and agricultural landscapes.

The combination of diverse land uses and multiple biophysical stressors brings complexity to forest management, particularly along roadways. Managers and landowners may seek information and resources to address property-level challenges that occur in such contexts. However, little is known about information-seeking behavior among professionals in the forest management community. Our objective was to examine knowledge transfer within the context of information-seeking behavior of forest management professionals in Connecticut (United States) in relation to addressing multiple forest stressors and roadside forest management. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 39 stakeholders in the Connecticut professional forest management community. Interview topics included participant and land type characteristics, management objectives, forest stressors and impacts, and information-seeking behavior. Results of qualitative analysis supported a conceptual framework that presented information seeking as an iterative feedback loop influenced by information needs, sources, availability, and utility. Participants sought and validated information from both tacit and explicit sources across multiple spatial scales. Information about forest conditions and stressor-related impacts applicable to the local context were of particular interest. All participants sought knowledge from colleagues, but some felt that their own expertise was undervalued. Knowledge transfer may be enhanced through co-production of knowledge and investment in boundary spanning individuals.

Human-wildlife interactions (HWIs) influence the health of humans and wildlife but a unifying framework is needed to understand the causes of HWIs to anticipate health-associated outcomes. In this article, we present a novel conceptual framework that positions wildlife and human health as outcomes of HWIs, human health risks and benefits as motivating factors to manage wildlife and HWIs, and wildlife and environmental health as drivers of future HWIs. We discuss policy implications, including centering wildlife health in preventing harmful HWIs and the wildlife health impacts of management actions to promote or prevent HWIs. We pose guiding questions for advancing health equity that explore who disproportionately experiences health risks and benefits arising from HWIs and who has the capacity to engage with management. Recognizing the integrated relationships between health and HWIs enables scientists and managers to collaboratively mitigate negative HWIs and promote favorable outcomes while protecting the health of people and wildlife.

Research focused on engagement in environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) is expanding, but often lacks representation from people of color in the United States (US). Despite the growing proportion of people of color among the US population, little is known about their motivations and barriers for ERB engagement. Through purposive sampling of women of color, this study aimed: (1) to identify their motivations for and barriers to ERBs; and (2) to assess the relationships that participants perceived between aspects of their identity and ERB engagement. Participants had a wide-ranging view of what constituted the environment, including social concerns like racism, and a broad definition of ERBs. They expressed diverse motivations for ERBs, including waste reduction, resource conservation, health, enjoyment and happiness, and thinking of future generations. Barriers to ERBs included cost and access, which may present equity concerns for communities that are motivated to engage in ERBs but lack needed resources.

Christensen 2023), integration of social science into landscape studies remains underdeveloped (Chowdhury and Turner II 2019).Compared to research with a biophysical focus, landscape ecology studies grounded in social science questions, response variables, and feedbacks have been relatively few.Challenges with integration of social science in landscape ecology are similar to those described by others pursuing interdisciplinary study.Examples include underdeveloped metrics and terminology, absence of theory as a component of the system of study, difficulties with amalgamating qualitative and quantitative data, limited availability of large-scale and longitudinal datasets, and inconsistency and mismatch between temporal and spatial scales of analysis (Kline et al. 2017;Elsawah et al. 2020;Meyfroidt et al. 2022).There also exists naiveties of those who choose to pursue social science research without adequate theoretical knowledge, analytical training, or ability to accurately interpret and report results (Martin 2020).Furthermore, criticisms exist about the quality of social science data, particularly qualitative types, which may appear cryptic, arcane, or uninformative to untrained eyes (Miles 1979;Sutherland et al. 2018;Alexander et al. 2020) and, therefore, remain underused as a data type and information source (Eakin and Gladstone 2020).Other data sharing and distribution restrictions exist because of human subjects ethics guidelines and

Human-wildlife interactions are common across fragmented exurban landscapes. To date, most human dimensions research on human-wildlife conflict has focused on large mammalian carnivores, with less attention to smaller, less-charismatic species. Two isolated populations of state-endangered timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) remain in Connecticut, USA. Our objective was to assess current management, outreach, and collaboration activities associated with an exurban timber rattlesnake population. We conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 16 stakeholders involved with timber rattlesnake management. Results suggested that although forest management does not focus on timber rattlesnakes specifically, participants generally were satisfied with current ecological monitoring practices. Land acquisition and the efforts of volunteers were emphasized as crucial aspects of management and public outreach success. Collaboration associated with timber rattlesnake management has achieved positive outcomes but lacks landscape-level coordination. Paired with ecological efforts, landscape-level leadership offers opportunity for shared resources and recruitment of volunteers to relieve associated capacity constraints.

