Perspectives on Private Property Urban Forest Dynamics Among Arborists in Sweden

Abstract Arborists have been described as the frontline workers in the urban forest. They apply their craft at the intersection of workplace culture, regulatory frameworks, and social-cultural perceptions of the ecosystem benefits of trees. How this impacts the provision and distribution of social and ecosystem benefits is poorly understood. With specific focus on how these workers shape urban forest management on private property in Sweden, we attempted to bring these perspectives into focus through dialogue. This study method included both a questionnaire and long form interviews to probe 3 primary questions: (1) What are the drivers of tree removal on private land from the arborist’s perspective? (2) How do arborists perceive their role and responsibilities towards private trees? (3) How do regulatory frameworks impact arborists’ work, and what are arborists’ opinions on these regulations? In total we received 88 responses to the questionnaire, from which 5 participants were selected for a follow-up interview. Significantly, we found consensus among respondents that arborists in Sweden consider it their role to educate clients on the value of trees and that private trees are under-protected, and yet, nearly half of the respondents were unsure if their working area had tree by-laws at all. This highlights a need for greater dialogue between the arborist community and policy makers in Sweden to align efforts in maintaining a healthy urban forest.