Frontiers | The Benefits and Limits of Urban Tree Planting for Environmental and Human Health
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.... [Environment and Sustainability] [Urban Forestry] [Journal Article] 2021
Diane E. Pataki, Marina Alberti, Mary L. Cadenasso, Alexander J. Felson, Mark J. McDonnell, Stephanie Pincetl, Richard V. Pouyat, Heikki Setälä and Thomas H. Whitlow
Many of the world’s major cities have implemented tree planting programs based on assumed environmental and social benefits of urban forests. Recent studies have increasingly tested these assumptions and provide empirical evidence for the contributions of tree planting programs, as well as their feasibility and limits, for solving or mitigating urban environmental and social issues. We propose that current evidence supports local cooling, stormwater absorption, and health benefits of urban trees...

Eco-Values of the Urban Forest - Urban Ecology Research Learning Alliance
https://www.nps.gov/rlc/urbanecology/ecovalues-urb... [Urban Forestry] [Environment and Sustainability] [Web Page] 2022
National Park Service
Urban forests bring an exceptional set of ecosystem services to the National Capital Area (NCA). Our regional urban forests can be found in the trees shading the streets, lining a river corridor, or even overlooking a historical battlefield. Whatever form they take, the trees in NCA parks shape local environments through their important ecological role and functions. Understanding the values contributed by urban forests, along with their structure and function, can promote management decision...

The equity of urban forest ecosystem services and benefits in the Bronx, NY
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/... [Environment and Sustainability] [Health and Safety] [Journal Article] 2020
Charity Nyelele & Charles N. Kroll
Trees provide important ecosystem services and benefits, with some, such as air pollutant and heat reductions, being linked to improved human health and well-being. The uneven distribution of tree cover in urban areas and subsequently the ecosystem services and benefits it provides has potential implications related to environmental justice, especially if disadvantaged socio-demographic or socio-economic and marginalized communities lack these services and benefits. This study explores the distr...

Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32570770... [Health and Safety] [Urban Forestry] [Journal Article] 2020
Kathleen L Wolf ; Sharon T Lam; Jennifer K McKeen; Gregory R A Richardson; Matilda van den Bosch; Adrina C Bardekjian
The urban forest is a green infrastructure system that delivers multiple environmental, economic, social and health services, and functions in cities. Environmental benefits of urban trees are well understood, but no review to date has examined how urban trees affect human health. This review provides a comprehensive summary of existing literature on the health impacts of urban trees that can inform future research, policy, and nature-based public health interventions. A systematic search used k...

Urban Trees in Hobart Housing Developments - Citygreen Blog
https://citygreen.com/urban-trees-hobart-housing-d... [Health and Safety] [Urban Forestry] [Web Page] 2017
Chester Gooden
Urban Tree Planting Soil Vault Systems. Urban Trees in Hobart Housing Developments - Citygreen Blog. Urban Tree Planting Soil Vault Systems. Citygreen / BlogUrban trees in Hobart housing developments a matter of life and death. The latest news in urban sustainability research, innovation, community initiatives, and products. Stay up-to-date by completing the subscription form. Home / Blog / Urban trees in Hobart housing developments a matter of life and death. The importance of tree grate...

Should urban trees be funded as part of a city’s public health infrastructure? - Citygreen
https://citygreen.com/urban-trees-as-part-of-city-... [Health and Safety] [other] [Web Page] 2017
Nathaniel Hardy
A new report, released by conservation-focused non-profit The Nature Conservancy, says yes. Urban trees are proven to aid mental health, decrease obesity and other health risks, and generally make us happier. Therefore, they are an important public health asset and should be funded as such....

The Benefits of Urban Forests - Citygreen
https://citygreen.com/the-benefits-of-urban-forest... [Health and Safety] [other] [Web Page] 2013
Kristyn Maslog-Levis
People and plants are entwined by threads that reach back to our earliest experiences, as individuals and as a species.” Urban forests are not only beautiful and functional but also provides several physical, mental, emotional, and psychological benefits to its residents. A theory by S. Kaplan called Attention Restoration Theory says that natural environments and vegetation can assist in the functioning of human attention. Kaplan said that looking at nature enhances humans in doing tasks that r...

