What is urban forestry?

Urban forestry (UF) involves the management and establishment of trees and forests across the city, ranging from individual trees in streets and parks, to continuous tracts of woodland on the urban fringe. An integrated approach ensures that UF can enhance the quality of life of citizens through providing opportunities for recreation, health and wellbeing. UF also brings nature back into our cities, reduces pollution levels and helps to mitigate adverse climate change impacts, such as increasing summer temperatures.

However, delivering these diverse benefits requires stronger policy integration at municipality and regional level. Previous silo-based approaches to governance have not proved fully effective. Consequently, UF governance increasingly involves diverse partnerships of stakeholder groups including local authorities, businesses, NGOs and citizens working together. UF represents an investment for the future. Whilst establishment costs can be high, the longer-term benefits provided by UF can be well in excess of initial capital outlays.

Further reading

Owuor et al. 2022. Unlocking the Potential of Urban Forests: Developing a Local Urban Forestry Action Plan: https://www.uforest.eu/news/project-updates/urbanforestry-action-plan/