You are on page 1of 20

ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.


VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

PERCEPTION AND PARTCIPATION OF GRADE 10 STUDENTS OF ST. LUKE’S

ACADEMY INC. ON TREE PLANTING ACTIVITIES

A Concept Paper

Presented to

Faculty of St. Luke’s Academy, Inc.

Partial fulfillment of the subject

Community Engagement/ Political Science

Presented by

Leonard A. Francisco

Reian D. Tano

Aga Y. Pido

March 2020
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In the last three decades, tree planting and tree resource conservation have been

promoted in the Philippines. The future of drylands forests depends upon the extent to which students

are facilitated to participate actively in the utilization and conservation of its natural resources. Planting

Billions of Trees Is the 'Best Climate Change Solution Available Today,' Study Finds Planting more

than 500 billion trees could remove around 25 percent of existing carbon from the atmosphere.

According to the World Environmental Encyclopedia (2003), half of Earth’s tree cover has

vanished since the end of the last Ice Age. This loss of tree cover harms the environment by causing

landslides, flash floods, severe weather conditions, and droughts (WWF, 2005b). Additionally, a lack of

trees results in the loss of the social, communal, environmental, and economic benefits that they

provide (International Society of Arboriculture, 2005). Deforestation also causes the release of

approximately 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gasses each year according to the UN FAO (2006). The

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (2006) attributes about eighty percent of this deforestation to an

increase in farmlands. The WWF (2005b) also points to additional causes such as illegal logging, forest

fires, and climate change.

Tree based strategies to adapt to drought and prevent land degradation need to also meet the

expressed food security and income generation needs of the people in this area (Jama et al., 2003).

Trees can intercept a large amount of rainfall directly and use more water through transpiration, so

reducing the amount of water that flows into sewer systems and reducing the risk of pluvial flooding

(King and Harrison, 1998; Xiao et al., 2000; Samba et al., 2001; Gomez et al., 2001; David et al., 2006;
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

Guevara-Escobar et al., 2007; Stovin et al., 2008; Bartens et al., 2009). Trees cool their surroundings

through shading effects and evapotranspiration (e.g. Kjelgren and Montague, 1998; Akbari et al., 2001;

Shasuhua-Bar and Hoffman, 2004; Georgi and Zafiriadis, 2006; Watkins, 2007; Tsiros 2010). These

effects are already very important in warm climates, and will become increasingly important in the

Philippines as temperatures increase due to climate change. Planting billions of trees across the world is

one of the biggest and cheapest ways of taking CO2 out of the atmosphere to tackle the climate crisis,

according to scientists, who have made the first calculation of how many more trees could be planted

without encroaching on crop land or urban areas.

As trees grow, they absorb and store the carbon dioxide emissions that are driving global

heating. New research estimates that a worldwide planting programme could remove two-thirds of all

the emissions from human activities that remain in the atmosphere today, a figure the scientists

describe as “mind-blowing”.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims assess the perception and participation of grade 10 students of St. Luke’s Academy

Inc. on tree planting activities.


ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

Specifically, it would answer the question:

1) Is there a significant difference in perception of grade 10 students on tree planting activities?

2) Is there a significant difference in participation of grade 10 students on tree planting activities?

Hypothesis

1) There is no a significant difference in perception of grade 10 students on tree planting activities.

2) There is no a significant difference in participation of grade 10 students on tree planting activities.

