Urban Forest Development Research Articles

Urban forest and sustainability: the historical perspective of Limbe in the Southwest Region of Cameroon

ABSTRACT Projected rapid urbanisation and climate change will increase the risk of natural disasters in fragile coastal African cities. Strategically planning and managing the urban forest can help to build resilience. This study aimed to document urban forest development and sustainability in Cameroon using the city of Limbe as a baseline through the classification of urban forest elements; description of their developmental history and assessment of the level of sustainability to inform strategic planning. Data was collected using a forest ethnology approach. Two groups of stakeholders’ representatives of public institutions (Group 1), Non-Governmental Organisations and educated indigenes (Group 2) provided oral histories of tree planting. Face to face interviews with 15 stakeholders were conducted guided by semi-structured questionnaires. From these results, there are four types of urban forest. Limbe Botanical Garden (LBG) developed during the colonial era was the most prominent. Municipal authorities by law should create different types of urban forest but their actions have been limited to Roadside Trees (RT) planting. The absence of budget, policy and inventory was responsible for the low level of urban forest sustainability. Increasing awareness of the effectiveness of urban forest nature-based solutions in tackling deadly landslides and floods in Limbe can promote urban forest sustainability.

Arthropod Diversity in an Urban Forest from Miami Dade County, Florida, US

Arthropods are excellent candidates for studying how the formation of urban ecosystems impacts the environment for several reasons. Foremost of these is the variety of roles played by arthropods in ecosystem functioning (e.g., food web dynamics, nutrient cycling and redistribution, and pollination) with many of these roles being economically important [e.g. pollination by domestic bees is an $18 billion/year industry in the US alone]. Urban ecosystems have been neglected in ecological research. Arthropods are abundant in urban settings, but little is known about how these animals respond to urbanization. In this project, we present data on species composition and structure of the communities of arthropods from Saint Thomas University Urban Forest, in the city of Miami Gardens, Miami Dade County, State of Florida, USA. In order to conduct our samplings, we set up 16 pitfall traps, as is usually done for invertebrate soil biodiversity. We then sorted and identified collected individuals using a Dissecting Microscope. Data were analyzed using PAST to calculate diversity indices of the sites studied and species organization. We collected a total of 31 species distributed in 21 Families and 13 Orders. Most species were identified up to the species level. Total number of individuals was 2147, representing a high abundance. The most abundant species was Solenopsis molesta, represented by 1313 individuals. Invertebrates are sensitive to climatic and ecological alterations. Their small bodies desiccate easily, a factor which may limit their evolutionary response to accelerated temperature increases. Consequently, the understanding, preservation, and development of urban forests can provide an avenue through which the conservation of local communities is sustained, starting with some of its most numerous and ecologically sensitive species.

Review on the Application of Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Forest Planning and Sustainable Management

Despite growing recognition of nature-based solutions (NBS), there remains a research gap in understanding their implementation in urban areas, which poses a significant challenge for urban forest development. Therefore, our paper aims to explore the intersection of NBS with urban forests (UF), identify current barriers, propose strategies to maximize the potential of urban forests as nature-based solutions (UF-NBS) in effectively improving the resilience of urban forests, and enhance the service capacity of urban forest ecosystems. To achieve our objective, we conducted a comprehensive analysis that included a bibliometric review to summarize the evolution of the UF-NBS literature and classify UF-NBS types for the first time. Subsequently, we identified and organized current challenges faced by UF-NBS. Additionally, we proposed an original technological framework system for urban forest development based on NBS principles. The results show the significance of UF-NBS for enhancing urban resilience and human wellbeing, with multiple successful implementations in both China and Europe, validating their effectiveness. However, the implementation of UF-NBS faces several challenges, including inadequate financing, the gap between scientific knowledge and practical implementation, the absence of region-specific information, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. This study contributes to establishing a scientific theoretical basis for integrating UF and NBS and provides a systematic approach for decision-makers in urban forest management. Future research should focus on exploring the integration of UF within the NBS framework and prioritize knowledge sharing, international cooperation, and education initiatives to promote the global adoption of UF-NBS and address pressing urban challenges.

