Vegetation Management for Urban Park Visitors: A Mixed Methods Approach in Portland, Oregon

Integrating social and ecological data can help to improve management of urban parks. We used an innovative mixed‐methods approach that incorporated responses from park manager and visitor interviews into a three‐dimensional ordination of plant community composition data. This methodology revealed the plant assemblages that characterize different park types and how visitor and manager vegetation preferences vary across park types. Manager interviews revealed how they incorporate preferences and accessibility into plant management, as well as limitations such as funding, staff resources, and undesirable visitor behaviors. Increased communication and collaboration, investment, and interdisciplinary mixed methods research may enhance benefits of urban parks. Photo credit: Michelle L. Talal These photographs illustrate the article “Vegetation management for urban park visitors: a mixed methods approach in Portland, Oregon” by Michelle L. Talal and Mary V. Santelmann published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.207