Vascular flora of urban forests in a medium-sized city in Poland: comparison with nature reserves in the city’s surrounding

Self Cite

The purpose of the research was the recognition of edge effects regarding similarities and differences of vascular flora in undergrowth layers in the urban forest ecotones. Four types of urban forest neighborhoods were analyzed: ecotones adjacent to the manor park, the agriculture field, housing estates and the road. The plant compositions in the forest ecotones were compared with the plant compositions in the urban forest interior and the forest nature reserve. The phytosociological type of studied forests was a subcontinental oak-hornbeam one (Tilio-Carpinetum). Diagnostic plant species (e.g., characteristic) for forests from the non-diagnostic ones were identified. Forest consistent plant species dominated in the ecotone adjacent to the manor park and in the interior of urban forests too, but the best conditions for these plants were inside the forest nature reserve, where native consistent forest plants showed the highest dominance when comparing all studied areas. A higher anthropogenic pressure from the adjacent areas results in supporting the growth of inconsistent plant species in the forests, and these plants are mostly represented by plants belonging to grass and synanthropic communities. Another conclusion drawn from our research is that the protected forest, represented by a nature reserve in the city, provides better “shelter” for native forest plants than the urban forest without any protection. Ultimately, a permanent challenge is to achieve and maintain the balance between nature and the impact of anthropogenic activities on urban forests in the city. The high quality of green areas, biodiversity, including forests, implicates possibilities of sustainable development in cities. The research results will be useful for local urban planners and ecologists during their work on strategies of city development, including shaping of green infrastructure.

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of Adjacent Land Use Types on the Composition of Vascular Flora in Urban Forest Ecotones in the Southern Poland

Fornal-Pieniak

Żarska

Ollik

2021

Self Cite

“…Ultimately, the proximity of roads leads to a change in the physiognomy of the forest border (the so-called ecotone zone). A forest ecotone is a transition zone between a forest and a non-forest, natural, or anthropogenic ecosystem [19][20][21]. However, the above description is accurate mainly in the case of natural ecotones [11]; in ecotones along the border of anthropogenic habitats, ecosystem degradation and a lack of edge effects occur [11,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Adjacent Road on Vascular Plant Species Composition in Herbaceous Layers of Peucedano-Pinetum and Tilio-Carpinetum Urban Forests in the City of Warsaw (Poland)

Fornal-Pieniak,

Kamionowski,

Ollik

et al. 2023

Self Cite

The research was conducted in two types of urban forests: Peucedano-Pinetum and Tilio-Carpinetum. The aim of the study was to determine the differences in plant species compositions in the herbaceous layer of urban forests with different habitat fertility adjacent to the road in the northern part of Warsaw (Poland). Seven transects were laid out in each type of forest, with 10 plots spread out from the edge zone (forest border) to the interior of the forests. The size of each plot was 100 m2. The other seven transects were located within the forest, 150 to 200 m away from the forest’s edge. The field research included phytosociological relevés carried out on the existing transects. The indoor studies included an analysis of forest community disturbance. Furthermore, an analysis of abiotic environmental conditions using ecological indicator numbers was carried out. Ecotones of Peucedano-Pinetum are more likely to be colonized by the species inconsistent with the habitat due to processes that increase habitat fertility. The Tilio-Carpinetum forest is more easily colonized by invasive plant species than the Peucedano-Pinetum. The range of road effects can be determined as an area located within 90 m inward of the forest in the case of the Peucedano-Pinetum community and 100 m in the case of the Tilio-Carpinetum community. The presented research is important for formulating directions about how to manage the forests and their surroundings in terms of shaping forests of more natural character, with species more consistent with a forest habitat.

“…Urban green spaces have been critical green elements in the metropolitan areas [1][2][3] and have been widely studied to allow the public to understand their functions and services. Lin and Lee [4] defined urban forests as suburban forests, urban parks, green spaces, and street trees in urban districts.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the Ecological Value of an Urban Forest Park: A Case Study of Sinhua Forest Park in Taiwan

Liu

Lin

Hsieh

2021

Urban forests offer multiple functions: they can balance negative effects from the environment and provide the public with a place for leisure and recreation. Hence, urban forests are crucial to urban ecology and have been widely studied. In addition, relevant study results were applied for policymaking in urban development and forest park management. This study evaluated the ecological value of the Sinhua Forest Park and examined whether the socioeconomic background of participants influences their willingness to pay (WTP) for ecological conservation. Questionnaires were distributed to visitors in the Sinhua Forest Park in Tainan, Taiwan, and the payment card format of the contingent valuation method was employed to evaluate the ecological value. The results showed that the visitors had an annual WTP of $22.01 per person. However, when samples with protest responses were excluded, the WTP rose to $24.58. By considering the total number of visitors of a year, the total ecological value was $1,426,964.14/year and reached $1,593,257.31/year after excluding the protest samples. This study also analyzed participants’ within-variable socioeconomic background (e.g., gender and education) and discovered that male participants who are aged 60 years or older, with an education level of senior/vocational high school, and those who visited green spaces two to three times per week presented a high WTP score on average. A Tobit regression model was employed for examination, and the results indicated that participants’ education and frequency of visiting green spaces significantly influenced their WTP for the ecological conservation of the Sinhua Forest Park.