Submission of ideas for #EFUF2025 extended until 13 Feb
We have extended the deadline for the submission of abstracts and ideas until the 13th of February.
Read more at https://efuf.org/2024/12/12/call-efuf2025/.
You have something to say @EFUF2025 – submit your idea
The organising committee of the 27th European Forum on Urban Forestry Conference, taking place in Zurich from 3 – 7 June 2025, is inviting researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and professionals to submit original abstracts. This year’s theme, “Urban Forests for Resilient and Healthy Cities,” highlights the role of urban forests in enhancing resilience of urban ecosystems, promoting public health, and fostering sustainable urban environments.
Conference Focus
In a time of accelerating climate change and urbanization, urban forests play an essential role in building resilient and healthy cities.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Topic 1. Urban Forestry for resilient cities: Innovations in policy, governance, and urban planning that promote integrated and sustainable urban forest management.
- Topic 2. Urban Forestry for healthy cities: The impact of urban forests on public health, mental wellbeing, and community resilience.
- Topic 3. Social Equity and Access: Ensuring inclusive access to urban green spaces for all citizens, addressing social and environmental justice in urban forestry.
- Topic 4. Transforming urban planning with urban forests: Strategies and practices for enhancing the resilience of urban forests in the face of climate change, extreme weather events, and environmental stressors.
Submission of abstracts
Abstracts must be submitted not later than 13th of February 2025 by filling in the on-line abstract submission form. Abstracts received after that deadline will not be accepted.
Abstract content and submission
Abstracts should be in English language, and maximum 2000 characters, spaces included.
Authors are exclusively responsible for the submission of their presentation according to the abstract submission guidelines and for submitting their abstract in due time according to the abstract submission deadline.
In case you find any difficulty in submitting your abstract electronically, please contact rik.devreese@efuf.org.
Evaluation Criteria
The abstracts submitted will be assessed, peer reviewed and grouped by topic by a panel of experts based on relevance to the conference theme, originality, and potential impact. Accepted abstracts will be presented as oral or e-poster presentations. All presented abstracts as oral or e-poster form will be published in the book of abstracts. Selected presenters will be notified by 7 March 2025.
Accepted abstracts will be removed from the programme if none of the authors is registered by 3 May 2025.
#EFUF2025 – Save the Date – 3 to 7 June 2025
#EFUF2025 - Urban Forests for resilient and healthy cities (3 - 7 June 2025)
The City of Zürich, ETH Zürich, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landsape (WSL), the Waldlabor Zurich, ArboCityNet and the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH) invite you to attend the 27th European Forum on Urban Forestry from Tuesday evening 3 June until Saturday afternoon 7 June 2025.
The draft programme and many more details are available at the presentation here (pdf) and in the video recording below.
EFUF2025 Announcement © 2024 by Andrea Gion Saluz & Rik De Vreese is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International 
EFUF 2024 Book of Abstracts
Follow this link to see and download your copy.
Corrections
- page 129 – correction of affiliation for Sitzia, Tomasso: Sitzia, Tommaso | Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry (TESAF), Università degli Studi di Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, 35020 Legnaro (PD)
EFUF2026 – Diversity in urban forestry, bringing people, trees and ideas together
Save the dates
Take your agenda and block 27 to 29 May to come to Malmö (Sweden) to discuss urban forests!
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS OPEN for the 2nd African Forum on Urban Forestry (closes 18 Nov 2024)
The Forum will be held in English, French and Portuguese, and will be structured into a comprehensive program that includes traditional formats such as plenaries, parallel sessions, roundtables, panels, training sessions, exhibitions, pre-conference webinars, poster sessions, and side events. The event is intended to be a technical meeting bringing together representatives of national and local governments, academic and research institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), researchers, urban planners, representatives and experts of national and regional forestry institutions and networks, foresters, urban foresters, landscapers, practitioners from the private sector and young people involved in the planning and management of urban forests and public green spaces. More information is available on the website of the event, at: https://afuf.co.za/
A call for abstracts for the selection of speakers is also open. The Forum is intended for a variety of stakeholders, so both research projects and actual case studies will be accepted. Everyone is invited to contribute to the discussion by submitting their proposal for an oral or poster presentation – either in English, French or Portuguese – in one of the following thematic areas:
- Climate-proofing African Cities. This sub-theme prioritizes climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, positioning urban forests as essential tools for enhancing the climate resilience of African cities. Contributions under this sub-theme will highlight innovative strategies for climate-proofing urban areas through the integration of urban forests and green spaces.