The relationship between trees and human health: evidence from the spread of the emerald ash borer - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23332329... [Health and Safety] [Invasive Species] [Journal Article] 2013
Geoffrey H Donovan, David T Butry, Yvonne L Michael, Jeffrey P Prestemon, Andrew M Liebhold, Demetrios Gatziolis, Megan Y Mao
Several recent studies have identified a relationship between the natural environment and improved health outcomes. However, for practical reasons, most have been observational, cross-sectional studies. Purpose: A natural experiment, which provides stronger evidence of causality, was used to test whether a major change to the natural environment-the loss of 100 million trees to the emerald ash borer, an invasive forest pest-has influenced mortality related to cardiovascular and lower-respiratory...

Understand Urban Forests Benefits for Climate and Health
https://www.vibrantcitieslab.com/guide/identify-be... [Urban Forestry] [Health and Safety] [Web Page] 2022
Vibrant Cities Lab
Urban forests reduce a variety of health issues, such as respiratory diseases and skin cancer, and promote an active lifestyle, which can reduce obesity. Little Rock Combats Chronic Diseases Through. El Paso, TX: Campus Expands Urban Forest 60% for Mental Health. Louisville, KY: Green Spaces Make Healthier Places. New York, NY: Streets without trees harm kids and seniors. Amigos de los Rios and the Emerald Necklace. While trees are working hard for air and water quality, they re also incre...

A framework for adapting urban forests to climate change
https://forestadaptation.org/sites/default/files/e... [Urban Forestry] [Environment and Sustainability] [Journal Article] 2016
Leslie Brandt; Abigail Derby Lewis; Robert Fahey; Lydia Scott; Lindsay Darling; Chris Swanston
Planting urban trees and expanding urban forest canopy cover are often considered key strategies for reducing climate change impacts in urban areas. However, urban trees and forests can also be vulnerable to climate change through shifts in tree habitat suitability, changes in pests and diseases, and changes in extreme weather events. We developed a three-step framework for urban forest vulnerability assessment and adaptation that scales from regional assessment to local on-the-ground action. We...

Adapting Urban Forests to a Changing Climate
https://forestadaptation.org/sites/default/files/F... [Environment and Sustainability] [Urban Forestry] [Presentation] 2022
Bob Fahey
We developed Strategies, Approaches, and Tactics for adapting urban forests to climate change. Modeled on a document focused on NE region forests as a whole. Urban systems face many specific challenges under climate change that differ from other landscapes. Social, Political, Ecological. Urban Forests defined as: all trees and tree-dominated ecosystems within a metropolitan region...

Preparing Urban Forests in the Twin Cities for Climate Change
https://forestadaptation.org/learn/preparing-urban... [Education] [Environment and Sustainability] [Seminars/Webinars/Conferences] 2016
Leslie Brandt
Urban and community forestry professionals face the tremendous challenge of developing and implementing management actions that help urban forests respond to climate change. Provide information on the current and anticipated effects of climate change on the Twin Cities region and its urban forests and natural areas. Describe resources and tools that can be used to integrate climate change into urban forest management. Outline adaptation concepts and strategies in the context of sustainable fo...

Urban Forest Climate and Health Menu | Climate Change Response Framework
https://forestadaptation.org/climate-health-menu... [Urban Forestry] [Health and Safety] [Web Page] 2022
Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science
NIACS, American Forests, and partners developed a "menu" of actions that provide benefits for human health, climate adaptation, and carbon mitigation in urban forests. This menu includes evidence-based actions designed to reduce climate risks to urban forests and promote their beneficial functions. Urban forestry managers and allied professionals (including those working in city planning, landscape architecture, public health, and others) as well as non-profit organizations and community group...

