Scientists & Staff

Lara Roman
Current Research
My research addresses broad questions about how urban forests change over time. Urban forests are the collection of trees in cities, towns, and suburbs, including trees along streets, in residential yards and landscaped parks, as well as urban natural areas. My work primarily concerns the parts of the urban forest that are under direct human control, such as street and yard trees. The temporal dynamics of urban forest systems involve both social and ecological drivers, including decision-making by tree professionals and arborists as well as biophysical stressors at multiple scales. Studies include:
Field monitoring of tree mortality, growth and health. Through partnerships with various non-profit urban greening organizations and municipal forestry agencies, I lead and support longitudinal data collection of urban trees. This includes tracking cohorts of trees planted through particular programs as well as repeat inventories of multi-aged trees in a given landscape. Statistical analyses reveal the factors that are associated with mortality and low vigor, pointing to potential areas of intervention for managers. Past research showed the crucial role of maintenance and stewardship in young tree survival - with maintenance (or lack thereof) sometimes dominating the findings - leading to new projects to experimentally test interventions that promote stewardship behaviors among residents.
Urban tree canopy cover. Many cities have set ambitious goals to increase canopy cover levels. Because trees are fundamentally slow-growing organisms, long-term assessments (at decadal time scales) are needed to assess the impacts of various programs and events on tree cover. Using historical aerial photography, paired with archival historical research, I investigate the decision-making that impacts long-term tree cover changes.
Historical investigations of legacy effects. Urban forests are an inherited landscape, reflecting past disturbance events (e.g., storms, invasive pests and pathogens) as well as past decisions by tree professionals, residents, and other actors. The legacy effects of past phenomena shape the urban forest that we observe and experience today. I use archival records such as city park reports, newspapers, and nursery catalogues to understand how urban forests have developed over the past century.
Co-production of knowledge and citizen science. My studies take a participatory approach to the research process, involving colleagues from the professional urban forestry sector to generate new research questions, design projects, and interpret results. This kind of co-production of knowledge leads to more actionable research that addresses the real-world needs of resource managers. For example, many local urban forestry organizations have used volunteers in data collection (i.e., citizen science), and research on citizen science data quality enables program managers to decide the appropriateness of volunteer-generated data for their needs.
Research Interests
urban ecosystems; urban forests; tree demography; citizen science; participatory research; urban tree canopy cover; urban environmental history
Why This Research is Important
Cities in the United States and around the world have engaged in ambitious programs to plant trees and increase tree cover. Research about temporal dynamics in urban forests - whether field studies lasting a few years, land cover change analysis over several decades, or historical assessments stretching back over a century - allows a deeper understanding of how change happens in these deeply entwined social-ecological systems. Furthermore, the spatial patterns observed in today's urban forests - such as tree cover and species composition - can only be fully understood in light of the temporal dynamics that produced those patterns.
Education
- University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. Environmental Science, Policy & Management. Dissertation title: Urban tree mortality., 2013
- University of Pennsylvania, B.A. Biology, Concentration in Ecology and Evolution, 2004
Professional Organizations
- Ecological Society of America (2007 - Current)
- International Society of Arboriculture (2007 - Current)
- Urban Tree Growth & Longevity Working Group (2015 - 2019)
Publications & Products
- Conway, Tenley M.; Yuan, Annie Yachen; Roman, Lara A.; Heckert, Megan ; Pearsall, Hamil ; Dickinson, Stephen T.; Rosan, Christina D.; Ordóñez, Camilo. 2022. Who participates in green infrastructure initiatives and why? Comparing participants and non-participants in Philadelphia's GI programs. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning
