Resident Perceptions and Organizational Networks in the Greening the Gateway Cities Program in Chicopee and Fall River, Massachusetts

Organization: Human-Environmental Regional Observatory
Position: Research Fellow
Date: July 2018 and October 2018

Background: ​The theme of HERO 2018-2019 is Greening the Gateway Cities where we extended our previous analysis of juvenile tree health and stewardship from Worcester to two Massachusetts gateway cities: Chicopee and Fall River. The purpose of this research was to gauge residents’ opinions on their experience with receiving and caring for trees as well as to explore the organizational networks to administer the program within each city and to evaluate juvenile tree survivorship and vigor in Chicopee and Fall River with 922 and 1,349 trees measured in each, respectively.  This was achieved through a census of street and residential GGCP trees in these cities by the Human-Environment Regional Observatory (HERO) team.

​Data: 
  • GIS database provided by the DCR which included tree location, species type and planting date. 
  • Tree data including diameter at breast height, tree height, distance to impervious surface, species survivorship, and vigor were collected by my fellow HERO fellows and I over the summer of 2018.
  • In person interviews were conducted with residents who had tree planted on their property, and with organizations/agencies. 
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Map of percent minority and trees planted in Fall River, Massachusetts Planting Zone
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Map of percent minority and trees planted in Chicopee, Massachusetts Planting Zone
Methods: Interviews with the ​City Planning Department of Chicopee, the Valley Opportunity Council, and the Fall River Street Tree Planting Program. Interviews were transcribed and coded. Through the process of coding interviews, common themes (nodes) arose in both residential and organizational interviews. Statistical analysis was conducted via excel to determine the survivorship percentages in both cities and the distribution of the survivorship based on tree species, location and native status.

Outcome: ​Our survivorship metric took into account trees that were alive, dead (stump or standing dead), and removed.
Tree survivorship was equal at 92% across Chicopee and Fall River. 85-90% of surviving trees were in very healthy condition.  Residents hope that the GGCP will continue to grow. Once the GGCP plants and establishes trees, it moves on to other gateway cities. Organizations are motivated to partner with city/state governments to improve the community through the outcomes that trees can provide. One of the challenges of this project not being able to get hold of a city official in Fall River. 
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My colleague, Yeannet Ruiz, and I doing tree inventory fieldwork in Chicopee, Massachusetts
Summer Research featured in research articles: 
Stakeholders applaud students’ ‘valuable work’ on Greening the Gateway Cities
ClarkNow, 7/31/18
Clark HERO Fellows work to green Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities
Clark University ResearchMatters, 6/5/18
The results of this research were presented by my colleagues and I at Fall 2017 Academic Spree Day at Clark University and at the 2018 Stakeholder Summit Research Presentation. The recording for this presentation can be found: Here.