Roadside forests are susceptible to damage from storm events given their exposure and related vulnerability to impacts of multiple stressors. Challenges to management are further complicated in exurban landscapes, where roadside forests are interspersed among fragmented land ownership entities with diverse management objectives. Our objective was to evaluate forest management community information sharing about biophysical stressors affecting roadside vegetation for multiple forestland tract types in Connecticut. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (n = 39). Results from social network analysis illustrated network structure and interrelationship patterns among community members. Overall network cohesion was low. Core network positions were dominated by few stakeholders. Communication occurred among subgroups comprised of individuals representing several different stakeholder occupation groups. Low cohesion may be inherent of the fragmented exurban landscape with relations focused on shared objectives. Community longevity may depend upon maintaining core-position connections and a less-centralized network composed of individuals from various occupations.

A growing proportion of forested landscapes are interspersed with human infrastructure, such as utility lines and roads, increasing the potential for tree-failure consequences due to storms and other causes. Utilities and other institutions have strong incentives to reduce such interactions and allocate substantial resources to risk reduction, but trees and forests in densely populated landscapes also provide significant amenities to society. We present a generalized framework for "Stormwise" forest management, focused on resistance of roadside forests to storms, based on elements of arboricultural and silvicultural practice and tree biomechanics and architecture. We detail results of a multidisciplinary research program focused on management outcomes, opportunities and barriers to implementation, and allocation of investment based on physical and social landscape characteristics. We discuss initial findings, the potential for widespread adoption of resilience-focused management in roadside and infrastructure-adjacent forests, and the importance of such work, considering a changing climate.Study Implications: The research and implementation program we detail here illustrates the potential for "Stormwise" forest management to reduce storm-damage recovery costs, result in fewer and shorter-duration power and transportation interruptions, and allow for low-investment ground-based management in future forest entries. We illustrate a multifaceted, interdisciplinary research program that links the geospatial, social, and biophysical components of understanding forest infrastructure systems. We illustrate how implementation of Stormwise management has the potential to benefit stakeholders such as residents and utilities, offset the substantial economic costs of tree-related power outages, and reduce societal disruptions associated with interactions between trees and infrastructure during storms.

Rural communities face challenges and opportunities through changing relationships to natural resources that they depend on socially and culturally. Structural shifts in community-natural resource interactions may be expressed as “shocks”, or disruptions that create community change across multiple scales. These shocks may be isolated or connected events, and frequently have associated ripple effects. Our objectives were to (1) identify community shocks based on local resident perspectives, (2) evaluate regional variability of resident-perceived shock events, and (3) assess variation in perceptions of shocks between newer in-migrant and long-term residents. We used a mail survey to collect data from residents in rural New York, Ohio, Maine, and West Virginia (USA). Rather than starting with designated perspectives from past research, we used an inductive approach to identify shock events and their impacts. Categories of major shock events included, but were not limited to, employment loss, land transfers and designations, infrastructure development, loss of institutions, and natural disasters. Each community's history, shocks, and outcomes were uniquely place-dependent. Shocks identified and perception of them varied by residential tenure. Although identified similarly in a general sense by all respondents, details about individual shocks were more elaborately described by long-term residents, and in-migrants conveyed awareness of historical shocks. Conceptualizations of discrete, identifiable, and individual “shock” events are too simple and narrow for elucidating ongoing community perturbations that accumulate, counteract, and influence each other.

Most human-wildlife conflict research has focused on large species, with less attention to smaller, less-charismatic species. Our objective was to evaluate landscape-level spatial relationships among human-timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) encounters, attitudes toward timber rattlesnakes, and exurban residential context. Encounters and attitudes data were collected using a mail survey and encounter reports (n = 583). Residential context variables focused on land cover and parcel characteristics. Encounters and similar attitudes toward timber rattlesnakes were spatially clustered on the landscape, and residential context attributes influenced both. Some overlap existed between favorable attitudes related to coexistence with timber rattlesnakes and relatively low concern about the species, whereas encounter-similar attitude clusters were distinct with less overlap. An outreach approach with prescribed messaging strategies based on the localized frequency of encounters, relative attitudes, and land cover may facilitate ability to address resident concerns in an individualized way.