Review of Related Literature

A new Filipino law would require all graduating high school and college students to plants at

least 10 trees each before they can graduate. The law which has been passed by the country’s lower

parliamentary house formalises a tradition of planting trees upon graduation which is also hoped to

simultaneously combat global climate change. The proponents of the law say the legislation could

result in as many as 525 billion trees planted in a generation if it is properly adhered to. It has not yet

been by the Senate (the upper parliamentary chamber) which must approve it before it can be signed
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

into law by the president. The Philippines Magdalo party representative Gary Alejano, who was a

principal author of the legislation said: “We over 12 million students graduating from elementary and

nearly five million students graduating from high school and almost 500, 000 graduating from colleges

each year, this initiative, if properly implemented, will ensure that at least 175 million new trees would

be planted each year. "In the course of one generation, no less than 525 billion can be planted under

this initiative," Mr Alejano said in the bill's explanatory note. "Even with a survival rate of only 10 per

cent, this would mean an additional 525 million trees would be available for the youth to enjoy, when

they assume the mantle of leadership in the future. The trees will apparently be planted in mangroves,

existing forests, some protected areas, military ranges, abandoned mining sites and selected urban

areas, according to CNN's Philippines news service. The backers of the bill said the species selected for

planting must be appropriate to each location, climate and topography of the area and there will also be

a preference for indigenous species. In addition to the immediate carbon- absorbing impact of the trees,

it is hoped the legislation will help bring environmental understanding to future generations and lead to

further ecological initiatives. The country's Department of Education and the Commission on Higher

Education will implement are ensure compliance with the bill if it ultimately enacted. The Philippines

is one of the world's most severely deforested countries with total forest cover dropping from 70 per

cent to just 20 per cent during the 20th century. Illegal logging remains a problem for the country and

the lack of trees in some areas has exacerbated the risk and the impacts floods and landslides.

Trees are a common but decreasing sight within urban areas. There are fewer trees in the urban

environment than surrounding rural areas, but there are often more trees than people believe. This may

be due to people ‘taking for granted’ the presence of trees, instead focussing on the activities around

the trees (Lawrence, 2008, p. xii) or because trees are more common in private gardens and parks rather
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

than streets and squares which people may consider more ‘part of the city’. Trees have been recognised

as part of city landscapes for nearly four hundred years, and can greatly influence the character of

individual cities, particularly London, Paris and Amsterdam (Lawrence, 2008, p. xi). When thinking of

these cities the presence of trees is central to their landscape character, and without trees the cities

would look very different. This may also be said about any urban area with trees, though this quality is

not often noticed until the trees are threatened or have been felled.

Benefits of Tree Planting on Household and Community Welfare

Hyde and Köhlin (2000) observed that successful social forestry activities such as tree planting

initiatives must be assessed in terms of their contributions to human welfare. Emphasis should be

placed on the integration of multipurpose trees, especially those that enrich soils and also provide

fuelwood as well as fodder, fruits and shade, albeit on a small scale (Behl, 1991). Apart from satisfying

the needs of farmers, such initiatives should broadly focus on identifying innovative traditional forestry

systems that ensures sustainable savanna woodland management by local communities. Consequently,

there is need to shift away from the traditional technology transfer and research and development (R

and D) model approach to a more farmer-led collaborative approach (Amanor, 1996; Wardell, 1996).

Because trees are grown also for long term benefits and their survival determined by social dynamics it

is important to identify components of social structure that transcend inter-generational landmarks and

other changes in society (Sood, 2005). Current practices of tree planting initiatives in the study area

are such that trees are only temporarily planted with crops during the initial establishment phase of

woodlots. This practice is beneficial in areas of low population density. However, in densely populated

areas, e.g. Upper East Region, the benefits from integration can only be maximized if a system is

developed in which crop and tree combinations are made more permanent. Normally, where
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

environmental problems occur, there are also a lot of traditional innovative practices (Blench, 1996;

Amanor, 1996). However, the farming system in such areas has not evolved as it should due to the

relatively high migration rate of young and innovative people. Emphasis should therefore be placed on

research and on-farm trials which focus on the evolution of innovative tree farming systems.

