Advancing climate resilience through a geo-design framework: strengthening urban and community forestry for sustainable environmental design

Urban and community forestry is a specialized discipline focused on the meticulous management of trees and forests within urban,suburban,and town environments.This field often entails extensive civic involvement and collaborative partnerships with institutions.Its overarching objectives span a spectrum from preserving water quality,habitat,and biodiversity to mitigating the Urban Heat Island(UHI)effect.The UHI phenomenon,characterized by notably higher temperatures in urban areas compared to rural counterparts due to heat absorption by urban infrastructure and limited urban forest coverage,serves as a focal point in this study.The study focuses on developing a methodological framework that integrates Geographically Weighted Regression(GWR),Random Forest(RF),and Suitability Analysis to assess the Urban Heat Island(UHI)effect across different urban zones,aiming to identify areas with varying levels of UHI impact.The framework is designed to assist urban planners and designers in understanding the spatial distribution of UHI and identifying areas where urban forestry initiatives can be strategically implemented to mitigate its effect.Conducted in various London areas,the research provides a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between urban and community forestry and UHI.By mapping the spatial variability of UHI,the framework offers a novel approach to enhancing urban environmental design and advancing urban forestry studies.The study’s findings are expected to provide valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers,aiding in creating healthier and more livable urban environments through informed decision-making in urban forestry management.

A Case Study Report for Urban Forestry Policy Project Co-funded by EC:Analysis of Urban Forestry Policy in Hangzhou,China

Hangzhou is a typical city on the establishment of urban forest in China, so it was identified as a case study site in Urban Forestry Policy Project Co-funded by EC. The name of the project is "Developing Policy Formulation and Implementation Tools for Providing Support for Ecological Forest Management in China’s Urban and Peri-Urban Areas". Experts from the project team have conducted a field survey on urban forestry policy in Hangzhou for one week. Through the field survey and the workshop, the experts understand the current development of urban forestry, the management institutions, the policy framework, the policy- making and the implementation procedure in Hangzhou. The impacts of urban policy and experiences of urban forest planning and management were analyzed. Finally, the main existing problems of urban forestry development were concluded and related policy recommendations in Hangzhou were provided.

A Perspective of Urban Forestry Policy and Management Methodologies in China

Urban forestry provides the way to resolve the ecological and environmental problems of urbanization. Recently, how to make appropriate urban forestry policy and implement the corresponding management methodologies has become one of hot topics in the research of urban forestry. In this paper, Chinese urban forestry policies were introduced, the common themes of urban forestry planning, for example, Green Structure Planning had been identified, different urban forestry management strategies were suggested primarily in China under the guidance of European urban forestry management methodologies. Additionally, partnership and public involvement, as the main working methods of urban forestry, were analyzed in detail. The aims of this paper is to examine current practices related to urban forestry policy and management, to improve the urban forestry sustainable management ability for policy makers, managers, beneficiaries, user-groups, communities, and to improve the ecological and environmental quality in urban and suburban areas in China.

R & D Activities on Urban Forestry in the Philippines

This paper highlights the research and development activities being done on urban forestry in the Philippines. The rolethat R & Dplaysin urban forestryislikewise discussed in theintroduction. Recommended tree species for urban planting are presented including their characteristics and distribution. Researches related to urban forestry being conducted are listed with a short description of each project. Development activities on urban forestry are likewise discussed. Finally, recommended R &D agenda and researchable areasbased on the Philippine Agenda 21 and the Department of Environmentand NaturalResources(DENR) R & D Framework are presented.

Higher Education on Urban Forestry in Europe: An Overview

In order to meet the demands of modern, information-based society, higher education in natural resource management needs to be transformed. Enhanced mobility of students and staff, multi- and transdisciplinary approaches, as well as innovative educational approaches are called for. Moreover, the urban component needs to be better incorporated, as exemplified by the emerging field of urban forestry. This paper relates to the developments in higher education within the context of education on urban forest...