- Esperon‐Rodriguez, Manuel ; Rymer, Paul D.; Power, Sally A.; Barton, David N.; Cariñanos, Paloma ; Dobbs, Cynnamon ; Eleuterio, Ana Alice; Escobedo, Francisco J.; Hauer, Richard ; Hermy, Martin ; Jahani, Ali ; Onyekwelu, Jonathan C.; Östberg, Johan ; Pataki, Diane ; Randrup, Thomas B.; Rasmussen, Tørres ; Roman, Lara A.; Russo, Alessio ; Shackleton, Charlie ; Solfjeld, Ingjerd ; van Doorn, Natalie S.; Wells, Matthew J.; Wiström, Björn ; Yan, Pengbo ; Yang, Jun ; Tjoelker, Mark G. 2022. Assessing climate risk to support urban forests in a changing climate. PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET. 4(3): 201-213
- Grant, Amber ; Millward, Andrew A.; Edge, Sara ; Roman, Lara A.; Teelucksingh, Cheryl. 2022. Where is environmental justice? A review of US urban forest management plans. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Mikolajewski, Danielle ; D'Amico, Vince ; Sonti, Nancy F.; Pinchot, Cornelia C.; Flower, Charles E.; Roman, Lara A.; Trammell, Tara L.E. 2022. Restoring the iconic Ulmus americana to urban landscapes: Early tree growth responds to aboveground conditions. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Pearsall, Hamil ; Heck, Sarah ; Tablas, Madison ; Pierce, Joseph ; Hinrichs, Clare ; Roman, Lara ; Shabazz, Jerome. 2022. Building knowledge infrastructure for diverse stakeholders to scale up co-production equitably. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability
- Riedman, Elizabeth ; Roman, Lara A.; Pearsall, Hamil ; Maslin, Mindy ; Ifill, Tim ; Dentice, Dana. 2022. Why don't people plant trees? Uncovering barriers to participation in urban tree planting initiatives. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Roman, Lara A.; Fristensky, Jason P.; Lundgren, Robert E.; Cerwinka, Chloe E.; Lubar, Jason E. 2022. Construction and Proactive Management Led to Tree Removals on an Urban College Campus. Forests
- Conway, Tenley M.; Ordóñez, Camilo ; Roman, Lara A.; Yuan, Annie ; Pearsall, Hamil ; Heckert, Megan ; Dickinson, Stephen ; Rosan, Christina. 2021. Resident Knowledge of and Engagement with Green Infrastructure in Toronto and Philadelphia. Environmental Management
- Pearsall, Hamil ; Gutierrez-Velez, Victor Hugo; Gilbert, Melissa R.; Hoque, Simi ; Eakin, Hallie ; Brondizio, Eduardo S.; Solecki, William ; Toran, Laura ; Baka, Jennifer E.; Behm, Jocelyn E.; Brelsford, Christa ; Hinrichs, Clare ; Henry, Kevin A.; Mennis, Jeremy ; Roman, Lara A.; Rosan, Christina ; South, Eugenia C.; Valletta, Rachel D. 2021. Advancing equitable health and well-being across urban-rural sustainable infrastructure systems. npj Urban Sustainability
- Roman, Lara A.; Catton, Indigo J.; Greenfield, Eric J.; Pearsall, Hamil ; Eisenman, Theodore S.; Henning, Jason G. 2021. Linking Urban Tree Cover Change and Local History in a Post-Industrial City. Land
- Roman, Lara A.; Hallett, Richard ; Brandt, Leslie ; Rutledge, Annamarie ; Rodbell, Phillip. 2021. Growing Resilience in Our Urban and Community Forests. City Trees: Journal of the Society of Municipal Arborists
- van Doorn, Natalie S.; Roman, Lara A. 2021. New USDA Forest Service monitoring guides emphasize tracking individual trees to assess change over time. Arborist News. 30(3): 46-51.
- Berland, Adam ; Roman, Lara A. 2020. New possibilities for virtual street tree inventories. Arborist News. February: 29(1): 22-26.
- Clarke, Mysha K.; Roman, Lara A.; Conway, Tenley M. 2020. Communicating with the Public about Emerald Ash Borer: Militaristic and Fatalistic Framings in the News Media. Sustainability
- Huff, Emily S.; Johnson, Michelle ; Roman, Lara ; Sonti, Nancy Falxa; Pregitzer, Clara C.; Campbell, Lindsay ; McMillen, Heather. 2020. A literature review of resilience in urban forestry. Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. 46(3): 185-196.
- Kondo, Michelle ; Mueller, Natalie ; Locke, Dexter ; Roman, Lara ; Rojas-Rueda, David ; Schinasi, Leah ; Gascon, Mireia ; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J. 2020. Health impact assessment of Philadelphia's 2025 tree canopy cover goals. The Lancet Planetary Health
- Magarik, Yasha A.S.; Roman, Lara A.; Henning, Jason G. 2020. How should we measure the DBH of multi-stemmed urban trees?. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Roman, Lara A.; Conway, Tenley M.; Eisenman, Theodore S.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Ordóñez Barona, Camilo ; Locke, Dexter H.; Jenerette, G. Darrel; Östberg, Johan ; Vogt, Jess. 2020. Beyond 'trees are good': Disservices, management costs, and tradeoffs in urban forestry. Ambio
- Roman, Lara A.; van Doorn, Natalie S.; McPherson, E. Gregory; Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Henning, Jason G.; Ӧstberg, Johan P.A.; Mueller, Lee S.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Mills, John R.; Hallett, Richard A.; Sanders, John E.; Battles, John J.; Boyer, Deborah J.; Fristensky, Jason P.; Mincey, Sarah K.; Peper, Paula J.; Vogt, Jess. 2020. Urban tree monitoring: a field guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-194. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 48 p.