Trees and Air Quality

Trees take in carbon dioxide and emit oxygen through stomata in their leaves as part of the

photosynthetic process. On a global scale, this is what allows almost all life to flourish. What is less

well known is that trees absorb other gases, including the urban pollutants carbon monoxide (CO),

sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrous oxides (NOx), ozone (O3) and small particulate matter (PM10)

(McPherson et al., 1994; Nowak et al., 2006). Removal of these air pollutants is an important

ecosystem service (Jim and Chen, 2008). Trees are efficient scavengers of both gaseous and particulate

matter (Bealey et al., 2007; McDonald et al., 2007). These gases may be taken into the leaf through the

stomata or deposited onto the leaf and stems via dry deposition (McPherson et al., 1994; Nowak et al.,

2006). This then provides a base for further chemical reactions to occur which can break down the

pollutants, or the pollutants become re-suspended in water and washed away (Nowak et al., 2006).

Therefore, trees are able to reduce levels of pollution and increase air quality in urban areas. Pollutant

removal can be increased by planting more trees, diversifying the species present, diversifying the

biomass structure and properly managing the trees (Jim and Chen, 2008).

It is estimated that trees across the mainland United States remove 711,000mt of pollutants,

which is valued at US$3.8 billion (Nowak et al., 2006). The cost for maintaining these trees is highly

unlikely to reach this figure, so trees are therefore a very cost effective measure for improving air

quality. The long term benefits of trees in terms of monetary value are more than twice the cost of
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

planting and maintenance over the long term (McPherson et al., 1994). In the past, potential benefits of

the urban forest have been underestimated, so planning and management efforts have been less

effective than

they could have been (Dwyer et al., 1992).

Trees and Water

Trees take in large amounts of water, and can be an effective store of water during storms rather

than water running-off into sewerage and drainage systems. Isolated trees in urban or forest

environments have been shown to intercept 100% of a brief rainfall event (Xiao et al., 2000), around

22% of a typical rainfall event (Samba et al., 2001; David et al., 2006), around 3% of more extended

storms (Xiao et al., 2000) or between 7% and 25% of annual rainfall (Gomez et al., 2001). In Mexico,

an isolated evergreen Ficus tree in an urban area intercepted 59.5% of rainfall and was saturated in an

average of 19.5 minutes,

after which the canopy began dripping (Guevara-Escobar et al., 2007). In the UK, a study found that an

isolated oak tree (Quercus robur) can intercept between 50 and 70% of rainfall around the centre of the

tree, between 30 and 50% over its wider canopy and between 10 and 30% of rainfall over a wider area

due to sheltering effects (King and Harrison, 1998). Tree cover therefore can be directly related to the

amount of stormwater in an urban drainage or sewerage system after a rainfall event (Stovin et al.,

2008);

more trees means less storm runoff. It has been calculated that the 11% tree canopy cover of the city of

Garland, Texas, USA, reduces storm-water runoff by 540,000 m3; building storm-water drains and

storage for that amount of water would cost over $38 million (Anon., 2000). The trees therefore save
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

the city $2.8 million annually in infrastructure costs (Anon., 2000). The costs of tree planting therefore

can be justified on a flood prevention basis alone (Stovin et al., 2008). Combining storm-water storage

and tree planting may further reduce the amount of storm-water passing into urban drainage systems

and also allows the tree extended rooting space. Bartens et al. (2009) found that two fairly flood

tolerant tree species grew well in this combined system; they used stored water for transpiration and

grew best when the storage emptied slowly over a 48-hour period. This demonstrates the potential for

further increasing the amount of storm-water that trees can intercept, therefore reducing the strain on

the sewerage system in high rainfall events. A form of this is already commercially available in the

Netherlands, where porous lava is used to fill tree pits extending the length and width of the pavement

area, allowing much greater tree rooting space, preventing soil compaction and giving some rainfall

storage within the lava grains (Tree Ground Solutions, no date). Although more study is needed for

species specific effects, it is clear that rainfall and storm-water interception is one of the most important

effects trees have on an urban environment. The transpiration rate and crown temperatures of trees, and

therefore the cooling effect

and water demand, can vary depending on the species and the surface over which they are growing.