Spatiotemporal response of ecosystem services to tourism activities in urban forests

Tourism in urban forests is rapidly becoming an increasing trend; however, rather few studies have used quantitative measurement to describe the relationship between tourism intensity and ecological functions. This study provides a practical framework that integrates ecosystem service value (ESV) assessment, Internet big data mining and spatial regression analysis to identify the spatial response of ESV and land use/land cover change to tourism activities from 2009 to 2019 in the Siming Mountain Region (SMR), a famous tourist resort located in the eastern coastal China. Results showed that between 2009 and 2019 total ESV increased by 7.1%. Nevertheless, there have been drastic transitions in land use types with function adjustments from traditional agricultural production to diversified tourism-oriented services. Significant spatial autocorrelation was identified for the patterns of ESV changes. GWR further highlighted that the relationship between ESV change and rural tourism indicators varied in space. ESV change in the core zone was negatively correlated with changes in catering service spots and recreational venues, whereas it was positively correlated with local lodgings. Ultimately, targeted recommendations and countermeasures for spatial planning and sustainable tourism development of urban forests under new circumstances were discussed.

The Application of Geographic Information System in Urban Forest Ecological Compensation and Sustainable Development Evaluation

Urban forests can alleviate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and improve residents’ mental health. By studying urban forests, these resources can be better used and managed to create more livable urban environments. Therefore, the urban forest in the Taishan region is taken as the research object, and the ecological compensation and sustainable development of urban forest in Tai’an City are deeply analyzed by GIS. It divided the area into forest land, water bodies, wetlands, grasslands, and shrubs as the basic ecosystem types. And through secondary interpretation and combination, a complete urban forest information database was established. To evaluate the comprehensive benefits of urban forests, the analytic hierarchy process was utilized to establish a corresponding evaluation index system. Based on the assessment outcomes of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests in the area, a standard accounting method for urban forest ecological compensation was proposed. The results showed that each index of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests and the random consistency ratio were both less than 0.1. This indicated that the matrix calculation results of various indicators of urban forest comprehensive benefits had good consistency. At the target level, the comprehensive evaluation score of urban forests in the study area was 7.69. At the factor level, the weight value of the urban forest landscape structure was 0.675, and the comprehensive score was 7.62. The weight value of urban forest comprehensive benefits was 0.325, and the comprehensive score was 7.82. The quantitative weight value of urban forest greening in the study area was 0.6138, with a comprehensive score of 7.57. Based on the analysis of the issues in urban forests and ecological compensation in the research area of Tai’an City, corresponding ecological compensation strategies have been proposed. It is of great value to study the urban forest of Tai’an city, which can help to formulate more effective urban planning and sustainable development strategies. The research results can also provide a valuable reference and inspiration for the improvement of urban forest ecological environment and biodiversity protection in other areas.

Coordination Analysis of Urban Forest and Urban Development Level: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

With the rapid development of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, sustainability and high-quality development have become the key paths to regional development. The urban forest, referring to the sum of trees, forests, and green space in an urban area, provides a series of ecological benefits and economic values and is essential to the urban ecological system. In the post-urbanization period, the integrated development of urban forests and the city is attached with great importance to long-term development. From the perspective of regional and coordinated development, this research constructed an evaluation index system of urban development and urban forest development. Then, a comprehensive evaluation model and coordination degree model were adopted to systematically study the temporal and spatial characteristics and policy influencing factors on the coordination degree between urban development and urban forest development in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration from 2005 to 2021. The results showed that from 2005 to 2021, urban development displayed continuous growth, while urban forest development exhibited a fluctuating increase and the level of urban forest generally lagged behind that of urban development. From 2005 to 2021, the coordination degree of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration showed a fluctuating trend, of which the maximum value was 0.999 in 2012, the minimum value was 0.730 in 2021, and the coordination degrees were all at the level of good coordination or high-quality coordination except for 2021. In terms of spatial distribution, three provinces and one city all showed a fluctuating increase at first, followed by a downward trend, while Shanghai showed the highest coordination level. From the perspective of policy on urban forests, the Shanghai government showed the best effort, while the Jiangsu government still needs improvement. This research provides a scientific basis for coordinating the relationship between urban development and the environment and for realizing regional sustainable and high-quality development.