- van Doorn, Natalie S.; Roman, Lara A.; McPherson, E. Gregory; Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Henning, Jason G.; Östberg, Johan P.A.; Mueller, Lee S.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Mills, John R.; Hallet, Richard A.; Sanders, John E.; Battles, John ; Boyer, Debra J.; Fristensky, Jason P.; Mincey, Sarah K.; Peper, Paula J.; Vogt, Jessica M. 2020. Urban tree monitoring: a resource guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-266. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 132 p.
- Berland, Adam ; Roman, Lara A.; Vogt, Jess. 2019. Can Field Crews Telecommute? Varied Data Quality from Citizen Science Tree Inventories Conducted Using Street-Level Imagery. Forests
- Blair, Seth A.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Knox, Gary W.; Roman, Lara A.; Thetford, Mack. 2019. Visual health assessments for palms. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Blair, Seth A.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Knox, Gary W.; Roman, Lara A.; Thetford, Mack ; Hilbert, Deborah R. 2019. Health and establishment of highway plantings in Florida (United States). Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Breger, Benjamin S.; Eisenman, Theodore S.; Kremer, Madison E.; Roman, Lara A.; Martin, Deborah G.; Rogan, John. 2019. Urban tree survival and stewardship in a state-managed planting initiative: A case study in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Hand, Michael S.; Roman, Lara A.; Locke, Dexter Henry; Fichman, Erica Smith. 2019. Phone-call reminders narrow the intention-action gap by increasing follow-through for a residential tree giveaway program. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. 44: 126425.
- Hilbert, Deborah R.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Roman, Lara A.; Hamilton, Keir ; Landry, Shawn M.; Hauer, Richard J.; Campanella, Haley ; McLean, Drew ; Andreu, Michael ; Perez, Hector. 2019. Development practices and ordinances predict inter-city variation in Florida urban tree canopy coverage. Landscape and Urban Planning
- Hilbert, Deborah R.; Roman, Lara A.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Vogt, Jess ; van Doorn, Natalie S. 2019. Urban Tree Mortality: A Literature Review. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry: 45(5): 167-200.
- Hilbert, Deborah R.; Roman, Lara A.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Vogt, Jess ; van Doorn, Natalie S. . 2019. Urban tree mortality: What the literature shows us. Arborist News. Oct: 22-26.
- Elmes, Arthur; Rogan, John; Roman, Lara A.; Williams, Christopher A.; Ratick, Samuel J.; Nowak, David J.; Martin, Deborah G. 2018. Predictors of mortality for juvenile trees in a residential urban-to-rural cohort in Worcester, MA. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 30: 138-151.
- Roman, Lara A.; Campbell, Lindsay K.; Jordan, Rebecca C. 2018. Civic science in urban forestry: Introduction to a second special issue. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 44: 233-235.
- Roman, Lara A.; Pearsall, Hamil; Eisenman, Theodore S.; Conway, Tenley M.; Fahey, Robert T.; Landry, Shawn; Vogt, Jess; van Doorn, Natalie S.; Grove, J. Morgan; Locke, Dexter H.; Bardekjian, Adrina C.; Battles, John J.; Cadenasso, Mary L.; van den Bosch, Cecil C. Konijnendijk; Avolio, Meghan; Berland, Adam; Jenerette, G. Darrel; Mincey, Sarah K.; Pataki, Diane E.; Staudhammer, Christina. 2018. Human and biophysical legacies shape contemporary urban forests: A literature synthesis. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Roman, Lara A.; Smith, Bailey C.; Dentice, Dana ; Maslin, Mindy ; Abrams, Glen. 2018. Monitoring young tree performance with citizen scientists: The evolving Tree Checkers program in Philadelphia, PA. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 44: 255-265.
- Roman, Laura A.; Campbell, Lindsay K.; Jordan, Rebecca C. 2018. Civic science in urban forestry: Engaging the public in data collection, knowledge production, and stewardship. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 44: 41-48.