Trees which grow over an asphalt surface have a higher transpiration rate and significantly higher

crown temperatures than comparable trees growing over grassed areas (Kjelgren and Montague; 1998;

Leuzinger et al., 2010). It is suggested that this higher transpiration rate is due to interception of greater

long wave radiation reflected from the warm asphalt surface up to the tree, compared to the cooler

irrigated grassland with less radiation (Kjelgren and Montague, 1998). Trees over grassland therefore

may be up to 25°C cooler (Kjelgren and Montague, 1998). Species with larger leaves have generally

higher leaf and crown temperatures compared to smaller leaved trees and trees which had cooler
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

crowns in temperate conditions (25°C) were not the coolest in much hotter conditions (40°C) (Kjelgren

and Montague, 1998; Leuzinger et al., 2010). These aspects can increase transpiration until stomatal

closure, although different species transpire at different rates. Species differences should be noted when

selecting tree species for urban areas, particularly as summer drought is likely to increase with climate

change.

Trees and Human Physical and Psychological Health

Trees and the natural world provide benefits to humans that cannot be easily quantified using a

cash value. Urban trees grow in man-made streets, but also grow in the more natural spaces of parks,

gardens and other greenspaces; thus, the benefits of trees alone cannot be separated from the benefits of

these natural areas. Trees tend to be considered to add to the quality of parks and greenspaces, and

research suggests that high quality greenspaces provide the highest benefits to people. These benefits

can be physical, psychological and social, and are often subconscious benefits which people are not

immediately aware of.

Trees and Physical Health

A now seminal paper by Ulrich (1984) demonstrated that post-surgical patients with a view from their

bed of a stand of deciduous trees recovered faster and requested fewer painkillers than those with a

view of a brick wall. Although in this study there were only 46 patients in total, 23 in each group,

similar studies support this finding of faster recovery from illness and stress with contact and/or views

of trees and other natural settings (e.g. Hartig et al., 1991; Ulrich et al., 1991; Tennessen and Cimprich,

1995). This suggests therefore that people living and working in areas with trees and greenspace will
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

feel less stressed, more relaxed and friendlier due to their contact with natural surroundings than those

living and working in very urban areas.

A study in the Netherlands found that residents in neighbourhoods with high levels of psychosocial

stressors (nuisance from neighbours, drug misuse, youngsters frequently hanging around, rubbish on

the streets, feeling unsafe, dissatisfaction with green space) rated their own health significantly poorer

than residents in neighbourhoods with less of these stressors, independent of any other factors

(Agyemang et al., 2007). Therefore, improvements in green space and other social factors could

potentially improve

residents’ self rating of their health. Similarly, Mitchell and Popham (2007) found that a higher

proportion of greenspace in an area was generally associated with better selfreported health in the UK.

However, this association varied according to the combination of income deprivation and urbanity;

high income areas showed no association between green space and health, while in suburban lower

income areas, a higher proportion of green space was associated with worse health. This suggests that

quality rather than quantity of green space may be more important, and that areas of deprivation need

investment into higher quality trees and parks in order to see health benefits associated with access to

these facilities. A further study by these researchers (Mitchell and Popham, 2008) found that people

suffering income deprivation but with higher access to green space were healthier than those

experiencing similar deprivation levels but with lower greenspace access. This suggests that green

space may be able to ameliorate many of the poor health issues associated with low income areas, or at

least help those suffering with health issues feel better due to a more pleasant environment.

Trees and Psychological Health


ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

Views and experiences of nature have been shown to decrease people’s stress and anger, and

afterwards they report feeling happier and calmer. Students at Delaware University rated how they felt

after completing an exam, then were shown photographs of either urban or natural scenes and asked to

rate how they felt again. It was found that viewing urban areas significantly increased feelings of

sadness, and increased feelings of anger and aggression. In contrast, those that looked at the natural

scenes reported feeling friendlier, more affectionate, more carefree and significantly less fearful

