Impacts and perceptions of environmental changes in the Hadwen Arboretum, Clark University

Keywords: Tree planting and stewardship, Perceptions, Participatory geographic information systems
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

The Hadwen Arboretum, containing many non-native and exotic tree species, was gifted to Clark University in 1907. The 26-acre forest property was neglected over time, resulting in natural regeneration and invasion by invasive plants until the 2020s, when it became the focus of active management tree planting, and tree stewardship efforts. This community‐based research aims to understand local-level impressions of these ‘restoration’ efforts by conducting interviews of the neighborhood residents and other people who regularly engage with the arboretum. The goal of this study is broken down into three main parts: Analyzing biophysical changes, focusing on local residents’ understanding of environmental changes over the last 30 years in and around the Hadwen Arboretum; attitudes and perceptions about tree planting and stewardship in the arboretum over the last 5 years, including the perceptions of the management that oversees this action, the faculty who engage with the greenspace, and the people living nearby; and microclimate changes in the broader Columbus Park neighborhood over the past three years. Qualitative data will be collected by conducting field interviews of residents of the Columbus Park neighborhood and faculty and members of facilities management at Clark University. The data will then be integrated with participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) methods and hotspot analysis to spatially visualize the interviewees’ positive and negative perceptions and concerns regarding specific sites at the Arboretum to contribute to scholarship on institutional stewardship of conserved land and its impacts on surrounding users.