Ecology, Planning, and Management of Urban Forests

Urban forests play a fundamentally important role in building ecological cities. They improve the environmental quality of the urban environment and the aesthetics of urban landscapes, and in many developed and developing countries, the evolution of urban forestry has been recognized as an essential means of maintaining urban ecosystem health, improving human living conditions, fostering a harmonious human-nature relationship, and ultimately achieving urban sustainability.

Ecology, Planning, and Management of Urban Forests contains studies and perspectives on urban forests from a broad array of basic and applied scientific disciplines including ecosystem ecology, biogeochemistry, landscape ecology, plant community ecology, geography, and social science. The book contains contributions from experts in Asia, Europe, and North America, allowing the reader to evaluate methods and management that are appropriate for particular geographic, environmental, and socio-political contexts. Urban forests are also approached on regional and landscape scales to encompass more natural environments in and around cities, rather than within arbitrary municipal boundaries. The studies provided are intended to motivate scientists, planners, and managers to work together and to adopt a broader landscape ecology approach to urban forestry, and in so doing, better address the pressing needs for improving the quality of life in urban environments.

About the Editors:

Dr. Margaret M. Carreiro is Associate Professor in the Biology Department of the University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Dr. Yong-Chang Song is Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at East China Normal University, Shanghai, China. Dr. Jianguo Wu is Professor of Ecology and Sustainability Science in the School of Life Sciences and Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA.

Résumé

It has been increasingly recognized that trees and vegetation in urban areas provide a number of ecological services beyond beautifying cities. The purpose of urban forestry is to use trees and natural habitat patches to ameliorate negative environmental impacts of cities and to contribute to the creation of more livable, ecological sustainable co-cities. Ecology, Planning, and Management of Urban Forests takes an international approach to sharing knowledge about the management of urban forests that has been learned through studies in many different regions. This allows the reader to evaluate methods and management that are appropriate for particular geographic, environmental and socio-political contexts. Urban forests are also approached on regional and landscape scales to encompass more natural environments in and around cities, rather than within arbitrary municipal boundaries.

Contenu
Perspectives and Approaches in Urban Forestry.- Introduction: The Growth of Cities and Urban Forestry.- Toward a Landscape Ecology of Cities: Beyond Buildings, Trees, and Urban Forests.- Principles for Guiding Eco-City Development.- A Multiple-Indicators Approach to Monitoring Urban Sustainable Development.- Assessment and Valuation of the Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Forests.- Benefits of Urban Green Space for Improving Urban Climate.- Applying Ecosystem Management to Urban Forestry.- Approaches to Urban Forestry in the United Kingdom.- Opportunities and Alternatives for Enhancing Urban Forests in Compact Cities in Developing Countries.- Urban Ecology Studies in China, with an Emphasis on Shanghai.- Using the UrbanRural Gradient Approach to Determine the Effects of Land Use on Forest Remnants.- A Philosophical Basis for Restoring Ecologically Functioning Urban Forests: Current Methods and Results.- Planning, Managing, and Restoring Urban Forests.- Strategic Planning for Urban Woodlands in North West England.- Landscape Corridors in Shanghai and Their Importance in Urban Forest Planning.- Management of Urban Forests in the United States.- The Urban Forest of Nanjing City: Key Characteristics and Management Assessment.- Urban Forest Structure in Hefei, China.- Forests and Forestry in Hesse, Germany: Meeting the Challenge of Multipurpose Forestry.- Experiences in the Management of Urban Recreational Forests in Germany.- Modeling the Social Benefits of Urban Parks for Users.- Potential Leaf Area Index Analyses for the City of Toronto's Urban Forest.- Spatial and Temporal Change of Urban Vegetation Distribution in Beijing.- Long-Term Observations of Secondary Forests Growing on Hard-Coal Mining Spoils in the Industrial Ruhr Region of Germany.- Selection ofPollution-Tolerant Trees for Restoration of Degraded Forests and Evaluation of the Experimental Restoration Practices at the Ulsan Industrial Complex, Korea.- Restoration Planning for the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea.- The Construction of Near-Natural Forests in the Urban Areas of Shanghai.- Synthesis and Directions for Future Research, Planning, and Implementation.- Urban Forestry and the Eco-City: Today and Tomorrow.