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Chairs(s):

Shawn Landry, University of South Florida

; Tenley Conway, University of Toronto, Mississauga

Description:

Urban forests are integral components of the urban social and ecological systems of the city. Moreover, trees are often framed as the solution or a mitigation strategy to address a laundry-list of problems facing cities. Justifications for urban forestry investments have included concepts such as the potential of increasing ecosystem services, using trees as green infrastructure to reduce the demand for gray infrastructure, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and/or addressing existing uneven access to a natural amenity. The presence and condition of urban trees is determined by a complex set of factors, many of which result from socio-ecological conditions and policy driven decisions at multiple spatial scales. Given the recent re-investment in urban forests occurring in many North American cities, monitoring and management of trees and green spaces has become an important object for government policy, business strategy and academic research.

Non-Presenting Participants Agenda