Management and Social Problems Linked to the Human Use of European Urban and Suburban Forests

Abstract

This review regards the management and social problems in European urban and suburban forests linked to their maintenance and human use. They can be divided into major categories: forest management problems (e.g., the low priority of urban forestry, various or diffused urban forest management, lack of management plans or lack of sufficient funds); the social reception of forest works and forests (e.g., emotional reactions to total clear-cutting, negative evaluation of logging traces, negative evaluation of poor tourist infrastructure, specific expectations concerning a model forest: e.g., tall, of low density, mixed, old); and relations between forest users (problems related to e.g., crowding, fast-moving people, the presence of dogs, littering, thefts or noisy behaviour). Here, special attention is paid to problems and negative interactions, as they are challenges to forest management, as well as to the development of plans, strategies, and policies, both in relation to existent forests and those planned in various parts of Europe. Taking into account the feelings and expectations of forest users concerning forests, forest works/management, and infrastructure, as well as their attitude to other forest users, may reduce conflicts concerning various kinds of forest perception and use, and (with the support of societal education) may help to increase the sense of social responsibility for the “shared” forests. The presented findings are expected to be practical and useful for the management of urban and suburban forests, regardless of the location, as a type of checklist of possible problems, that may prove to be important and up-to-date in a particular location.

Can Allotment Gardens (AGs) Be Considered an Example of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) Based on the Use of Historical Green Infrastructure?

“…Green/blue city infrastructure is increasingly becoming considered not only as support for biodiversity conservation but also as a source of additional environmental, social, and economic benefits [62,63]. Consequently, it has the potential to contribute to climate change mitigation, adaptation in urban areas, and enhanced sustainability of catchment systems [4].…”

Effects of Forestry Transformation on the Landscape Level of Biodiversity in Poland’s Forests

“…Stand volume at the end of socialism era was 146% of that in 1945 (average annual increase by 1.0%) and currently, it is 154% of that at the beginning of the democracy era (average annual increase by 1.8%). This was mainly influenced by the increase in the proportion of older age classes of stands (based on [36]), with dominant specimens of mature, thick trees, significantly increasing the landscape value of the forests [99]. The current average growing stock density under SF management (290 m 3 /ha-Table 6) is much higher than that average of European forests (169 m 3 /ha [1]).…”

“…In comparison, in the marketing year 1957/1958 (socialism era), this share was 62% (based on [68]). In view of the landscape values, clear-cuts are negatively perceived by the society [99], hence, their decreasing share in the democracy era can be considered a positive phenomenon. After the change of Poland's political system, as well as the transition of "old" forest management model into pro-environmental, there started to be implemented environmentally friendly technologies, e.g., the use of organic oils in machinery [76].…”

Social media as an opportunity or a blind alley in social communication and forest education? – Experiences from Poland

“…Currently, there is a growing interest among the public in management, protection, and recreation on forest lands in Poland (Orzechowski andKamińska 2018, Jaszczak 2020), particularly in urban forests (Hunter 2001, Jaszczak and Wajchman 2015, Referowska-Chodak 2019. The public appears to want to have a real impact on forest manage-ment tasks; however, according to Jakobsson et al (2020), this may give rise to conflicts regarding the management of forest ecosystems, which is already manifested in the public opinion of Poles (Szwagrzyk 2019).…”