The City Forest in San Jose, California, hurdled the linguistic barrier by translating its brochure into different languages, thus ensuring residents the widest possible access to its information. But overcoming linguistic differences is just the beginning. Clifford Janoff, executive director of Friends of the Urban Forest in San Francisco, says cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs must play a role in urban forestry planning. For example, you can't block the main entrance to a house, or you can't put a shadow on the entrance. It has been a problem, but we're dealing with it.
Orientals have strong beliefs about the flow of life forces, just as many Native American groups do.
And the exact location of a tree in relation to the home's front door can be critical if that tree is seen as either directing or blocking the flow of life forces. Once a project is planned, the community's residents can help physically, financially, or in some other way. When community residents know about an issue and understand why their participation is so important, they are empowered to take action. Trees New York's Young Citizen Pruner training, for example, helps disenfranchised inner-city young people contribute to the quality of life in the city. The best of all possible worlds can be realized when community residents request assistance to plan a project.