Management and Social Problems Linked to the Human Use of European Urban and Suburban Forests

This review regards the management and social problems in European urban and suburban forests linked to their maintenance and human use. They can be divided into major categories: forest management problems (e.g., the low priority of urban forestry, various or diffused urban forest management, lack of management plans or lack of sufficient funds); the social reception of forest works and forests (e.g., emotional reactions to total clear-cutting, negative evaluation of logging traces, negative evaluation of poor tourist infrastructure, specific expectations concerning a model forest: e.g., tall, of low density, mixed, old); and relations between forest users (problems related to e.g., crowding, fast-moving people, the presence of dogs, littering, thefts or noisy behaviour). Here, special attention is paid to problems and negative interactions, as they are challenges to forest management, as well as to the development of plans, strategies, and policies, both in relation to existent forests and those planned in various parts of Europe. Taking into account the feelings and expectations of forest users concerning forests, forest works/management, and infrastructure, as well as their attitude to other forest users, may reduce conflicts concerning various kinds of forest perception and use, and (with the support of societal education) may help to increase the sense of social responsibility for the “shared” forests. The presented findings are expected to be practical and useful for the management of urban and suburban forests, regardless of the location, as a type of checklist of possible problems, that may prove to be important and up-to-date in a particular location.

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Interface Urban Forest Management in an Urbanizing Landscape

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.666 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Maria A. Cunha-e-Sá ◽

Sofia F. Franco

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Forest Management ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Comparative Statics ◽

Forest Conversion ◽

Timber Production ◽

Land Uses ◽

Clear Cutting

Although forests located near urban areas are a small fraction of the forest cover, a good understanding of the extent to which —wildland-urban interface (WUI) forest conversion affects local economies and environmental services can help policy-makers harmonize urban development and environmental preservation at this interface, with positive impact on the welfare of local communities. A growing part of the forest resource worldwide has come under urban influence, both directly (i.e., becoming incorporated into the interface or located at the interface with urban areas) and indirectly (as urban uses and values have come to dominate more remote forest areas). Yet forestry has been rather hesitant to recognize its urban mandate. Even if the decision to convert land at the WUI (agriculture, fruit, timber, or rural use) into an alternative use (residential and commercial development) is conditional on the relative magnitude and timing of the returns of alternative land uses, urban forestry is still firmly rooted in the same basic concepts of traditional forestry. This in turn neglects features characterizing this type of forestland, such as the urban influences from increasingly land-consumptive development patterns. Moreover, interface timber production-allocated land provides public goods that otherwise would be permanently lost if land were converted to an irreversible use. Any framework discussing WUI optimal rotation periods and conversion dates should then incorporate the urban dimension in the forester problem. It must reflect the factors that influence both urban and forestry uses and account for the fact that some types of land use conversion are irreversible. The goal is to present a framework that serves as a first step in explaining the trends in the use and management of private land for timber production in an urbanizing environment. Our framework integrates different land uses to understand two questions: given that most of the WUI land use change is irreversible and forestry at this interface differs from classic forestry, how does urban forestry build upon and benefit from traditional forestry concepts and approaches? In particular, what are the implications for the Faustmann harvesting strategy when conversion to an irreversible land use occurs at some point in the future? The article begins with a short background on the worldwide trend of forestland conversion at the WUI, focusing mostly on the case of developed countries. This provides a context for the theoretical framework used in the subsequent analysis of how urban factors affect regeneration and conversion dates. The article further reviews theoretical models of forest management practices that have considered either land sale following clear-cutting or a switch to a more profitable alternative land use without selling the land. A brief discussion on the studies with a generalization of the classic Faustmann formula for land expectation value is also included. For completeness, comparative statics results and a numerical illustration of the main findings from the private landowner framework are included.

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Strategic planning in urban forestry: A 21st century paradigm shift for small town Canada

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc76241-2 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 76 (2) ◽

pp. 241-245 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

P. J. E. van Wassenaer ◽

L. Schaeffer ◽

W. A. Kenney

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Strategic Planning ◽

Land Use Planning ◽

Planning Process ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Ecosystem Approach ◽

