Advancing management of urban forested natural areas: toward an urban silviculture?

Abstract

Cities worldwide are engaging in large‐scale greening projects motivated by the wide range of documented ecological, economic, and social benefits of urban forests. Urban forested natural areas are a critical component of the total urban forest but are often overlooked and typically lack formal management frameworks. One approach to addressing this deficiency may be to borrow from traditional ecological management frameworks and practices (that is, silviculture). Although urban forested natural areas share similarities with rural forests, the impacts of urbanization on forest stand dynamics may require modification of these methods and in some cases development of novel silvicultural guidelines. We present an urban silviculture framework through which we synthesize emerging research and identify challenges and opportunities for advancing goal setting, assessments, and on‐the‐ground management strategies. Adapting silvicultural practices to cities can improve the long‐term sustainability of urban forests and establish management approaches that address future conditions in forests across the urban–rural continuum.