Attitudes to tree removal on private properties in two Polish cities.

Large cities are increasingly faced with declining urban tree cover and related problems, such as increased urban heat islands and flash floods. Reducing these phenomena increasingly has to rely on trees located on private property. However, to effectively engage private landowners on these issues, more attention must be paid to understanding their perceptions of urban green spaces. For example, what do they understand concerning ecosystem services provided by urban forests? What are their attitudes to legal regulations of tree removal on private property? What factors influence respondents' points of view? These are just some of the issues that need to be considered. The data from this study allows for a better understanding of these issues on many different levels, based on a case study of two Polish cities: Poznań and Gdańsk.
A geo-questionnaire, consisting of an internet based survey combined with an interactive web-map, was conducted in the summer of 2020, with spatial information consisting of the respondent's place of residence, locations of trees that confer important Ecosystem Services (ES), and suggestions for places to plant trees. In addition, the survey collected information concerning respondents’ personal characteristics, their opinion of regulations affecting private-property tree removal, their attachment to the location where they live, as well as questions related to their ecological concerns. Respondents were informed about the research through the local press and on social media (Facebook). Data are presented in aggregate form in hexagonal units with an area of approx 34,6 m2.