Air pollution tolerance, anticipated performance, and metal accumulation indices of four evergreen tree species in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Trees in urban forests are able to better air quality by removing particulate matter (PM) from the atmosphere through the accumulation of particles on their leaf surfaces. When exposed to air pollutants, the physiology, morphology, and biochemistry of a plant may be affected, which will result in alterations to that plant’s function and growth. In this study, we assessed, for the first time, the tolerance or sensitivity of four evergreen trees (Ficus benghalensis, Ficus religiosa, Mangifera indica, and Polyalthia longifolia) towards air pollution by employing several indices. The trees, which are commonly grown along the roadside in Dhaka, Bangladesh, were evaluated by using the air pollution tolerance index (APTI), the anticipated performance index (API), and the metal accumulation index (MAI). The deposition of four heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni) on the leaves of four aforementioned tree species was studied employing ICP-MS, and subsequently, a predictive foliar MAI was created. APTI values of the studied plants varied from 10.31 to 12.51 implying that they were either intermediately tolerant or sensitive. A significantly strong positive correlation was obtained between APTI and relative water content (RWC) (r = 0.864; p < 0.001) and between APTI and ascorbic acid content (AAC) (r = 0.748; p < 0.01). The API revealed M. indica as a good performer, which maintained the highest score (68.75%) among the tree species irrespective of different sites. The Pb concentrations were anomalously high in the atmosphere of Dhaka, suggesting its anthropogenic origin. A significant (r = 0.722; p < 0.01) relationship was found between Cd and Pb indicating their common origin. Among the species, F. benghalensis had the highest MAI value (13.60). The MAI value was found to have a significant association with pH, AAC, and total chlorophyll content. Based on APTI, API, and MAI values, the most suitable plant species for urban forest development was identified to be M. indica followed by F. benghalensis and F. religiosa.

Homogenization of Urban Forests across the Subtropical Zones of China

The composition of urban forests (UFs) exhibits homogenization among cities compared with rural forests (RFs) among different climate zones. However, the degree of homogenization in subtropical UFs and its difference from RFs remain unclear. In this study, we examined tree species composition and diversity in UFs in 19 cities in China’s subtropical zone with precipitation ranging from 458 to 1852 mm and compared them with RFs. We found that (1) the species composition similarity, Jaccard index (J~0.27), between UFs was significantly higher than that (J~0.15) of RFs, indicating biotic homogenization; (2) tree species richness, Simpson, Shannon–Wiener, and Pielou index of UFs converged along the precipitation gradient; (3) the similarity of tree composition between UFs increased as precipitation of the cities were more similar; (4) the UFs in the 19 cities contained a total of 932 tree species, among which the nonnative species were more prevalent than the native species, and the top 37 species with high frequency appeared in 80% of the cities; and (5) Salix babylonica, Ginkgo biloba, Platycladus orientalis, Juniperus chinensis, and other tree species were suitable for planting in UFs in subtropical zones, regardless of humidity. The findings contribute to the understanding of urban forest development and provide insights for implementing greening policies aimed at providing additional ecosystem services.

Assessment of Biodiversity Richness and Carbon Sequestration Potential in Institutional Campus – A Case Study

Within an increasingly sprawling city, it is almost far-fetched to identify a large patch of potential habitat for urban ecological conservation. In such cases, the institutional campuses become vital areas for such interventions, which can then be harmonized to realize the seemingly unreal idea of urban forest development. These institutional ecological patches remain a home to a number of species. Thus, it retains the urban biodiversity amidst the anthropogenic urban activities. The campus of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai, is one such institutional urban forest that sprawls across 143 acres of land, surrounded by the Thiruparankundram hills and the lake which support the species’ richness and their composition. This urban forest is considered for investigation in current study. The researchers followed the non-destructive sampling mapping technique and used a measuring tape to conduct the biodiversity assessment of trees and animal species. Further, the authenticity of the biological taxonomy was also validated using an open-source application, ‘Plant Net’. The results found that this urban forest harbours a total of 40 different species of trees, with Azadirachta indica being the dominant tree species, followed by Saraca asoca, the co-dominant. The total carbon sequestered by this urban forest was then calculated using the formula W= (AGB+BGB) *0.5*3.6663. The results suggest the implementation of appropriate management strategies by providing a diverse set of essential plant databases for the institutional campuses, which in turn can benefit the management of urban ecosystems. The study emphasizes the importance of diverse species in providing ecological services such as biodiversity conservation, improved air quality, and micro-climate regulation, thus escalating the institutional urban forests to contribute towards a harmonious urban ecological development.