Climate adaptation actions for urban forests and human health
https://www.nrs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/62807... [Health and Safety] [Urban Forestry] [Unclassified/Other]

Abstract Urban areas can be particularly vulnerable to climate change due to extensive impervious cover, increased pollution, greater human population densities, and a concentration of built structures that intensify impacts from urban heat, drought, and extreme weather. Urban residents are at risk from a variety of climate stressors, which can cause both physical and mental harm. Urban forests and tree cover provide a critical role in helping cities address climate change by supporting greenh...

Urban Forestry and Forest Health - Office of Planning and Research
https://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/land-use/urban-for... [Urban Forestry] [Environment and Sustainability] [Web Page] 2022
CA Governor's Office of Planning and Research
Trees and the urban forest provide a variety of important benefits in the urban environment. Environmental benefits include removing carbon from the atmosphere, reducing energy use, improving air quality, moderating stormwater flows, protecting water quality, improving economic sustainability, and providing habitat for wildlife. In addition to the health benefits realized through the protection and promotion of the environment, trees and urban forests also support the physical and mental health ...

Felled City Trees Could Grow a New Lumber Economy
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis... [Urban Wood Utilization] [Networks and Associations] [Magazine/Newspaper Article]
Alex Brown,
SEATTLE — When a tree falls in the city, does it make a table? Or a guitar or a cabinet? It’s a question that’s increasingly being asked by state and city leaders, arborists, tree care companies and woodworkers. A growing coalition aims to turn urban wood into a valuable resource, rather than a waste product that is chipped up and sent to landfills....

URBAN WOOD USE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT EXPLORED IN NEW PUBLICATION
https://dovetailinc.org/blogdetail.php?id=600065e8... [Urban Wood Utilization] [Networks and Associations] [Report] 2022
DoveTail Partners
The volume of wood removed in urban settings each year is substantial, creating a costly bottleneck of material that is often destined for the landfill. This issue is exasperated by mortality due to tree disease and pest issues, development and construction, and damage caused by storms. This brochure illustrates how communities can convert urban waste wood from a liability to an asset. Topics discussed: WHAT and WHY of urban wood use programs Economic and environmental benefits of urba...

Fiserv Forum’s Design Team Honored for Use of Wisconsin Urban Wood | EUA | Archinect
https://archinect.com/EppsteinUhenArchitects/relea... [Urban Wood Utilization] [Networks and Associations] [Magazine/Newspaper Article] 2019
Jen Kalies
Fiserv Forum’s Design Team Honored for Use of Wisconsin Urban Wood Jen Kalies By Jen Kalies Jun 13, '19 6:41 PM EST AddThis Sharing Buttons Share to Facebook Share to TwitterShare to PrintShare to More 0 Follow Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), one of three design teams hired by the Milwaukee Bucks to design Fiserv Forum, has been selected to receive the second annual Wisconsin Urban Wood Utilization Award. The award will be presented at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 at a ceremony on EU...

The Emerging Economy of Urban Wood
https://www.woodmizer-europe.com/Blog/Articles/the... [Urban Wood Utilization] [Education] [Magazine/Newspaper Article] 2022
Megan Offner
New York Heartwoods (NYH) began in 2010, with the help of Dave and Steve Washburn, Hugh Herrera, myself, and a Wood-Mizer LT40 Hydraulic portable sawmill. Our plan to manage and harvest trees ourselves was scratched when we realized how many were falling over, dying and being removed by arborists. Multiple severe storms and several invasive insect epidemics have led to unprecedented challenges to our forests and communities while budgets of municipalities and landowners are stretched with the re...

Wisconsin Urban Wood celebrates Green Tier Charter signing News Release - Wisconsin DNR
https://dnr.wi.gov/news/releases/article/?id=4232... [Networks and Associations] [Urban Wood Utilization] [Web Page] 2017
William Erikson, Twink Jan-McMahon
Improving urban forest management practices took a step forward Friday with the signing of a Green Tier charter by Wisconsin Urban Wood and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Wisconsin Urban Wood is a network of independent businesses and nonprofit organizations that promotes the utilization of urban wood. As a network, WUW is instrumental in working to keep urban ash trees from simply being chipped to minimize the spread of emerald ash borer. The group also works to connect the su...