Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Community engagement and safety are an important aspect of GPS tree logging fieldwork. As part of the Green Heart Louisville Project, we conducted field work to GPS log trees and conducted concurrent community engagement and implemented a health and safety plan (HASP). To make ourselves visible to the community, we made it a requirement to always wear visible Green Heart branding, such as t-shirts, hats, and backpacks. We fielded many inquiries about our presence, so we would politely inform them about why we were there, what we were doing, and explain to them about the nature of the Green Heart project as well as answer any questions they may have. Being courteous was important to make sure that the community was comfortable with our presence in the participant neighborhoods. By making sure to spend the least amount of time possible standing in front of homes and not logging trees while locals were outside their homes, we allowed them to feel comfortable with us being around to do our fieldwork. To ensure safety, we developed and implemented a HASP that was regularly updated with procedures about what should be done in the event of a safety concern such as inclement weather, injuries and illnesses. It is important to be aware of hazards while in the field. Preparation was key in making sure our time doing fieldwork was as safe and successful as possible. Extreme weather was a common issue that was faced when preparing for fieldwork. The HASP defines dangerous working conditions as any winter weather below 20 degrees, so fieldwork is postponed at that temperature which ensures that we avoid weather-related illnesses such as cold stress.
Included in
Field Research Safety and Community Engagement
Community engagement and safety are an important aspect of GPS tree logging fieldwork. As part of the Green Heart Louisville Project, we conducted field work to GPS log trees and conducted concurrent community engagement and implemented a health and safety plan (HASP). To make ourselves visible to the community, we made it a requirement to always wear visible Green Heart branding, such as t-shirts, hats, and backpacks. We fielded many inquiries about our presence, so we would politely inform them about why we were there, what we were doing, and explain to them about the nature of the Green Heart project as well as answer any questions they may have. Being courteous was important to make sure that the community was comfortable with our presence in the participant neighborhoods. By making sure to spend the least amount of time possible standing in front of homes and not logging trees while locals were outside their homes, we allowed them to feel comfortable with us being around to do our fieldwork. To ensure safety, we developed and implemented a HASP that was regularly updated with procedures about what should be done in the event of a safety concern such as inclement weather, injuries and illnesses. It is important to be aware of hazards while in the field. Preparation was key in making sure our time doing fieldwork was as safe and successful as possible. Extreme weather was a common issue that was faced when preparing for fieldwork. The HASP defines dangerous working conditions as any winter weather below 20 degrees, so fieldwork is postponed at that temperature which ensures that we avoid weather-related illnesses such as cold stress.
