Sustaining Urban Forests

Dwyer, John F.; Nowak, David J.; Noble, Mary Heather

doi:10.48044/jauf.2003.007

Cited by 10 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Ultimately, the virtuous cycle framework is intended to leverage theories of change, or hypotheses of how planning with people will benefit all nature (including people) in ways that will garner broader support for the focal resources. The framework can apply to urban forests, supporting the incorporation of human dimensions into their resource planning-a key need, previously identified by Dwyer et al (2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Understanding opportunities for urban forest expansion to inform goals: Working toward a virtuous cycle in New York City

Piland

Leu

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Cities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban forests are critical infrastructure for mitigating environmental and social challenges cities face. Municipalities and non-governmental entities, among others, often set goals (e.g., tree planting or canopy targets) to support urban forests and their benefits. We develop the conceptual underpinnings for an analysis of where additional canopy can fit within the landscape, while considering factors that influence where trees can be planted, and canopy can grow (“practical canopy”). We apply this in New York City (NYC) to inform the setting of a canopy goal by the NYC Urban Forest Task Force (UFTF) for the NYC Urban Forest Agenda, which may trigger a virtuous cycle, or a positive feedback loop where people are mobilized to protect the urban forest, and its benefits that ultimately motivate people to commit to its conservation. We further develop framing for a “priority canopy” analysis to understand where urban forest expansion should be prioritized given more context (e.g., environmental hazards and local preferences), which can inform how expansion of the urban forest is achieved. We estimate an opportunity for 15,899 ha of new canopy in NYC given existing opportunities and constraints (practical canopy), which, if leveraged, could result in nearly doubling the canopy as of 2017 (17,253 ha). However, like existing canopy, practical canopy is not evenly distributed, in general, or across jurisdictions and land uses. Relying solely on areas identified as practical canopy to expand the urban forest would exacerbate these inequities. We discuss how the NYC UFTF established a visionary and achievable goal of at least 30% canopy cover by 2035, informed by this analysis and guided by priorities of equity, health, and resilience. Achievement of this goal will ultimately require a combination of protecting and stewarding the existing resource, and leveraging opportunities for tree planting. Achieving a more equitable urban forest will also require identification of priority canopy, and, in cases, creation of new opportunities for tree planting and canopy expansion. Overall, the collaborative establishment of such goals based on local context can be instrumental in creating a virtuous cycle, moving conservation actors toward exercising influence and agency within the social–ecological system.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Despite the increasing recognition of the roles that urban forests play, recent work indicates they are declining throughout the United States (Nowak and Greenfield, 2018). However, intentional planning for and maintenance of urban forests can help sustain and expand them through the long term (Dwyer et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding opportunities for urban forest expansion to inform goals: Working toward a virtuous cycle in New York City

Piland

Leu

et al. 2022

Front. Sustain. Cities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Information on sustainability patterns are essential tools to evaluate urban forest landscape health (Clark et al 1997, McPherson 1998, Dwyer & Nowak 2003. In this study, we quantified various weights of sustainability of landscape recreation and eco-conservation index including patch index and corridor index.…”

Section: Different Sustainability Patterns Of Landscape Recreation An...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of urban forest landscape health: a case study of the Nanguo Peach Garden, China

Zhao¹,

Tang²,

Gao³

et al. 2020

iForest

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban forests are important as they provide recreation areas and offer ecological services. Both functions determine the status of an urban forest and reflect contradictory aspects of forest tourism development and environment conservation. However, assessment of urban forest health status at a landscape scale remains scarce. Here, we selected the Nanguo Peach Garden, China, as the study area. Urban forest health status at the landscape scale were classified into recreation and eco-conservation services. Sustainability was quantified using the principal component analysis and the Kriging method to map the landscape classification in the study area. With regard to landscape recreation sustainability, some 18.9% of the total study region was classified as "very good". They were mainly distributed in the north, southwest, and southeast parts of the study area. The central and southeast regions, accounting for 9.5% of the total area, were classified as "very good" for eco-conservation sustainability. Regarding landscape health, the region classified as "very good" accounted for 11.1% of the total study area, and it was mainly distributed in the southern part of the area; the region classified as "very poor" accounted for 16.4% of the total area, and it was located in the northwestern and eastern parts of the study area. With improved landscape health status, the forest/non-forest patch area ratio was increased and the patch number ratio was decreased. A landscape was considered the healthiest when the forest/ non-forest area ratio was 0.65 and the patch number was 0.48. The spatial distribution of landscape recreation sustainability and eco-conservation sustainability differed in the Nanguo Peach Garden, and a close relationship was observed between the landscape health and forest landscape internal structure. Forest/non-forest patch area ratios and patch number ratios were relatively stable and constant, suggesting the urban forest landscapes were healthy. The healthiest forest landscapes were mainly distributed in the forest/non-forest transition zone and the unhealthiest forest landscape was mainly located in a single natural forest.

show abstract

“…As a result, they tend to be more vulnerable than urban forests in larger urban centres. The sustainability of urban forestry requires coordinated stakeholder actions and an adaptive approach that embraces change and complexity (Dwyer et al 2003). With open communication and a multistakeholder approach, urban forestry in small municipalities can contribute to the quality of life in and around those communities.…”

Section: Urban Forestry In Small Municipalitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urban forest management in small Ontario municipalities

BarkerE.

KenneyW.

2012

The Forestry Chronicle

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Urban forestry has emerged as an important and timely discipline in an urbanizing world. The practice of urban forestry has focused mainly on large urban centres but urban forests in small municipalities provide the same benefits to the residents within and around them. Small municipalities face many challenges similar to those in urban centres but a lack of resources may worsen the negative effects on small municipalities. Urban forestry in Ontario is undertaken by municipalities with little involvement from upper-level governments. Thus, the effectiveness of urban forestry in Ontario is inconsistent and sporadic, with many small municipalities unable to manage urban forests optimally. Ontario's legislative framework governing urban forestry is critiqued and compared to the system employed in the United States. Recommendations are provided for action toward a centralized urban forestry program in Ontario.

show abstract

Sustaining Urban Forests

Cited by 10 publications

References 3 publications

Understanding opportunities for urban forest expansion to inform goals: Working toward a virtuous cycle in New York City

Understanding opportunities for urban forest expansion to inform goals: Working toward a virtuous cycle in New York City

Evaluation of urban forest landscape health: a case study of the Nanguo Peach Garden, China

Urban forest management in small Ontario municipalities

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About