Green Cities Research

Our Focus

As a leader in the environmental stewardship field, Forterra has a responsibility to develop and disseminate the highest-quality methods to our partners and the public for joint achievement of our ambitious mission to conserve over 1.5 million acres of farms and forest, and create livable cities as across the Northwest. We must remain at the forefront of the knowledge, tools, and techniques necessary for the stewarding of our lands and communities.

Research to date is focused in three themes: programmatic assessments, field practices, and volunteer experiences. Specifically we seek to:

Aid ongoing stewardship efforts in the region by:
- Providing information leading to the educated implementation of environmental restoration and maintenance
- Serving as a resource of investigation into questions of necessity for environmental restoration and maintenance
Work with the scientific community to apply stewardship research results on the ground and in the field
Work with the scientific community to provide insight, data, and systems necessary in the investigation and research of environmental stewardship efforts

Our Research

Download a copy of our Research Overview

Forterra’s Green Cities Program partners with researchers, land managers, and municipalities to conduct environmental stewardship research throughout the Pacific Northwest. These efforts directly support the Green Cities Network’s collective partners operations. Currently many research efforts are being conducted as part of the Green Cities Research Alliance (GCRA). As a collaborative partnership, GCRA consists of a variety of members both formally and informally and includes Forterra’s Green Cities Program, the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, the University of Washington, King County Parks and Recreation, and many others.

A core set of GCRA projects, funded by the US Forest Service, have been the focus of our research efforts in 2010-2012. These projects, the Integrated Urban Forest Assessments (IUFA), consist of a variety of partnered investigations aimed at assessing the structure, benefit, and maintenance of the urban forest in King County.

Come work with us!

Research is about ideas and dialog - we conduct our efforts in partnerships.

Volunteer! The Green Cities program supports a robust research intern program, working with scientists and students alike. We are continuously looking for researchers interested in volunteering to aid our investigative work.
Let’s partner! Need a research component in your restoration efforts? Need field data as part of your academic research? We have an experienced and successful record of grant awards from public and private funders in environmental restoration, stewardship, and research.

Highlighted Research:

Forest Ecosystem Values Research
Determine the ecosystem values of our urban forests

Field measurements were gathered on vegetation across Seattle, King County Parks, and the Green Duwamish River corridor. Data is used to present dollar values associated with the various benefits of these resources as our urban forests. Results to date have been presented at numerous academic and applied conferences and are directly informing Seattle and King County land management policies.

Stewardship Engagement and Capacity Research
Investigate the volunteer steward experience to better support the needs of the restoration community and its programs

Over 400 volunteer stewards were engaged for in-field interviews about their experience in Seattle, King County Parks and along the Green-Duwamish. Investigation of stewardship programs’ needs and challenges was also conducted. Results to date have been presented widely and have begun to be implemented by volunteer program managers in the region.

Determining the True Cost of Urban Forest Restoration
Develop a model to assess true costs associated with urban forest restoration

Data from Seattle, Tacoma, and partners is being compiled to develop a tool that can be used by planners and practitioners to predict the cost associated with urban forest restoration given a variety of specific conditions including crew type, volunteer management, forest health and size, activity, and plant stock.

Other research we are, or have participated in includes:

Forest Landscape Assessment of King County Forested Parklands
Cost Replacement Strategy for Environmental Restoration Materials and Contractors
Developing and Testing Forest Monitoring Protocols
Collaborative Partnership Structure Investigation
Assessing the Vulnerability and Impacts of Climate Change on Urban Forests
Effect of Stock Type on the Survivorship of Two Conifer Species
Effects of Mulch, Drip Irrigation, and Irrigation Gel
Conceptual Content Cognitive Mapping of Environmental Stewardship
Adaptive Management in the Green Seattle Partnership
Citizen Activation Theory
Geospatial Relationships of Urban Forest Conditions: Stewardship Activity and Environmental Equity
Pacific Northwest Stewardship Mapping and Organizational Census
Stewardship Research and Dissemination with Philanthropic Partners
Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Service-Learning Programmatic Feedback

Contact:
Weston Brinkley, Forterra, Stewardship Department,
206-905-6932,
wbrinkley@forterra.org

Funding provided in part by the US Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry, the US Forest Service PNW Research Station, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act