(Ulrich, 1979). Hartig et al. (1991) found that people who had been on a hiking holiday (‘green

exercise’) in a wilderness area reported that they were happier over a longer period of time after their

holiday, despite an initial dip just after returning, than those who had been on a nonhiking holiday or

those who had not had a holiday. The dip in happiness levels just after the hikers returned home was

proposed to be related to feelings of unease about returning to the polluted concrete city (Hartig et al.,

1991). This is similar to the findings of Pretty et al. (2007) where green exercise gave more stable

moods. In a separate experiment, Hartig et al. (1991) induced cognitive fatigue in a group of

individuals who were then sent on either a nature walk, a city walk or told to relax in a comfortable

chair. Those who went on the nature walk reported higher levels of happiness than either of the other

study groups. Ulrich et al. (1991) conducted a similar experiment, measuring physiological signs and

self reports of feelings and stress, where participants were shown a stressful video followed by either

images of trees and natural settings or of traffic and people in urban settings. Those shown nature views

recovered faster (evident within 5 to 7 minutes) from the stress than those shown urban views.

Tennessen and Cimprich (1995) examined the restorative power of views of nature on university

students living in halls at a college in the Midwest of the USA. They theorised that views of trees and a

natural setting would reduce mental fatigue; students with this type of view from their study room
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

would perform better on a test of directed attention than those with a more urban view. Of the 72

students studied, those with a view of nature from their window performed better than those with a

view of buildings or roads (Tennessen and Cimprich, 1995). This restorative effect is also seen when

people visit a park for as little as 30 minutes, with participants recording changes in mood from tired or

anxious to relaxed and energised (Hull 1992). Fuller et al. (2007) showed that this restorative effect is

increased as both the perceived and actual plant and animal biodiversity of the visited park increases.

Trees and Preference for Greenspace Design

Studies of opinions of greenspace design show that a naturalistic design without evidence of

extensive human involvement is generally preferred (Jim and Chen (2006) in China; Ozguner and

Kendle (2006) in the UK; Bullock (2008) in Ireland; Budruk et al. (2009) in India). A naturalistic

approach incorporates a large number of trees and lots of vegetation; therefore, a preference for this

style indicates preference for a large number of trees. However, for a small number of people a

naturalistic environment is seen as intimidating or even frightening (Ozguner and Kendle, 2006) where

correct behaviour is unclear (Rishbeth and Finney 2008). The size of a park also changes people’s

preferred features;

in small parks, play areas and a mix of quiet and busy areas were preferred, while in large parks

adventure play areas and ample walking and seating facilities were preferred, although areas of

woodland are desired in both park sizes (Bullock, 2008). Areas for recreation were also seen as

important (Jim and Chen, 2006). Additionally, Budruk et al. (2009) found that those with high place

attachment also held pro-environmental opinions, suggesting that attachment to natural areas increases

care of the wider environment. These studies suggest a mix of formal and natural areas with many trees

and areas for walking and sport, would be most beneficial to urban residents, either within one park or
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

in different parks. These areas would therefore be well used and fears of crime or antisocial behaviour

should decrease.

The Effects of Housing Density and Land Use on the Distribution of Urban Trees

It is self-evident that housing density will affect tree cover. A low density layout with a high

percentage of vegetated space obviously allows much more space for trees than a high density layout

with a high proportion of impervious surfaces. A small number of studies have explored the effects that

housing density, housing layout and the surrounding environment have on tree cover and distribution.

Housing density has been shown by a small number of studies to be a factor in the amount of

greenspace in residential areas. Iverson and Cook (2000) classified surface covers in and around

Chicago, USA, into ten classes. Topographical maps and aerial photos were used by the ISODATA

program to automatically classify the land, which was then related to housing density using simple

product moment correlation. This found that areas of higher density had less greenspace and vegetation

cover. Projections of housing density for ten years’ time suggested a continuation of current trends of

increasing density in the city, combined with increased urban sprawl. The authors expressed concern

that further urban sprawl threatens the existence of both urban trees and greenspace and the unspoilt

land outside the current urban area, unless development is carefully done.

