2016

​Lemelin, R. H., R.W. Harper, J. Dampier, R. Bowles, and D. Balika. 2016. Humans, insects and Their interaction: a multi-faceted analysis. Animal Studies Journal 5(1): 65-79. [PDF]

Harper, R.W., W. R. Autio, J.T. Finn and F.S. Rossi. 2016. Tree Wardens and public grounds management in North America: Overseeding athletic fields with perennial ryegrass to promote safe playing surface. Arboricultural Journal 40 (3):1-13. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. and P.A. Weston. 2016. Potential of alternative Tsuga spp. as landscape replacements for T. canadensis: Longer-term evaluation and propagation of T. chinensis. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 42(5): 346-354.​ [PDF]

Markarian, G., R.W. Harper and D.V. Bloniarz. 2016. Flexible, open-source programmes and estimating projections of urban tree benefits: A case study in Amherst, MA. Arboricultural Journal 38 (1):1-13. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2016. Review of Features from the past for the future, Branching Out: An integrated pest management newsletter for trees and shrubs, by D.D. O’Brien and G.W. Hudler. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 42(3): 213-214. [PDF]

Dr. Rick W. Harper
Extension Professor of Urban & Community Forestry
​
​Department of Environmental Conservation
University of Massachusetts Amherst
160 Holdsworth Way
Amherst, MA 01003

uft@umass.edu

2017

Yin, J., R.W. Harper and N.L. Bassuk. 2017. Effects of tree production method and transplanting on root hydraulic conductance. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 35(2): 79-83. [PDF]

Harper, R.W., D.V. Bloniarz, S. DeStefano, C.R. Nicolson. 2017. Urban forest management in New England: Towards a contemporary understanding of tree wardens in Massachusetts communities. Arboricultural Journal 41(3): 1-19. [PDF]

Scharenbroch, B.C., D. Carter, M. Bialecki, R. Fahey, L. Scheberl, M. Catania, L.A. Roman, N.L. Bassuk, R.W. Harper, L. Werner, A. Siewert, S. Miller, L. Hutyra and S. Raciti. 2017. A rapid urban site index for assessing the quality of street tree planting sites. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 27: 279-286. [PDF]

Lemelin, R.H., J. Dampier, R.W. Harper, D. Balika, and R. Bowles. 2017. Perceptions of insects: A visual analysis. Society & Animals. DOI: 10.1163/15685306-12341469. [PDF]

Allen, K.S., R.W. Harper, A. Bayer and N.J. Brazee. 2017. Nursery production systems and their impact on urban tree survival. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 21(1):183-191. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2017. Review of The illustrated encyclopedia of trees (2nd ed), by D. Moore and J.W. White. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 42(3): 83-85. [PDF]

For more information:

​​​​​​​​2024

Coleman, A.F., R.W. Harper and L.A. Roman. Understanding Massachusetts' urban forests through undergraduate service-learning. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (in-review).

Griffith, E.E., D. Dyer, J.E. Dampier, C.M. Hart, J.E. Leahy and R.W. Harper. Organizational structure analysis of community wood banks: Ameliorating fuel poverty through local direct action. Community Development Journal (in-review).

Coleman, A.F., T.S. Eisenman, R.L. Ryan, D.H. Locke and R.W. Harper. Resident preferences for street-facing trees during an urban tree planting initiative in New England. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (in-review).

Harper, R.W. and D.A. Lass. Understanding the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arboriculture & commercial urban forestry sector in New England. Arboricultural Journal.[PDF]

Powning, C.B., R.W. Harper, D.V. Bloniarz, K.J. Kahl and E.M. Markowitz. 2024. Reviewing the use of research interviews and qualitative inquiry in urban forestry. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 128387. [PDF]

Hargrave, J.R., R.W. Harper, B.J. Butler and J.T. Mullins. 2024. Influence of community characteristics on urban forest management programs in New York State. Cities & the Environment (CATE) 17(1): 1-41. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2024. Review of Rare trees: The fascinating stories of the world's most threatened species by S. Oldfield & M. Rivers. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 99: 128457. [PDF]

​​​​2023

Lass, D.A. and R.W. Harper. 2023. Understanding the economic contributions of the arboriculture & commercial urban forestry sector in New England. Journal of Environmental Horticulture 41(2):48–58.  [PDF]

Healy, M., N. Geron, R.W. Harper, J. Rogan, D.G. Martin and L.A. Roman. 2023. Urban forest management motivations and practices in relation to a large-scale tree planting initiative. Society & Natural Resources 1-24. [PDF]​

Coleman, A.F., T.S. Eisenman, D.H. Locke and R.W. Harper. 2023. Exploring links between resident satisfaction and participation in an urban tree planting initiative. Cities 134:104195. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2023. Review of The American chestnut: An environmental history by D.E. Davis. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 87: 128043. [PDF]

​​​​2022

Hargrave, J.R., R.W. Harper, B. Butler and J.T. Mullins. 2022. Municipal forest program management in the United States: Reviewing fifty years of research. Forests 14:35. [PDF]

​​

Copeland, C.A., R.W. Harper, N.J. Brazee and F. Bowlick. 2022. A review of Dutch elm disease and new prospects for Ulmus americana in the urban environment. Arboricultural Journal 44:1-27. [PDF]

Coleman, A.F., R.W. Harper, T.S. Eisenman, S.H. Warner, and M.A. Wilkinson. 2022. The multidimensional nature of urban street trees: A review of scholarly research. Forests 13:11. [PDF]

