Moderated by Jerylee Wilkes-Allemann (Bern University of Applied Sciences), the webinar focused on gender differences in the professional domain of forestry, arboriculture and other typical or less typical activities. Four panellists shared their insights with us:
Yves Kazemi (Cantonal DG for the Environment, Vaud, Switzerland)
The panellists discussed about the importance of empowerment for individuals and communities, role models, confidence building and workplace policies. After a vivid discussion and insightful comments from attendees around Europe sharing their personal experiences regarding gender equality in their daily working life, the panellists concluded that opening the discussion and enhancing visibility is crucial for further steps on the way to promoting gender equality.
Learn more about other exciting upcoming Urban Forestry events here:
Worldwide, urbanised regions are looking for strategies to plant more trees and forests in order to enlarge the urban forest cover. In the light of climate change and the transition to resilient territories, there is a growing understanding of the importance of trees and forests for society.
Flanders (the northern part of Belgium) is one of the least forested areas in Europe and does not succeed in increasing the forest cover. It seems as if there is no space for more trees and forests in this urbanized region, characterized by an extensive urban sprawl and heterogeneous landscape where nearly every square metre of land is intensively occupied. Yet there is quite a lot of space where trees and forests can grow. However, this space often remains ‘invisible‘ because it is related to other types of land use or is ‘untouchable’ because of sectoral claims. There is, with other words, a need to find new spatial systems to intertwine more trees and forests within the built-up fabric.
The aim of the summer school is to explore possibilities and test concepts for tree and forest configurations in an urbanized territory. The focus will be on the interfaces between trees/forest and other types of land use. This means the interfaces where for example housing/working/food production/ mobility meet up and interact with trees and forest, where synergies can arise but ‘frictions‘ as well. Guiding principles are the spatial characteristics of trees and forests, process characteristics and the multitude of contributions that trees and forests provide to people (also refered to as ‘ecosystem services’). The focus will be on landscape-architectural and social-ecological aspects.
During the course of this summer school, a range of lectures of both international and local experts will ‘feed’ the design process. A reader, together with a Treescape Atlas of the study area and a Treescape Catalogue will be provided to the participants before the start of the summer school.
The summer school is linked to the ongoing Treescape research project, focusing on the exploration of new strategies and concepts to intertwine trees and forests in urbanized territories.
Photo by kazuend on Unsplash
Organization
Drs. Bjoke Carron, Prof. Hans Leinfelder, Prof. Jos Van Orshoven (KU Leuven)
With contributions and supervision of Martine De Maeseneer (KU Leuven/ MDMA), Prof. Marta Labastida (University of Minho). Other supervisors and lectures of (international) experts are to be confirmed.
When?
Arrival: before August 19th 2021 Summer school: August 19th-27th 2021
Departure: after August 27th 2021
Application and deadline
Eligible for participation are all (international) master students, recent graduates and young researchers in the fields of Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Urban Design or Urban Planning and Forestry.
Deadline for application: May 15th 2021
Confirmation of acceptance: May 31st 2021
Interested candidates should send their CV, a motivation letter (maximum 300 words in English), including maximum 3 images (150 dpi), to bjoke. carron@kuleuven.be.
Fee
Students enrolled in programmes at participating universities: no registration fee. The participation fee is 200 euros for students who are not connected to the KUL or the University of Minho, but that this amount could be (partly) dropped if the Summer School were to be (partly) online.
Given the current condition of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, all summer schools are currently organized with prejudice.
Join in Europe – Monday, March 22, 2021 | 1:00 AM Brussels (CET)
This international conference, with a focal point on China and the US, will discuss the science, policies and practices enabling urban environments to meet local, national and global goals to create cleaner, greener, healthier and more beautiful cities. Innovators from a wide range of disciplines in the public and private sectors will present on this crucial topic. The conference will be planned by Trella Urban Forestry Technology, a naturebased solutions company based in Shanghai and New York City, growing and providing tree-based solutions to Chinese cities，and Nature Based Solutions Institute, a global urban forestry consulting firm based in Malmo, Sweden. Please mark your calendars and join us to explore tomorrow’s green urban solutions, today.
Adrian Benepe: Brooklyn Botanic Garden President, 14th Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks & RecreationProfessor Alan Simson: Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture and Urban Forestry at Leeds Beckett University
Alex Lin: Chairman, Les Enphants Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-based global retailer of children’s apparel and accessories
Dr. Baohua Yan: Secretary General of Mangrove Foundation
Dr. Cecil Konijnendijk: Founder, Nature Based Solutions Institute, Program Director of University of British Columbia’s Masters in Urban Forestry Leadership, Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Arboriculture & Urban Forestry”
Dr. Cheng Wang: Director of the Urban Forest Research Center of State Forestry Administration, China and the Chinese Academy of Forestry
Dr. Fan Dai: Director, California – China Climate Institute
Dr. Guangyu Wang: Associate Dean and Director of Asian Forest Research Centre at the University of British Columbia
Dr. Jessica Gordon: Climate Policy Fellow, California-China Climate Institute
Jonathan Krane: CEO of KraneShares and Trella, a China-focused investment manager
Ken Alex: Director of Project Climate at Berkeley Law and former Senior Policy Advisor to California Governor Jerry Brown
Michael McComb: Vice President, Communications and Sustainability, SAP Greater China
Raymond Fang: Director of Sustainability at Asia Pulp & Paper Co. Ltd
Dr. Stefano Boeri: Architect and urban planner, Founding Partner of Stefano Boeri Architetti, Professor at Politecnico di Milano, Chairman of Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, former Councillor for Culture in Milan
Terry Townshend: Member of the Beijing Urban Forestry Network, Beijing conservationist, founder of Birding Beijing, consultant on wildlife conservation and environmental law, and an advisor to the Paulson Institute and to the Beijing government on a project to protect and restore the capital’s biodiversity
Willy Gallia: Chief Sustainability Officer at the Schneider Group
During the webinar, you’ll hear from the US Forest Service Resident Social Scientist in LA, Dr. Francisco Escobedo, get an update from LA’s Urban Forest Equity Visiting Scholar, Dr. Vivek Shandas, a presentation on StreetsLA’s racial equity plan, and a green jobs panel featuring Starr, Lesley, Robert, Ana, and Diego from North East Trees, KYCC, LACC, moderated by Deputy Mayor of Economic Opportunity and Chief Equity Officer of LA, Dr. Brenda Shockley. You can check out the full agenda here, and you can RSVP here:
There is increasing recognition of the important contribution of trees, parks, gardens, and other natural settings to public health and community welfare. By improving air quality, promoting physical activity, reducing mental stress and enhancing the immune system, trees and green space have the potential to help address problems ‘upstream’, through prevention – a more efficient approach than simply dealing with the ‘downstream’ consequences of ill health.
In this event we will discuss the role that urban forests and trees can play in improving health outcomes, reduce the harmful impact of the current COVID19 pandemic, and make urban dwellers more resilient and better prepared for future events of this nature.
Keynote speaker: Prof Pedro Calaza (Dean of the College of Agriculture Engineers, Galicia, Spain)
The European Forum on Urban Forestry would have convened in Manchester within 2 weeks. A small virus decided otherwise. But to get a flavour of the great work people at the City of Trees are doing, you can join the Launching Webinar of the Greater Manchester’s Tree and Woodland Strategy. This document will collectively guide the involved actors to improve the way in which they plant and manage trees and direct them to where new tree planting will provide the most benefits for generations to come.
