EFUF Association Annual General Assembly 4 June 2025, Zurich

by | May 29, 2025 | EFUF2025, General Assembly

We kindly invite all EFUF members and EFUF enthousiasts to participate in the Annual General Assembly on Wednesday 4 June 2024, between 13:00 and 13:45, at the ETH Zurich, Room HG G3 (Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland).

The agenda for this meeting is (see also the links for the background materials):

All interested are welcome to join the meeting, also if you do not have (paid) EFUF membership.

Related documents

Report of the General Assembly Meeting 4 June 2025

Official annual account (in Dutch)

You have something to say @EFUF2025 – submit your idea

You have something to say @EFUF2025 – submit your idea

by | Dec 12, 2024 | EFUF2025

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.

Click Here

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.

Livia Shamir has been granted the Young Urban Forester of 2024 Award

Livia Shamir has been granted the Young Urban Forester of 2024 Award

by | Jul 9, 2024 | EFUF2024, YUFA

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

EFUF2024 – Highlights

by | Jul 1, 2024 | EFUF2024

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.

  • 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!

The video below starts at point 6 (Participation).

We apologise for the low audio quality.

EFUF2024 Wrap-up © 2024 by Cecil Konijnendijk & Rik De Vreese is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International 

#EFUF2025 – Save the Date – 3 to 7 June 2025

#EFUF2025 – Save the Date – 3 to 7 June 2025

by | Jun 6, 2024 | EFUF2025, Events

#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 Association Annual General Assembly, 22 May 2024, Zagreb

by | May 16, 2024 | EFUF2024, General Assembly

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 (Presentation in pdf including background information):

  • Approval of the 2023 annual account (Rik)
  • Approval of the 2023 annual report (Clive)
  • Approval of the 2024 activity plan (Clive)
  • 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.

Related documents

Report of the General Assembly Meeting 22 May 2024

Official annual account (in Dutch)

EFUF 2024 Book of Abstracts

EFUF 2024 Book of Abstracts

by | May 13, 2024 | EFUF2024

The Book of Abstracts for EFUF2024 is now available.

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)