The Potential of Bekasi “Eduforest” urban forest in cultural environmental services

Setu Subdistrict, Bekasi Regency is an area designated as urban forest development for providers of cultural environmental services. The purpose is to identify the community's perceptions, motivations, and preferences around the urban forest. Primary data collection by questionnaire to 31 people was determined purposively and analyzed quantitatively using a 4-point Likert Scale. Calculation of air temperature and humidity, thermal comfort, biomass with allometric methods, and CO2 absorption to support recommendations for attractions. The results show that community knowledge, benefits, and functions of urban forests are well known. People visit urban forests because they provide comfort and good air quality so that they are physically and mentally healthy. Community preferences are in the form of harvesting honey and developing urban forests together so that they can participate further. The potential of the urban forest in cultural environmental services can be developed through the provision of massive information and counseling, the development of tourist attractions in the form of forest healing, educational, and culinary tourism, also panoramic and landscape attractions. With the relative humidity of 60% and the thermal comfort of 25.2 oC, categorized as quite comfortable, the development of health therapy tourism can be considered.

Community Perceptions on Urban Forests Development in Riparian Areas of Cisadane River, South Tangerang City

The continuous decrease in green open spaces due to urban development leads to harmful environmental problems for communities. Land scarcity is one of the significant reasons for the difficulty in urban forest development in riparian areas. The development of riparian urban forests serves a dual purpose, namely preserving the natural riparian function for vegetation and increasing the green open space area size. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the riverside community's understanding and views on urban forests and their perceptions of riparian urban forest development. Data were collected through questionnaires and interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Approximately 63.64% and 96.97% of the respondents understood and viewed the urban forests well. Furthermore, 90.91% of the respondents agreed with the riparian urban forest development. Generally, 66.67% agreed to create greener, tidier, cleaner, and more beautiful riparian areas to attract tourists. The positive perception of the community regarding the urban forest development in riparian areas became a rational basis to sustain its function and increase the size of urban forests and green open space areas.

China's contribution to urban forestry

This commentary reviews the remarkable contributions made in China to the development of urban forests and to research on urban forests. It points out the significance of the Forest Law of the People's Republic of China (adopted in 1984) to the establishment of urban forests in China. Unique Chinese concepts such as Sponge Cities and Forest Cities are reviewed. Examples of the contributions of Chinese scholars to our knowledgeof urban forestry are presented.

Analisis Vegetasi Tegakan Pohon Di Kawasan Hutan Kota Bukit Langkisau Painan, Pesisir Selatan

Urban forest management must adapt to urban development and aspects of urban life so that the availability and management of key lands in the development of urban forests and the presence of vegetation as the driving element, one of which is trees. This study aims to determine the composition and structure of tree stands in the Bukit Langkisau Painan City Forest, Pesisir Selatan. The method used was purposive sampling with a plot size of 20 m x 60 m with a sub plot of 10 x 10 m for level 12 plots of trees each. It was found that the vegetation composition of tree stands were 10 families, 12 genera, 13 species, and 27 individuals with the dominant family Myrtaceae and the co-dominant families Meliaceae, and sapindaceae. The highest significance value was found in Syzygium racemosum with a value of 43.399 % and the lowest significance index was found in the species Xerospermum noronhianum with 9.298 %. The diversity index (H') is 2,439 which indicates that species diversity classified to moderate. Keyword: bukit langkisau, composition, structure, urban fores.