Urban Forestry and its Relevance to Tourism Development in Sabah

Urban forestry is understood to be the management of trees and forests in urban areas. It yieldsmany environmental and material benefits. In Sabah, the environmental services of urban forestry are moreimportant than material products. The potential of practising urban forestry in various zones and underdifferent land ownership is evaluated. As urbanisation has occurred recently in Sabah, urban forestry hasonly been practised to a limited extent. Tourism is an economic sector which has gained prominence in recentyears and has huge growth potential. With the numerous environmental services provided by urban forestryto make urban areas more inhabitable, the increasing tourism activities necessitate intensification of urbanforestry activities. The main urban centres contain many tourist attractions, and are also the gateways tomany other ecotourist destinations located throughout Sabah. With tourism high on the development agendain Sabah, urban forestry needs to be promoted so that both locals and visitors can enjoy the numerous social,environmental and economic benefits.

Land, Fund and Mechanism:Three Bottlenecks of Chinese Urban Forestry in the 21st Century

Although desirable developments have been achieved since the implementation of the reform-and-opening-up policy, the urban forestry in China is still haunted by the problems of land scarcity, fundshortage and administrative mechanism dysfunction. With a concern of these problems, this paper have madea survey of the current status of the land use in urban areas for the purpose of proposing strategies for urbanforestry development in China, and have made an evaluation on the relation between fund and urban forestrywith a focus on the means of attracting investment and raising fund. In line with the system of socialorganizations, of administration, and of management, special concern about the systematic and operationalmechanism of urban forestry has been expressed. Based upon the analysis as such, this paper holds that landis the foundation of urban forestry development; fund is the motive force of the sustainable development ofurban forestry; mechanism is the guarantee for the urban forestry to develop in a healthy and effective order.

Urban Forestry as a Vehicle for Healthy and Sustainable Development

Urban forestry has been defined as the art, science and technology of managing trees and forestresources in and around urban community ecosystems for the physiological, sociological, economic andaesthetic benefits trees provide. The importance of urban forestry has received limited attention in manypoor countries as it is often percieved as being associated with beautification projects, which are considereda luxury benefiting only the wealthier part of the population. However, urban forestry may have a number ofenvironmental, economic and socio-cultural values, which will also benefit poorer segments of city populations.Even in poorer countries, planning for urban trees and forests is a good investment, as these areas will bedemanded when income levels increase. Once everything is allocated to other construction or infrastructure,it may be very difficult to create new green areas unless these are planned for.The Danish Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning has been leading actor in the development of UrbanForestry during the last decade. EUFORIC (European Urban Forestry Research and Information Centre),COST Action E12 Urban Forests and Trees and E39 Forests, Trees and Human Health and Wellbeing areall examples of activities initiated and coordinated by the Danish centre. It has also developed urban forestryand urban greening as a concept for environment and development aid projects in Eastern Europe anddeveloping countries in Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. Over the coming years, the main challange willbe to ensure that the expansion of the green infrastructure in the worlds urban areas is implemented withinthe framework of sustainability and human health and well-being, without the use of a technology inimical toman and nature and with as few chemical aids as possible.

Urban Forestry Research in Europe-An Overview

A comprehensive European overview of recent and ongoing research in Europe has been carried out within the framework of COST Action E12 'Urban Forests and Trees', a pan-European research network. This paper presents some of the main findings of a comparative analysis of 20 individual country reports. The analysis shows that research on urban forests and urban trees in Europe has a wide scope and is rather fragmented and uncoordinated. Universities and state research institutes, mostly with a forestry or...

Multi-sectoral Participatory Urban Forestry Development in Philippines Metropolitan Manila

Metropolitan Manila, the capital region of the Philippines, initiated urban forestry projects toshowcase its environmental benefits. Metro Manila was once a part of a tropical mangrove forest dominatedby small trees locally called nilad (Scyphiphora hydrophyllaceae). The fast-paced urbanization transformedthe original ecosystem into a bustling metropolis subjected to environmental decay. The establishment ofurban forestry is one of the interventions sought by the government to mitigate the environmental conditions.Thus, the concept of participatory urban forestry was formalized in 1988 by the national government.However, it was during the early years of the 1970s that the idea of exerting collective effort in greeningMetro Manila started through the Green Revolution, with the primary motive of uplifting the economiccondition of the people rather than on ecological enhancement. The project was forced on the people to plantvegetables and fruit trees with less emphasis on forest trees species. Although the project was not successful,the government realized that the citizenry could be a great partner for a collective worthwhile undertaking.