- Nguyen, Vi D.; Roman, Lara A.; Locke, Dexter H.; Mincey, Sarah K.; Sanders, Jessica R.; Smith Fichman, Erica; Duran-Mitchell, Mike; Lumban Tobing, Sarah. 2017. Branching out to residential lands: Missions and strategies of five tree distribution programs in the U.S.. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Roman, Lara A.; Fristensky, Jason P.; Eisenman, Theodore S.; Greenfield, Eric J.; Lundgren, Robert E.; Cerwinka, Chloe E.; Hewitt, David A.; Welsh, Caitlin C. 2017. Growing Canopy on a College Campus: Understanding Urban Forest Change through Archival Records and Aerial Photography. Environmental Management
- Roman, Lara A.; Nguyen, Vi D.; Locke, Dexter H.; Mincey, Sarah K.; Sanders, Jessica R.; Fichman, Erica S.; Duran-Mitchell, Mike ; Tobing, Sarah L. 2017. Best practices for yard tree distribution programs. Arborist News. 26(5): 30-35.
- Roman, Lara A.; Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Ostberg, Johan P.A.; Mueller, Lee S.; Henning, Jason G.; Koeser, Andrew K.; Sanders, Jessica R.; Betz, Daniel R.; Jordan, Rebecca C. 2017. Data quality in citizen science urban tree inventories. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Carter, David ; Bialecki, Margaret ; Fahey, Robert ; Scheberl, Luke ; Catania, Michelle ; Roman, Lara A.; Bassuk, Nina ; Harper, Richard W.; Werner, Les ; Siewert, Alan ; Miller, Stephanie ; Hutyra, Lucy ; Raciti, Steve. 2017. A rapid urban site index for assessing the quality of street tree planting sites. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening
- Campbell, Lindsay K.; Svendsen, Erika S.; Roman, Lara A. 2016. Knowledge Co-production at the Research-Practice Interface: Embedded Case Studies from Urban Forestry. Environmental Management. 57: 1262-1280.
- Ko, Yekang; Roman, Lara A.; McPherson, E. Gregory; Lee, Junhak. 2016. Does tree planting pay us back? Lessons from Sacramento, CA. Arborist News. June: 50-54.
- Nowak, David J.; Bodine, Allison R.; Hoehn, Robert; Ellis, Alexis; Low, Sarah C.; Roman, Lara A.; Henning, Jason G.; Stephan, Emily; Taggert, Tom; Endreny, Ted. 2016. The urban forests of Philadelphia. Resource Bulletin NRS-106. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 80 p.
- Roman, Lara A.; Battles, John J.; McBride, Joe R. 2016. Urban tree mortality: a primer on demographic approaches. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-158. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 24 p.
- Boyer, Deborah J.; Roman, Lara A.; Henning, Jason G.; McFarland, Matthew; Dentice, Dana; Low, Sarah C.; Thomas, Casey; Abrams, Glen. 2016. Data management for urban tree monitoring -- software requirements. Philadelphia, PA: Azavea. 124 p.
- Ko, Yekang; Lee, Jun-Hak; McPherson, E. Gregory; Roman, Lara A. 2015. Factors affecting long-term mortality of residential shade trees: evidence from Sacramento, California. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 14(3): 500-507
- Ko, Yekang; Lee, Jun-Hak; McPherson, E. Gregory; Roman, Lara A. 2015. Long-term monitoring of Sacramento Shade program trees: tree survival, growth and energy-saving performance. Landscape and Urban Planning. 143: 183-191
- Locke, Dexter H.; Roman, Lara A.; Murphy-Dunning, Colleen. 2015. Why opt-in to a planting program? Long-term residents value street tree aesthetics. Arboriculture & Urban Greening. 41: 324-333.
- Roman, Lara A.; Walker, Lindsey A.; Martineau, Catherine M.; Muffly, David J.; MacQueen, Susan A.; Harris, Winnie. 2015. Stewardship matters: Case studies in establishment success of urban trees. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 14(4): 1174-1182.
- Roman, Lara A. 2014. How many trees are enough? Tree death and the urban canopy. Scenario Journal. Scenario 04. 8 p.
- Roman, Lara A.; Battles, John J.; McBride, Joe R. 2014. Determinants of establishment survival for residential trees in Sacramento County, CA. Landscape and Urban Planning. 129: 22-31.
- Scharenbroch, B.C. ; Roman, L.A. ; McPherson, E.G. ; Bartens, J. ; Boyer, D. 2014. The pulse of the urban forest working group focused on urban tree growth and longevity. Arborist News. 23(6): 54-55.
- Roman, Lara A.; Battles, John J.; McBride, Joe R. 2013. The balance of planting and mortality in a street tree population. Urban Ecosystems. 18 p. 10.1007/s11252-013-0320-5.
- Roman, Lara A.; McPherson, E. Gregory; Scharenbroch, Bryant C.; Bartens, Julia. 2013. Identifying common practices and challenges for local urban tree monitoring programs across the United States. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry. 39(6): 292-299.