. In October 2011, the Halloween Nor'easter produced unusually early and heavy snowfall while leaves were still on the trees, causing extensive damage throughout the northeastern United States. This storm is an example of winter weather whiplash, in which an abrupt, back-and-forth swing in winter weather affects coupled human and natural systems. Research on the social-ecological drivers and impacts of winter weather whiplash is scarce because most studies only consider meteorological causes and consequences of extreme events. In this study, we used publicly available data of snowfall accumulation, vegetation phenology, road density, and per capita income to predict storm impacts, which we estimated with textual analysis of Halloween Nor'easter newspaper coverage. We demonstrated that a combination of meteorological, natural, and human system drivers was better able to predict the impact of the storm than meteorological drivers alone. Although we focused on the Halloween Nor'easter, our work highlights the necessity of understanding how multiple drivers and hazards can intersect to create rare and possibly novel conditions that may become more common as the climate warms and becomes more variable.

ContextAn exciting research frontier is the intersection of wildlife ecology and social science. Associated research is embracing a spatial approach to integrating ecological and social data to investigate the complex relationships between wildlife and humans across landscapes. However, there is a lack of coherence on the status, current methodology, and potential future directions of this body of research to advance landscape analyses.ObjectivesWe provided a review of the current state of the science of social-ecological research and modeling of human-wildlife interactions across space, with a goal of compiling state-of-the-art approaches, methods, major findings, limitations, and future directions.MethodsWe performed a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed journal articles published from January 2000 to August 2023. We synthesized methods, lessons learned, and key themes in the literature.ResultsSynthesized findings pointed to the importance of spatial context in shaping wildlife and human attributes and their interactions, and the demonstrated value of adding social science data to contest past practices of oversimplifying the complex drivers of human-wildlife interactions. Challenges and limitations included spatial scale mismatches, the limits of assigning causality, misaligned terminology, and need for more in-depth and diverse social science data collection methods and frameworks.ConclusionsThese studies highlighted the potential for social-ecological analyses to inform management through identification of key levers, scenario modeling, and avoidance of "panacea traps." Our results also chart a path forward that calls for more extensive data integration, investigation of feedbacks, and multi-scale approaches to more deeply understand human-wildlife relationships across landscapes.

Few studies have focused on value structures, experiences, and cultural diversity as it relates to bioswale planning and implementation. We used ‘Point of Opportunity Interactions’ to understand previously undocumented views of the Cantonese-speaking immigrant community regarding bioswale design and use for stormwater management in Portland, Oregon, USA. Approximately half of participants were not aware of bioswale function. Maintenance costs and aesthetics were noted concerns, but parking and safety were not. Lack of outreach materials in the Chinese language(s), evening and weekend work schedules, and lack of clarity about maintenance responsibility were among barriers to public participation. Overall, lack of trust for the city and city officials was apparent, and hindered outreach and engagement. Emphasis on informality and place-based data collection near bioswales as neutral outdoors spaces, and proximate to participant residences, facilitated communication with this ‘hard-to-reach’ population and revealed information that would have gone unknown using traditional outreach strategies.

As part of the forest landscape, roadside trees are susceptible to multiple stressors that increase potential for tree damage during storm events and contribute to power outages. In exurban areas, decision-making related to the roadside forest is divided among many land ownerships and management entities with diverse objectives. Our objectives were to (1) identify general forest and roadside vegetation management objectives and challenges, (2) identify forest stressors and assess perceived severity and level of concern for forest stressor impacts to the roadside forest, and (3) evaluate manager interrelationships based on management objectives and challenges. We conducted semi-structured interviews with thirty-nine members of the forest management community who manage non-residential and non-industrial tracts of forest land in Connecticut, USA. Improving overall forest health and resilience, wildlife habitat, and forest products were the three most common general forest objectives. The two most frequently identified roadside objectives were public safety and mitigating hazardous conditions. The most common general forest management challenges included workforce limitations, financial constraints, and public perceptions. Support and satisfaction among the public and other stakeholders was the most frequently mentioned roadside forest management challenge. Although participants recognized the importance of roadside vegetation management, many avoided active management along roadsides. Immediate roadside vegetation issues such as public safety were prioritized rather than long-term planning. Stakeholders are constantly orchestrating a balance of numerous objectives as they integrate roadside vegetation considerations into broader forest management.