- Equitable Access, Health, and Well-being. This sub-theme emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all urban residents, particularly marginalized communities, have equitable access to the myriad benefits these green spaces offer. By leveraging urban forests and green spaces, we can promote public health and well-being in African cities while ensuring that these advantages are distributed fairly across all communities.
- Making the Business Case for Urban Forests. This sub-theme emphasizes the economic opportunities that urban forests offer, promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors to drive investment in green infrastructure. By showcasing the long-term financial returns associated with urban greening initiatives, this sub-theme highlights the significant economic impact of urban forests in African cities, particularly concerning local development.
If you wish to submit an abstract, please indicate so when registering and you will be directed to the dedicated form:https://afuf.co.za/registration/
The deadline for abstracts submission is Monday 18th November 2024.
To receive updated information on the Forum, we invite you to regularly access the website. For any questions or requests for information, please do not hesitate to contact us at: https://afuf.co.za/contact/
Livia Shamir has been granted the Young Urban Forester of 2024 Award
Livia Shamir, Director of the Research Department at Stefano Boeri Architetti, has been awarded the European Young Urban Forester Award 2024! The award panel in particular noted her outstanding contribution to the World Forum on Urban Forestry held in the United States last year. Moreover, Livia is involved in other urban forestry projects in Italy, such as Forestami, Parco Italia, and the Uforest ERASMUS+ project.
The award was started in 2010 by EFUF to recognise an individual’s outstanding contribution to the field of urban forestry in Europe. The award is been given on an annual basis to a person who is at the time of the award under the age of 40.
The European Young Urban Forester of the Year is sponsored by MD² Consulting Ltd and the scientific journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening (published by Elsevier).
EFUF2024 – Highlights
After a very successful 26th European Forum of Urban Forestry under the overall theme ‘Urban Forests for All’ in Zagreb, with 170 delegates, a few highlights come to mind. I have organised these according to 10 keywords.
- 1.Rejuvenation
- 2.Globalisation
- 3.Inspiration
- 4.Confirmation
- 5.Innovation
- 6.Participation
- 7.Direction
- 8.Connection
- 9.Expectation
- 10.Celebration
- It was good to see many new faces, young people at this year’s Forum. We need new energy, new ideas, to keep developing. I hope you enjoyed it and will return.
- We spoke a lot about the need to keep our urban forests healthy and resilient, for example through proper tree planting and collaboration with the nursery sector. Keith Sacre’s keynote comes to mind but also Sharon Durdant-Hollamby’s keynote that focused on trees and development.
- The Forum is becoming increasingly global, with participants from 4 continents this year. It is great to see the interest and contributions from colleagues from countries like Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, the United States.
- Extending beyond a European focus will foster more mutual learning and exchange of ideas.
- Once again, I will leave EFUF feeling very inspired, coming home with many new ideas. I hope you feel the same.
- Robert Hostnik’s keynote address was a great example. Robert showed how past EFUFs have inspired him and his colleagues in his innovative work in Celje, Slovenia. He showed some great examples of collaboration, branding, using storytelling and art. They even have their own urban forest poet!
- The Forum gives us confirmation that what we do is important and helps build a better world. We heard so many examples, success stories.
- We can sometimes feel a bit ‘lonely’ or isolated in our day-to-day work. The Forum shows us that we are part of a strong community of like-minded professionals.
- Many great examples were presented of putting research into innovative practice.
- We learnt about the possibilities offered by technology, AI, mapping, the assessment of the many benefits of urban forests, tree equity, innovations in design, planning, management. We also worked with topics like biosecurity, building novel governance and partnerships, and test areas such as urban climate arboreta.
- Developing new policies, legislation, governance, metrics are all important innovation. Colleagues from Zagreb showed how spatial planning, landscape professions, and foresters can collaborate to build a strong framework for urban forestry.
- Quite some attention was given to engaging with residents, communities, other professionals, and how to do this in meaningful ways. We also learnt that when done right, participation is not easy.
- Tree agency and the role of trees as actors was a new topic this year. We need the participation of trees and to find ways of speaking for the trees. Sharon Durdant-Hollamby stressed the importance of giving trees a name to stress their importance, for example in urban development processes.
