TREE Fund Research Impacts, Outcomes and Outputs Study

2017 | Andrew Koeser, PhD, University of Florida – Gulf Coast REC and Co-Investigator Rich Hauer, PhD, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point

In assessing the impact of past TREE Fund Grant awards, we will conduct a quantitative/qualitative review of past funded projects to gauge direct and indirect research outcomes, outputs, and impacts. A review of internal reporting documents, supplemented by a mixed mode survey (email and phone as follow-up) of past awardees will be used to quantify the number of peer-reviewed and popular press articles, creative media works, training opportunities, new professionals, and leveraged research funds that can be traced back to TREE Fund supported research grants, education grants, and scholarships. In evaluating research outcomes, our assessment of reporting documents and survey will be bolstered with an analysis of industry standards/BMPs and responses from a panel of key informants (including educators, NGO representatives, government coordinators, and industry representatives). Research impacts will be quantified as possible given the data available. By example, impacts from studies on deep planting of trees translate into greater tree survival and reduced replanting costs. National tree planting and survival data from the research PI’s could be used to determine the economic impact. However, we suspect the impact phase will be the most challenging aspect of the project given information currently available. As such, we will develop and test (as part of the survey) guidelines for the self-assessment of economic/environmental/health impacts for the TREE Fund to include in its reporting process. Finally we will conduct an assessment of non-funded proposals to determine how research demand aligns or differs with the resources historically and currently available through the TREE Fund.

Read the complete report here.