Urban forests are important components of societal interactions with nature. We focused on urban forest patches, a distinct and underexplored subset of the urban forest that spans land uses and ownerships, and requires silvicultural practices to address their unique biophysical characteristics and management regimes. Our goal was to elucidate multi-scalar urban forest patch governance arrangements as they translated to on-the-ground management in four urban areas (Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore) within the eastern United States. A transdisciplinary knowledge co-production framework was used to guide identification of the prominent management challenge or dilemma motivating change to forest patch management in each location, and to describe the dynamic interplay of decision-making and governance processes across locations as they advanced toward desired forest conditions. A common management goal existed across all four locations: multi-age, structurally complex forests dominated by regionally native species. Ecological and social concerns affected by local context and city capacity served as starting points prompting management action and new collaborations. Disparate governance arrangements including top-down municipal resources, regional conservation facilitated by landowners, and grass-roots community-driven stewardship led to diverse support-building processes and innovative strategies that served as forces initiating and shaping new management actions. Science and iterative learning and adaptation influenced change in all locations, reinforcing new management arrangements and practices. Among the four study areas, the earliest management of urban forest patches started in the 1980 s, historically lacking embeddedness in urban forest management more broadly, and experiencing challenges with integration into existing governance infrastructure. Ultimately, new management and governance approaches to urban forest patches in all four study areas have evolved uniquely and organically, driven by place-based historical legacies and ongoing socio-ecological feedbacks. The generalization of findings for broader urban forest management guidelines, such as for trees and park, would lead to misguided outcomes.

Exposure to predators during early life stages can alter behavioral and physical traits during ontogeny. This is important for biphasic amphibian species because juvenile movement behavior can be shaped by carry-over effects of the larval environment and direct effects of abiotic conditions in terrestrial habitats. We explored the interaction of aquatic predator cue exposure, juvenile morphology, and abiotic terrestrial conditions on the movement behavior of postmetamorphic Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana aurora). We quantified carry-over effects of aquatic predator cues and direct effects of substrate conditions on individual movement behavior using a combination of seminatural enclosed runways and powder tracking assays. We found a latent effect of aquatic condition, such that crayfish-exposed individuals had greater relative body condition at metamorphosis, and all predator-exposed individuals had larger body lengths relative to controls. Terrestrial conditions were the dominant factor shaping movement behavior. During runway movement assays, individual conditional movement displacement was likely greater in dry soil and low humidity conditions than in moist conditions with high humidity. For nocturnal powder tracking assays, individuals were more likely to have greater path distances during warmer temperatures, whereas paths were less meandering in cooler, dry conditions. Morphologically larger individuals moved greater distances only during the powder tracking assays. We observed latent effects of aquatic predator exposure on juvenile morphology; however, the relationship between these changes and the relative importance of direct environmental conditions in shaping movement behavior is unclear. Our results demonstrate the interconnected nature of aquatic and terrestrial environments in shaping the movement of juvenile amphibians.

Context: Knowledge about spatial patterns of human dimensions data within landscape ecology is nascent despite its importance in natural resources management decision-making. We explored this topic within the context of utility roadside forest vegetation management, a complex situation involving ecological, cultural, and aesthetic aspects of forests and reliable power.Objectives We applied spatial interpolation to investigate patterns of human attitudes toward exurban roadside vegetation management data across an exurban landscape.Methods Mail surveys (n = 1962) were used to collect social science data from residents in four areas of Connecticut, USA. For each area, three attitudes variables were evaluated for spatial autocorrelation using Moran’s I statistic. Based on identified autocorrelation distance or scale, attitudes were interpolated using inverse distance weighting. Model validation of interpolated surfaces was completed using root mean square error.Results: Statistically significant spatial autocorrelation was present for five of 12 study area-attitude pairings at variable distances. Accuracy of interpolations also varied among study areas, suggesting that the choice of spatial scale of analysis influenced model results. Conclusions: Social processes within the exurban landscape were spatially heterogeneous and multi-scalar for the same variables in different locations, exemplifying the complexity of social processes within exurban land use. Interpolation assumptions often applied toward ecological studies did not work well for social processes studied in this analysis. Results demonstrated the importance of understanding spatial dimensions at which social processes operate and, therefore, may influence ecological outcomes of the roadside forest within the context of state-level natural resources management and policy.