- Through engaging with urban residents, as shown by Silvija Krajter Ostoić and Wendy Chen in their keynotes, we can learn about expectation, different perceptions and preferences.
- It is important to develop clear visions and directions for our urban forests. Here we have to take a long-term perspective and describe the desired urban forests of the future.
- Metrics and tools like the Tree Equity Score and the 3+30+300-rule for greener and healthier cities can provide guidance for these strategic efforts.
- We also need to discuss how we see the wider contributions of urban forestry in a time of climate and ecological crises and the development of healthier and more resilient cities. Concepts like that of Biocities, as presented by Giuseppe Scarascia-Mugnozza can help with this.
- Connections are crucial forest urban forestry. Connections between people and trees, communities and nature, research and practice, between different disciplines and professions.
- At this forum we spoke quite a bit about the need to strengthen connections between arboriculture and urban forestry, as shown by Stefania Gasperini when she introduced the European Arboricultural Council.
- Of course EFUF is also about building connections between all of us!
- Because of climate change, public health, and other challenges, attention for urban forests is growing. With this, expectations from the urban forest and urban foresters, as expressed by politicians, urban communities, other professionals, and others is growing too. We need to be ready for this.
- We have to be professional and apply the best knowledge and practices available to us, while also continuing to advance these. EFUF can help.
- EFUF 2024, as every EFUF, is also a time of celebration. Of urban forestry, of urban trees, of ourselves.
- Let’s not forget to celebrate our successes and achievements, big or small. It is easy to forget this.
- We have a lot to celebrate, even when there are many challenges. Contributing to a better world, to better cities, to healthier and happier people and trees, is quite a rewarding undertaking!
EFUF2024 Wrap-up © 2024 by Cecil Konijnendijk & Rik De Vreese is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Special Issue #EFUF2024 in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry
The peer-reviewed, fully open-access journal ‘Arboriculture and Urban Forestry’ (published by the International Society of Arboriculture) will compile a special issue with selected contributions from the Forum in Zagreb (May 2024).
Presentations and posters accepted for the 2024 Forum that include original research can be considered for the issue. The journal has different paper formats, including full research papers, review papers, and short communications. Note that all papers will undergo full peer review according to the journal’s usual procedures.
Please consult the author instructions at https://auf.isa-arbor.com/. Here you can also submit your paper online. Please mention ‘EFUF 2024 special issue’ in your cover letter when you submit.
Deadline for submission is 15 September 2024.
Annual General Assembly 22 May 2024
We kindly invite all EFUF members and EFUF enthousiasts to participate in the Annual General Assembly on Wednesday 22 May 2024, between 18:00 and 19:30, in the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology of the University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 23, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
The agenda for this meeting is:
- Approval of last year’s account (Rik)
- Approval of the 2023 annual report (Clive) (still to be written – joint CD)
- Approval of the 2024 activity plan (still to be written – joint CD/RdV)
- Approval of the 2024 budget plan (Rik)
- Presenting and inviting candidate Board Members (Clive)
- Election of the new members (Clive)
- Discharge from liability of the directors (Rik)
- Short open forum (Clive)
All interested are welcome to join the meeting.
Become an EFUF Board Member
The European Forum on Urban Forestry is an international not-for-profit association, managed by a Board of minimum 5 Board members. Every year, two Board Members are elected or re-elected, from the Members of the General Assembly. The election takes place during the Annual General Assembly meeting, on 22 May 2024 in Zagreb.
This is a call for all EFUF enthousiasts and EFUF members to stand for election as EFUF Board Member. The period is 3 year, with possible re-election (depending on the candidate’s willingness).
How to stand for election?
Preferably, interested members send a notification to rik.devreese@efuf.org before 22 May noon (CET).
Candidates can also present themselves during the Annual General Assembly.
Conditions and terms
The Board Members are chosen from the paying member to EFUF. As the membership scheme is only to be launched during EFUF2024, this condition means that a member of the Board has to pay EFUF membership asap.
Being a Board Members is a voluntary engagement, whithout financial compensation. Some costs, e.g. travel costs for representing EFUF at meetings, can be re-imbursed after initial approval by the Board.
Tasks and responsibilities will be distributed between the elected Board Members in their first meeting following the Annual General Assembly meeting.