Solecki et al. (2005) used CITYgreen, a GIS-based modelling application, to investigate the

effects of increasing vegetation cover and increasing albedo in six residential areas of two towns in

urban New Jersey, USA. These areas differed in vegetation cover, housing density and average income.

The model showed that increasing tree cover decreases energy demand for cooling. The research

showed that richer neighborhoods were also areas of lower density housing, and contained the most
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

amount of vegetation and the most space for future tree planting. In comparison poorer neighborhoods

contained higher density housing and had less room to plant trees. This means that the poorer

neighbourhoods will be less able to plant more trees and therefore benefit from the cooling effects of

trees and the subsequent reduction in energy bills, a particular benefit for those on low incomes. As

climate change leads to increased temperatures, particularly in summertime, measures to redress the

unequal distribution of trees and their cooling effects should become a higher priority for social justice

reasons.

The First Urban Trees and Parks and their Surrounding Housing

The idea of planting trees in order to alleviate problems caused by dense human settlement and

industry was first suggested by John Evelyn, in his book ‘Fumifugium’ published in 1661. He

suggested that the factories should be moved away from London, and that sweet smelling trees and

plants be planted in their place and in other areas of London to make the air smell sweeter and improve

people’s quality of life (Evelyn, 1661, p.6-7). It took until the increasing industrialisation of Britain in

the 1800s and concurrent increase in population and pollution in cities for his ideas to be carried out on

a large scale. In 1833 the Government set up the Select Committee on Public Walks (Conway, 1991),

belatedly recognising that walking had become a national pastime since the Tudor era (Henneberger,

2002). This Select Committee reported that there was a recognisable need to provide public open

spaces in which people could walk and spend their increasing leisure time away from the pollution of

industry (Conway, 1991). This report helped to spur the municipal park movement during the middle of

the 1800s with numerous philanthropists donating money or land in order to create tree-filled public

parks (Conway, 1991, p.3). In 1841 the development of Birkenhead Park started, widely acknowledged

as the first fully funded public park (Henneberger, 2002). The park’s development and upkeep was
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

funded both by the local municipal authority and by the sale of building plots along the landscaped

edges of the park, plus taxes raised indirectly from residents (Henneberger, 2002). The site was

previously undesirable, uneconomic land and was set aside by the authority for the specific purpose of

affording a space for leisure and recreation of its residents (Henneberger, 2002). The park was opened

in 1847, and in 1995 was declared a Grade 1 Listed Historical Landscape (Wirral Council, 2008).

Birkenhead Park served as an example for other municipalities to create their own public parks

and inspired other park planners such as Frederick Law Olmstead, the creator of New York’s Central

Park (Henneberger, 2002). The idea of housing around these parks, with the park sometimes extending

into the housing through landscaped squares and avenues, was influential in Victorian planning and

building thought and social reform. Robert Owen, a Welsh manufacturer turned reformer, saw the

public park as the centrepiece of a residential development, with dwellings in landscaped surroundings

containing trees and other vegetation and connected to squares containing various meeting halls and

community facilities (Henneberger, 2002). This was in stark contrast to the prevailing housing of the

time, the so-called ‘byelaw’ terraces (Figure 2.1), which were arranged in strict grid patterns of long

two or three story terrace housing (Hawkes and Souza, 1981) containing little public space (Burnett,

1991).

