by Rik De Vreese | May 29, 2017 | Articles
Trees can make a city sidewalk prettier, sure. But that’s not even their best trick. A growing pile of research suggests that planting more urban trees, if done right, could save tens of thousands of lives around the world each year — by soaking up pollution and cooling down deadly heat waves.
In fact, as a
fascinating new report from the Nature Conservancy details, a well-targeted tree campaign could be of the smartest investments a hot, polluted city can make. Which seems important, given that the world’s cities will add about 2 billion people this century, and they’re only getting hotter.
“A lot of cities still think of trees as just ornamentation,” says Rob McDonald, the lead scientist for the Nature Conservancy’s Global Cities program and a co-author of the report. “But they really do so much more than that. And the evidence suggests that we should start thinking of trees as a crucial part of our public-health infrastructure.”
Read the full story on https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/11/4/13510352/planting-trees-pollution-heat-waves.
by Naomi Zürcher | May 23, 2017 | EFUF2017
The deadline for emailing the completed European Young Urban Forester of the Year 2017 application has been extended until Monday, May 29th. All completed applications must be received no later than 18:00 GBT.
For more information: see Application for European Young Urban Forester of the Year 2017 open.
by Naomi Zürcher | May 19, 2017 | Events
Join Dr. David Nowak, USDA Forest Service Researcher and i-Tree Project leader, in this one-hour, interactive session discussing the importance and value of the science that is powering i-Tree. This Informational Web Workshop will look at upcoming developments and science-based future features that the i-Tree suite will offer to users.
Date: Wednesday, 24th May 2017
Time: 6:00 PM GBT, 7:00 PM for the rest of Europe
Pre-registration is required. Please use the following link to register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/i-tree-online-workshop-state-of-the-science-tickets-34662723138
by Rik De Vreese | May 6, 2017 | EFUF2017
Applications are now welcomed for the prestigious European Young Urban Forester of the Year (YUFA) 2017. The closing date for applications is the 29th May 2017. The award, which includes a year’s subscription to Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, a certificate and a cash prize of €200, will be announced at the European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) in Barcelona on the 2nd June 2017.
For Eligibilty and Conditions, consult the dedicated page on the YUFA-award.
Applications are to be made using the European Young Urban Forester of the Year 2017 application form. Please download the form and mail it to the mentioned address.
The winner of the YUFA award will be announced during the closing session of EFUF 2017 in Barcelona.
The award is sponsored by MD² Consulting Ltd and the journal Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.
by Naomi Zürcher | May 1, 2017 | Events
The University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Environmental Conservation, will present its next monthly UF webinar, entitled: “Selecting Tough Trees for Tough Urban Sites” on Thursday, May 4th at 5:00 PM, British Daylight Time and 6:00 PM for the rest of Europe. Additional information as well as registration procedures can be found at the following link:
http://www.urbanforestrytoday.org
by Naomi Zürcher | May 1, 2017 | Articles
This resource, a collaboration between i-Tree and Davey Institute, offers sustainable strategies for Urban Forest management.
http://www.itreetools.org/resources/content/Sustainable_Urban_Forest_Guide_14Nov2016.pdf
by Naomi Zürcher | Apr 16, 2017 | Articles
Noteworthy Requirements for Conifer and Hardwood Selection
Tree Shopping Guide – selecting quality in the nursery
Dear Colleagues:
Authored for a NYC Root Zone seminar entitled The Art of Woody Plant Selection, the two resources, noted above, were both developed as informative evaluation tools for landscape professionals who specify, inspect and tag woody plant material. They have been incorporated into the efuf.org library (under Media) as open source and can be accessed using the following links:
Tree Shopping Guide – selecting quality at the nursery
noteworthy requirements for conifer and hardwood selection
.Any suggestions, comments, etc are encouraged in order to expand the knowledge base.
by Naomi Zürcher | Apr 11, 2017 | Events
Exploring Urban Forestry’s Reduction of Health Care Expenditures. Please join the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) for the next webinar of the 2016-2017 season of Nature’s Returns: Investing in Ecosystem Services.
Date: 12 April 2017
Time: 11:45 AM US Eastern Standard Times (16:45 GBT, 17:45 European continent)
To register, please use the following link:
https://yalesom.zoom.us/webinar/register/ba7a401cc051ff2ad746f627e8486654
by Rik De Vreese | Apr 11, 2017 | EFUF2017
The European Forum on Urban Forestry (EFUF) celebrates its 20th anniversary in the metropolis of Barcelona. The congress is open to researchers and professionals from Europe who are interested in reflecting on the urban forest fringe areas as spaces of opportunities that can be connected with and contribute to the territory. Twenty-first century cities have transformed their way of thinking: they have abandoned the idea of a central city with peripheral areas to now view the metropolis as a territorial mosaic of spaces, corridors and flows; a biophysical matrix where green infrastructure structures the territory to the detriment of the role of large transport infrastructure, and where spaces at the edge, on the limit, stop being administrative lines and begin to be seen as strategic spaces for ecology, leisure and production.
Under the title: “Urban Forest Boundaries. Within, between and beyond the city” we raise the importance of urban and peri-urban forests in building a sustainable and healthy landscape. We address issues such as ecological connectivity, compatibility of ecosystem services, biodiversity and disturbances, and the social aspects of forest management and planning those fringe areas in collaboration with the new culture of leisure. For all the above, we invite you to participate in our Congress, so that together we can address the latent problems in the contact and interaction between two realities destined to coexist: the city and open spaces.
More information at efuf2017.amb.cat
Register at http://formacio.ctfc.cat/inscripcions/efuf2017/inscripcio_en.php.
by Rik De Vreese | Apr 10, 2017 | EFUF2017, Survey
In anticipation of the European Forum on Urban Forestry 2017 in Barcelona, a core group of EFUFers have been discussing the state of Urban Forestry in Europe. It seems that Urban Forestry has been too underrepresented and disconnected in Europe. While the European Forum on Urban Forestry has hosted annual Forums for the past 19 years, that’s not enough to fill the void that the rest of the year leaves. Given the growing prominence of Urban Forestry in dealing with urban quality-of-life and climate change issues, the core group suggested to increase the presence of EFUF through a web-driven Urban Forest network, connecting the diverse disciplines that Urban Forest planning, design and management embraces.
In order to determine the direction that such a web presence should take and to find out more about the future role of EFUF, a short questionnaire was created to assess the ideas of professionals, who have an interest in Urban Forestry. The questionnaire was sent out in January and closed in March 2017. It was sent to 677 professionals from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Northern and Southern America. The survey registered 276 visits (41%); 170 people responded completely (response-rate of 25%). 82% of the respondents are actually working in Europe.
- 38% of the respondents are female; 48% have a master degree. 45% are working in science and research. 25% of the respondents consider their professional experience as “early career”; 72% indicate “Urban Forestry” as their thematic focus. 44% of the respondents didn’t attend a forum yet; 61% intend to attend a future forum.
- 72% of the respondents think, the forum should be held annually. Sharing of knowledge and exchange between science and practice are considered very important. The respondents wish a sort of continuous organisation with a board, a secretary and an attractive web-presence. Working groups are also considered as very important.
- The benefits of a membership approach are considered in providing contacts and good examples and in early access to new knowledge. 60% are willing to pay a yearly fee for such an association of at least 40 Euro.
The survey showed a big interest in future forums as well in an EFUF-organisation that assures a continuous presence in the web and provides the members with information on a regular basis.
Building on the conclusions of the survey, the core group will present a roadmap at the Barcelona EFUF.
For further details: see the survey report.