Griffith, E.E., J.E. Dampier, C. Hart and R.W. Harper. 2022. Food, medicine or heat? How firewood banks leverage local natural resources to support fuel-poor households. Journal of Rural & Community Development 17:(3) 143-164. [PDF]

​Elton, A.J., R.W. Harper, E.E. Griffith and B.S. Weil. 2022. Exploring urban forestry non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the Eastern United States. Arboricultural Journal 44:1-18.[PDF]

​Elton, A.J., R.W. Harper, L.F. Bullard, E.E. Griffith and B.S. Weil. 2022. Volunteer engagement in urban forestry in the United States: A review of the literature. Arboricultural Journal 44:1-23. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2022. Review of The age of wood: Our most useful material and the construction of civilization, by R. Ennos. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 68: 127469. [PDF]

2021

Coleman, A.F., R.L. Ryan, T.S. Eisenman, D.H. Locke and R.W. Harper. 2021. The influence of street trees on pedestrian perceptions of safety: Results from environmental justice areas of Massachusetts, U.S. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 64: 1-11. [PDF]

​Eisenman, T.S., T. Flanders, R.W. Harper, R.J. Hauer and K. Lieberknecht. 2021. Traits of a bloom: A nationwide survey of U.S. urban tree planting initiatives (TPIs). Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 61: 1-15. [PDF]

​Bocsi, T., R.W. Harper, S. DeStefano and D.A. Lass. 2021. Historical and cultural perspectives of oak trees in the American landscape. Arboricultural Journal 43(2): 1-9. [PDF]  

​Bocsi, T., R.W. Harper, P.S. Warren, and S. DeStefano. 2021. Exploring the ecology of establishing oak trees in urban settings of the Northeast. Cities and the Environment (CATE) 14(1): 1-20. [PDF]

​Mei, P. V. Malik, R.W. Harper and J.M. Jiménez. 2021. Air pollution, human health and the benefits of trees: A biomolecular and physiologic perspective. Arboricultural Journal 43: 1-22. [PDF] 

Harper, R.W. 2021. Review of The tree book: Superior selections for landscapes, streetscapes, and gardens, by M.A. Dirr & K.S. Warren. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 62: 127162. [PDF]

Research Briefs

Research made available to the community. Archived original research footage from the ​University of Massachusetts Department of Environmental Conservation, Amherst, MA.

2018

​Dampier, J.E., R.W. Harper, A. McElhinney and E. Biltonen. 2018. Modeling benefit–cost analysis of hemlock woolly adelgid host plant resistance with emphasis on least-toxic chemical treatment alternatives. HortTechnology 28(5): 624-628. [PDF]

Harper, R.W., E.S. Huff, D.V. Bloniarz, S. DeStefano and C.R. Nicolson. 2018. Exploring the characteristics of successful volunteer-led urban forest tree committees in Massachusetts. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening 34: 311-317. [PDF]

Bocsi, T.J., P.S. Warren, R.W. Harper and S. DeStefano. 2018. Wildlife habitat management on college and university campuses. Cities and the Environment (CATE) 11(1): 1-14.[PDF]

​Harper, R.W. 2018. Review of hemlock: A forest giant on the edge, by D. R. Foster. Journal of Forestry 116(1): 88-89. [PDF]

​​​​Urban Forestry Today

Publications

Free PDF Download (McElhinney, A.M. & R.W. Harper. 2019. Planting for resilience: Selecting urban trees in MA. Dep't of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts. 106 pp.)

MA Street Tree Selection Guide

2015​

Harper, R.W. and P.A. Weston. 2015. Adaptation, performance, and host-resistance: Tsuga spp. research in the Northeast. RHODORA 117( 972): 514–515. (Abstract, commences Page 8. [PDF]

Green, B.L., R.W. Harper and D.A. Lass. 2015. Differing nursery production systems impact cost of planting oak species in the urban environment. Horttechnology 25(5):651-656. [PDF]

Dampier, J.E.E., R.W. Harper, L. Schwartzberg and R.H. Lemelin. 2015. A comparison of arborists’ and horticulturists’ preferences of Tsuga chinensis to T. canadensis in the urban landscape. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 41(1):41-48.​ [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2015. Review of The ABCs field guide to young and small tree pruning, by A.G. Plenninger and C.J. Luley. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 41(1):49-50. [PDF]

2014

Clapp, J.C., H.D.P. Ryan, R.W. Harper and D.V. Bloniarz. 2014. Rationale for the increased use of conifers as functional green infrastructure. Arboricultural Journal 36 (3):161-178.​​ [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2014. Review of Wasp and bee management: a common-sense approach, by J.L. Gangloff-Kaufmann. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 40(1):46-47. [PDF]

2013

Harper, R.W. and R.S. Cowles. 2013. Susceptibility of Chinese hemlock (Tsuga chinensis) to injury from autumn horticultural oil applications. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 39(1):6-10.​​ [PDF]

2009​

Weston, P.A. and R.W. Harper. 2009. Potential of Tsuga spp. from North America and Asia as replacements for eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 35(1):5-9.​ [PDF]

2020

Harper, R.W., E.S. Huff, D.V. Bloniarz, S. DeStefano, C.R. Nicolson and M. Davidsohn. 2020. Employing qualitative research interviews to understand urban forestry stakeholder continuing education needs. Arboricultural Journal 42: 1-11. [PDF]

Harper, R.W. 2020. Review of Witness tree, by L.V. Mapes. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 55: 126787. [PDF]​

​2019

​Harper, R.W. 2019. Review of A history of urban forests, by J. Jonnes. Journal of Forestry 117(3): 313-314. [PDF]​​