PEMBERDAYAAN MASYARAKAT DALAM PENGELOLAAN LIMBAH PERANTINGAN PEPOHONAN DI LINGKUNGAN PERUMAHAN

Urban forest development programs, urban parks and tree planting in residential require tree maintenance to keep the view beautiful and not dangerous in case of rain. Tree pruning waste in residential areas poses environmental and social problems. Community empowerment activities at RW 02 Kalirungkut Surabaya aim to provide knowledge on how to manage tree pruning waste that is processed into useful compost in urban farming practices. The community empowerment program in managing tree pruning waste uses the Participatory Rapid Rural Appraissal and Rapid and Rural Appraissal methods. Inventory of problems and formulation of solutions is carried out in a short time but studies are carried out in depth and the community is directly involved in the preparation of implementation plans and evaluation of activities. The community of RW 02 Kalirungkut Surabaya was very enthusiastic in implementing the program and within 3 months the problem of disposing of waste tree pruning was resolved, and the community was able to harvest 15 cubic meters of compost. The community realizes that tree pruning waste can be used as compost which has economic value as an income for RW 02 Kalirungkut and can meet the compost needs for people who are practicing urban farming

Opportunities and challenges of urban green open space for climate change mitigation and adaptation in Bogor, West Java

Urban green open space area is one of the strategies to deal with climate change mitigation and adaptation issues. As one of the relevant exemplifications of the “Urban Forest” concept and sustainable urban development, legal control of urban green open space is necessary to support the effort. This study examines urban green open space policies, practices, opportunities, and challenges in Bogor city regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation. Furthermore, local regulations, including legal issues, key players, and their roles in urban forest management were also discussed. A desk study with descriptive exploratory was implemented in this paper. The results showed that there are challenges in the implementation of urban green open space area policies into urban forest practices. The land size allocation for urban forests in Bogor, West Java, is still not by the existing policies as their land size is far less than 30%. Moreover, most local regulations have relatively paid little attention to private property policy. Local governments can enact local regulations for technical guidelines in short-term strategy as local regulations are expected to support the regional level of urban forests and green open space development. Multi stakeholders’ cooperation and community engagement are potential initiatives for urban forest development at the local government level for climate change resilience.

MONITORING FOREST AREA CHANGE USING QUICKBIRD

A study was conducted to compare the urban forest management in three urban forests in Samarinda City. The application of GIS (Geographic Information System) is one of the alternatives to conduct a variety of processes such as: providing geographical information system, identifying the areas of urban forests in Samarinda, helping to plan the process of map digitalization and performing overlay process. The main method used for the data analysis process on the map was the overlay process data analysis technique. The research findings showed that: 1) the appointment of urban forests as the initial step of urban forest development needed more implementation from the government; 2) the urban forest determination needed more socialization to the owner of the urban forest and the public in 1992 and 2019; 3) the urban forests needed more management. There were some similarities and differences in the management of urban forests in the three study locations. The similarities among the three locations were that the three locations had already met the minimum standards of one urban forest location even though there was still one location outside of these three locations which did not meet the minimum standard. The differences were in managing the urban forests. These differences indicated that the urban forest policy was not fully implemented in Samarinda City.

Urban bio-social infrastructure as a patronized goods: institutional environment and structural changes

Introduction. Managing the development of the bio-social infrastructure of the city allows you to preserve natural objects in cities and create conditions for a healthy life in the conditions of high dynamics of urbanization in Russia. The aim of the study is to study and analyze the institutional environment for the development of urban forests as part of the natural frame of the city and changes in the structure using the example of the Igumnov forest (Kazan, Russia) Research objectives: recommendations for managing the development and structural changes of urban recreational forests as ward public goods of the city’s bio-social infrastructure and analysis of the institutional environment for the development of recreational urban forests in the city of Kazan.&#x0D; &#x0D; Materials and methods. The study was carried out on the basis of historical data from open sources of the mayor’s office of the city of Kazan on the planning and implementation of investment projects for the management of urban forests, parks and other natural objects. The methods of structural analysis, functional analysis, the method of full-scale photographic fixation of forests and green spaces of Kazan were used.&#x0D; &#x0D; Results. Qualitative changes in the structural and functional nature of the Igumnovskaya oak forest have been identified, which occurred at the stage of uncontrolled exploitation of a natural object in the absence of professional monitoring and care of the object, foreseeable development goals of the object. Development governance of natural objects as patronized goods is possible on the basis of institutions of public guardianship and city development.&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusions. Development institutions can study, diagnose the state of the city, taking into account the multifactorial nature of the socio-bio-technical system of the city, create an institutional environment for the development of public, natural and technical objects of the city, including the forest services market, organize scientific research, carry out professional monitoring and management of the development of the biosphere infrastructure of cities, to carry out joint active work with citizens on the development of urban natural objects.