The Modernist Influence

During the 1920s and 1930s the Modernist Movement in Europe influenced architects working

in the UK. These architects designed single or small groups of houses for those who could afford it

(Gould, 1977). The main features of these houses were outer walls with a smooth finish and no exposed

brickwork, large windows allowing views to the garden or sea (Modernist buildings were particularly

popular in seaside areas) and a sun terrace for occupants to enjoy ‘health giving sunshine’ (Gould,
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

1977). However, local authorities largely ignored this trend, and speculative builders, who built the vast

majority of houses in the inter-war period, merely added in some Modernist touches to their houses,

competing with other neo-Georgian and neo-Victorian motifs (Gould, 1977; Burnett, 1991). This is a

shame, as the focus on enjoying the views around and of the garden was important to many residents,

and could have led to much more focus on the natural environment around the home by the speculative

builders. However, the public’s continuing preference for homes with a garden in a landscaped space

meant that

speculative estates were generally well provided with trees and greenspace (Burnett, 1991), particularly

as the private sector built almost exclusively semi-detached dwellings (Hawkes and Souza, 1981). In

contrast, public sector (‘council’) housing tended to be built in short terraces of between four and six

houses (Hawkes and Souza, 1981, Burnett, 1991), which gave less opportunity for garden space than

semi-detached housing, but much more than the previous ‘byelaw’ housing.

Attitudes and Awareness of Residents about Urban Trees

Campaigning against environmental hazards has united communities and led to large

community action groups being formed in order to protect areas from pollution (Bullard and Johnson,

2000). However, community action on a similar scale is not generally seen when residents campaign

for access to environmental ‘goods’, such as more trees or a new park. It may be hypothesised that this

is related to the importance placed on trees by the residents; if residents (particularly in poorer areas)

do not value trees then they will not treat trees with respect, attempt to save trees or demand that more

trees are planted in their area. However, the small amount of research in this area does not back this up.

In a summary of his own research in the USA, Schroeder (1989) reported that a range of his studies

have shown that residents enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of natural environments; 99 percent of
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

respondents thought parkway trees were an asset to the community; park and street trees were ranked

second only to education programs in priority for receiving additional funding; trees on streets were

rated as more important than trees in yards, parks, and wooded areas; removing hazardous trees and

controlling insect and disease problems was rated higher in importance than planting new trees; 84

percent of the people said they thought maintenance of parkway trees was adequate, but in a survey in

an area suffering municipal budget cuts only 14 percent said that tree maintenance was good or

excellent. The aesthetic contribution and shade were rated as the most important benefits that urban

trees provide in a number of Schroeder’s studies, with a combination of flowering trees and large shade

trees being particularly liked. This is not surprising, as trees can soften urban areas and provide people

with contact with nature, and the surveys were carried out in areas of high summer temperatures, where

cool, shaded areas are highly valued.

Methodology

Research Design

We will use descriptive research design that involves collection of data.

Respondents

The respondents of the study will be the grade 10 students of St. Luke’s Academy.

Research Instrument
ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

The research instrument that we will use is a questionnaire checklist

Data Gathering Procedure

The questionnaire-checklist will be administered personally by the researcher. Ample time will

be given to the respondents to ensure that they understand the items and fully accomplish the

questionnaire-checklist. The researcher will likewise explain the item/s to the respondents should be a

need.

Ethical Considerations

The informed consent of the respondents will secure by the researcher. They will be informed

that their participation in the study will be voluntary and they have to withdraw if they feel

uncomfortable in the process of gathering information from them. Also, they will be assured a full

confidentiality.

References

King and Harrison, 1998; Xiao et al., 2000; Samba et al., 2001; Gomez et al., 2001; David et al., 2006;

Guevara-Escobar et al., 2007; Stovin et al., 2008; Bartens et al., 2009

World Environmental Encyclopedia (2003)

International Society of Arboriculture, 2005

Jama et al., 2003

Bullard and Johnson, 2000


ANTIQUE DIOCESAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
ST. LUKE’S ACADEMY INC.
VALDERRAMA, ANTIQUE

Solecki et al. (2005)

Kjelgren and Montague, 1998; Akbari et al., 2001; Shasuhua-Bar and Hoffman, 2004; Georgi and

Zafiriadis, 2006; Watkins, 2007; Tsiros 2010

Lawrence, 2008, p. xii

Mitchell and Popham (2007)

Gould, 1977; Burnett, 1991

Henneberger, 2002

Wirral Council, 2008

You might also like