Social and Ecnomic Values of Urban Forestry:Malaysian Perspective

The concept of urban forestry is not a new one for town planners and foresters in Malaysia. The difference between the concept now and in the early days is that, in the past, people associated urban forestry primarily with the planting of trees, rather than seeing it as involving the total development of a designated area. Urban forestry activity in Malaysia started way back in 1778 with the planting of Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) trees in Malacca, followed by large-scale planting of trees in Penang in 1802. A majority of trees planted at that time were exotic species, such as Angsana (Pterocarpus indicus), rain tree (Samanea saman), and broad-leaved mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), which were meant to provide instant shade and greenery. A more holisticconcept of urban forestry, which not only encompasses simply planting trees but also involves making provisions for preserving the ecosystem, started only in the 1980s. Sincethen, the concept of urban forestry has begun to gain interestand appreciation, encouraging localsto get involved with tree-planting campaigns aspart and parcel of many urban forestry activities. Today, efforts of government agencies such as theForest Research InstituteMalaysia(FRIM), together with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)and the Lions Club of Kuala Lumpur, have helped to inculcate interestin planting trees or greening the nation and to enhance appreciation of the concept of urban forestry as a whole. The importance of urban forestry from the perspective of both economic and social values is reflected not only in the prices of homes located in urban green areas but also in theamountof budget allocated formaintenance and further development of those areas. Everyoneliving in an urban area knows how important urban forestry activities are in day-to-day activities. Therefore, to help readers better understand and appreciate the needs ofan urban population, thispaper highlights not only the roles of urban green spaces butalso discusses the social and economicvalues thatMalaysiansplace on urban forestry.

Strategic Trend of Chinese Urban Forestry Development

China is facing new challenges of urban expansion of scale and deterioration of the ecological environment. Urban forestry has a new role and position in Chinese forestry development. “Chinese Sustainable Development Forestry Strategic Research” established the strategic objectives and policy measures on urban forestry, improved urban ecological environmentand pushed Chinese urban ecological processthrough building up green forestisland in urban central district, green forest zone in suburbs, forest system in remoter outskirts of cities.

The Development Trend and Characteristics of Urban Forestry in China

Urban forestry, which rose in the west in the latter half of the 20th century, is a type of forestry serving for city. Its important characteristic is that it makes through its narrow sense, or "urban afforestation", whose objective is to make city green and beautiful, and develops into a forestry system serving for the urban system. The consequence of rapid modern civilization is that skyscrapers concentrate in urban district and green space become narrower, resulting that

Introduction to Urban and Community Forestry in the United States of America: History, Accomplishments, Issues and Trends

The urban and community forestry movement in the United States has matured over the last 20 years from managing street trees, to understanding the benefits of trees in urban ecosystems, and now to managing urban green infrastructure. This paper introduced the history, development, and major accomplishments of the urban and community forestry movement, highlighted the economic, ecological, environmental, and social values of forests and trees to communities, and discussed issues and trends of the urban and community forestry program in the United States.

Red-leafed species for urban“greening”in the age of global climate change

Urban trees provide vital ecosystem services such as mitigating heat island,improving air quality by removing various air pollutants,capturing rainwater,and acting as topsoil carbon storage.The aesthetic value of urban trees is also another feature that has to be considered in the context of urban greening.Classical criteria for the selection of urban trees have to respond to new challenges imposed to the cities in a near future.Global climate change factors increase the harshness of our cities,and thereby the plant resilience to abiotic stresses has also to be seriously considered for planning the urban greening.Red-leafed species,characterized by the permanent presence of foliar anthocyanins,show a greater tolerance to diff erent environmental cues than green-leafed species commonly used in our cities.In addition,red tree species own a great aesthetic value which has been underestimated in the context of urban areas,especially in the harsh Mediterranean cities.In this study,we emphasize the“privilege of being red”from diff erent point of view,in order to drive the attention to the possibility to increase the use of red-leafed species for urban“greening”.Some possible negative aspects related to their use are rebutted and the direction of future researches are proposed.