Progress in the Interactions of Ozone Pollution and Other Environmental Stress on Urban Forests in China

Ground-level ozone pollution(O3) and climate change have become key global problems threatening the environment and sustainable development of urban forests. At present, various studies have assessed the O3 impacts on trees; however, it is difficult to accurately evaluate the complex ecological effects caused by multiple factors on the natural urban environment. In this paper, the interactions between O3 and carbon dioxide(CO2), drought, nitrogen deposition, and warming, as well as the effects of the physiology, biochemistry, and growth of urban trees in China were reviewed. Elevated CO2 could alleviate the negative effects of elevated O3 on the photosynthetic metabolism, antioxidant system, and growth of trees. There is a complex interaction between O3 and drought, which may synergistically aggravate, alleviate, or have no effect on trees. However, there was no correlation between O3 and N deposition, only a significant interaction between elevated temperatures and O3, which slowed down the adverse effects of O3 on tree growth and photosynthesis. Finally, suggestions are put forward to manage and sustainable develop urban forests in China under future climate change and air pollution.

Urban tree management: Diversity of Tilia genus in streets and parks of Paris based on morphological and genetic characteristics

The development of tree inventories and open data bases provides green space managers a better understanding of tree morphological diversity in urban areas. However, studies on tree genetic diversity in cities remain rare.The aim of our study is to provide better knowledge on tree intra- and interspecific diversity to improve tree management in urban areas. We characterized 83 individuals of Tilia species and clones in streets and parks in Paris (France) based on both morphological characters (leaves, fruits and twigs) and genetic profiling by using nuclear microsatellite markers.We found five species through morphological identification: Tilia cordata, Tilia dasystyla, Tilia ×euchlora, Tilia ×europaea and Tilia platyphyllos. Analysis of genetic profiles allowed to distinguish three genetic groups correlated to T. cordata, T. ×euchlora and T. platyphyllos. Tilia ×euchlora had the largest number of the same clonal profile (20 individuals out of 36) in Paris while no clone was found in T. platyphyllos group.In some cases, clones were planted in the same street for aesthetic purposes. This can increase disease risk and diminish resilience to climate change. Knowledge on genetic variability between and within species is essential to hedge those risks and for evaluating individual responses to environmental conditions.Our study shows that production and purchasing practices by green space managers need new insights and that tree nurseries can play a crucial role in supplying trees with diverse genetics. Green space managers can reinforce diversity where possible in some areas (development of urban forests, greening of secondary streets or sidewalks, etc.) to improve ecosystem services in urban areas.

Urban forests’ recreation and habitat potentials in China: A nationwide synthesis

Urban forests are important landscape components in cities around the world that offer multiple functionality, thereby serve as a nature-based solution to offsetting negative social-ecological effects brought by urbanization. While the recreational function, as a traditional focus of urban forests, has been primarily emphasized in Chinese cities, the emerging ecological civilization, as a national guiding institution, has gradually brought ecological dimension into urban forest construction and management. By combining statistical data and satellite image data covering 31 key-cities in mainland China, we attempt to quantitatively analyze the transition of urban forests with regard to two intertwined, critical dimensions: recreational potential (proxied by public park space per capita) and habitat potential (proxied by the percentage of core habitat that is not subject to significant disturbances and thus able to effectively maintain the ecological functionality of urban forest patches), to unveil possible synergies or tradeoffs between these two critical aspects for the period of 2011−2018. We found that overall urban forests’ recreation potential has increased, but their habitat potential has decreased. Economic growth is positively associated with recreation potential, but negatively associated with habitat potential. Results of this study revealed that the institutionalization of “ecological civilization” paradigm in China has not yet been successfully taken into urban forest domain. This calls for urban landscape policy and planning directed towards fostering synergistic effects between urban forests’ recreational function and habitat potential in order to essentially reconcile citizens’ recreational uses and the resilience of cities as complex socioecological systems. In this vein, the development of urban forest, as a visualized form of the mainstream yet subtle ecological civilization, can be further geared towards multi-functionality.