Relationship between Urban Floristic Diversity and Ecosystem Services in the Moukonzi-Ngouaka Neighbourhood in Brazzaville, Congo

The relationship between ecosystem services and urban phytodiversity is being studied in the Moukonzi-Ngouaka district of Brazzaville. Urban forestry, a source of well-being for the inhabitants, is associated with socio-cultural foundations. The surveys concern flora, ethnobotany, socio-economics and personal interviews. The 60.30% naturalized flora is heterogeneous and closely correlated with traditional knowledge. The Guineo-Congolese endemic element groups are 39.27% of the taxa, of which 3.27% are native to Brazzaville. Ethnobotany recognizes 48.36% ornamental taxa;28.36% food taxa;and 35.27% medicinal taxa. Some multiple-use plants are involved in more than one field. The supply service, a food and phytotherapeutic source, provides the vegetative and generative organs. Of the 52.31% of recognized taxa, 33.45% essentially provide leaves and 18.50% fruits. The main obsession of plant introduction being 1) food and phytotherapeutic, and 2) aesthetic, obscures other ecosystem services such as fuelwood and income, provided by NTFPs, pillars of poverty alleviation.

果树在城市林业建设中的应用及展望

文章论述了果树在园林中应用的历史和现状,阐述了果树在城市林业建设中的特殊功能及应用前景,并提出了有关的应用建议。

Evidence-based guidelines for greener,healthier,more resilient neighbourhoods:Introducing the 3–30–300 rule

The important contributions of urban trees and green spaces to for example,climate moderation and public health have been recognized.This paper discusses guidelines and norms that promote the benefi ts of viewing green,living amongst green,and having easy access to green spaces for recreational use.Having trees and other vegetation in sight from one’s home,place of work,or school has important mental health and performance benefi ts.Local tree canopy cover is positively associated with cooling and other aspects of climate moderation.With public green spaces in proximity to one’s home stimulates regular use of these areas and results in positive impacts on mental,physical,and social health.After analyzing existing guidelines and rules for urban green space planning and provision,a new,comprehensive guideline is presented,known as the‘3–30–300 rule’for urban forestry.This guideline aims to provide equitable access to trees and green spaces and their benefi ts by setting the thresholds of having at least 3 well-established trees in view from every home,school,and place of work,no less than a 30%tree canopy in every neighbourhood;and no more than 300 m to the nearest public green space from every residence.Current implementation of this new guideline is discussed,as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using this evidence-based but also clear and simple rules.

濮阳市城市森林生态功能价值评估

在2006年濮阳市城市林业资源调查的基础上,借鉴有关评价森林生态效益的方法,选取对城市环境影响较大的6个方面,即吸收CO2、释放O2、净化环境、旅游休闲、野生动物保护和节能减排,初步估算出濮阳市城市森林生态功能效益年总价值约为29.51亿元。

Landscaping and performance of some aesthetic plant species in hot, arid conditions of India

Establishment of ornamental and aesthetic plants in hot, arid conditions of India is difficult due to the prevailing climatic, edaphic and biotic factors. Effect of turfgrass on the growth of ornamental plants in hot arid conditions has not been studied so far anywhere in the world. A study was conducted on the campus of Arid Forest Research Institute, Jodhpur, India to assess the performance of a few ornamental plant spe- cies in combination with turfgrass and without turfgrass with respect to different soil tilling intervals. Growth of plants was better with turfgrass than without turfgrass. We suggest adopting a soil tilling interval of 30 days to achieve optimum growth of ornamental plant species in terms of height and crown diameter. Our results can help reduce labor costs and achieving better landscapes in fewer days in hot urban conditions of Indian sub continent.