Economic Benefits ◽

Small Communities ◽

Urban Forest Management

The pressures created by urban sprawl are leading to a reduction in forested land in Canada and North America. Poorly controlled land-use planning contributes to the haphazard urbanization of many small communities within commuting distance of major urban centres. Urban forests are largely ignored as an asset and the potential benefits they can offer to communities are often not acknowledged in the planning process. Relatively few communities across Canada have any form of urban forest management. A new definition of the urban forest is proposed that recognizes the need for an ecosystem approach to urban forest management and the integral role that humans play in that ecosystem. To facilitate the implementation of urban forest management plans in small communities, a simple strategic planning framework is presented. Using this approach, many small towns can maintain their rural character and benefit from a wealth of environmental, social and economic benefits. Key words: urban forestry, community planning, forest benefits, strategic planning, ecosystem approach, forest fragmentation

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Pressures and Threats to Nature Related to Human Activities in European Urban and Suburban Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f10090765 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 765 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ewa Referowska-Chodak

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Forest Management ◽

Urban Development ◽

Human Activities ◽

High Complexity ◽

Human Needs ◽

Human Use ◽

Suburban Forests ◽

Frequent Presence

This review regards the pressures and threats linked with the human use of European urban and suburban forests. They can be divided into the following major categories: urban development, fragmentation, and isolation of forests; human pressures on soil and vegetation (e.g., changes in vegetation due to trampling, environmental and especially air pollution); human pressures on animals (e.g., wildlife losses due to collisions, frequent presence of dogs accompanying the visitors); and other threats and damages (e.g., littering and acts of vandalism). The directions of negative relations between people and forests shown in this review draw attention to the high complexity of the discussed issues. Awareness of this complexity (when planning and implementing forest management) can limit or counteract conflicts arising from the use of urban and suburban forests by people. This is of particular importance in the era of progressing urbanization and the evolution of human needs regarding the use of forests.

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Urban forest management in small Ontario municipalities

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc2012-027 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 88 (02) ◽

pp. 118-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

E. John Barker ◽

W. Andy Kenney

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Forest Management ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Urban Forests ◽

The United States ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Legislative Framework ◽

Upper Level ◽

Urban Forest Management

Urban forestry has emerged as an important and timely discipline in an urbanizing world. The practice of urban forestry has focused mainly on large urban centres but urban forests in small municipalities provide the same benefits to the residents within and around them. Small municipalities face many challenges similar to those in urban centres but a lack of resources may worsen the negative effects on small municipalities. Urban forestry in Ontario is undertaken by municipalities with little involvement from upper-level governments. Thus, the effectiveness of urban forestry in Ontario is inconsistent and sporadic, with many small municipalities unable to manage urban forests optimally. Ontario's legislative framework governing urban forestry is critiqued and compared to the system employed in the United States. Recommendations are provided for action toward a centralized urban forestry program in Ontario.

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Lessons Learned from the Urban Forestry Climate Change Response Framework Project

10.32747/2016.6964833.ch ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Leslie Brandt ◽

Lydia Scott ◽

Abigail Lewis ◽

Lindsay Darling ◽

Robert Fahey

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Forest Management ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Urban Forests ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Specialized Training ◽

Climate Change Response ◽

Change Response ◽

Urban Forest Management

Many urban foresters have recognized the need to incorporate climate change considerations into urban forest management, but often lack the specialized training or knowledge to explicitly address this in their planning and practices. This document describes a framework we developed and piloted in the Chicago region to assess the vulnerability of urban forests and incorporate that information into on-the-ground actions. We describe the three steps used to implement this project and the lessons learned from this process.

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Beijing Resident’s Preferences of Ecosystem Services of Urban Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12010014 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 14

Author(s):

Han Zhi-Ying ◽

Youn Yeo-Chang

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Air Quality ◽

Fresh Water ◽

Urban Forest ◽

Urban Forestry ◽

Urban Forests ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Quality Regulation ◽

Water Provision ◽

Air Quality Regulation

This paper aims to investigate the Beijing resident’s preferences over various options of urban forest management strategies. The literature investigation and expert Delphi method were conducted to classify the ecosystem services of urban forests into six categories: (1) fresh water provision, (2) noise reduction, (3) moderation of extreme events, (4) air quality regulation, (5) species diversity and wildlife habitat, and (6) recreation and spiritual experience. To elicit the relative preferences to ecosystem service (hereafter referred to as ES) of Beijing residents, we employed the choice experiment method. The data were collected by interviews with questionnaires conducted in October 2017, and a total of 483 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The subjects of this experiment were residents older than 19 years old who have lived in Beijing for more than 1 year and have visited any one of the urban forests located in Beijing more than once during 2016. The results were as follows: Firstly, the air quality regulation ES was considered as the most important service for Beijing residents in terms of their choices of urban forest. In addition, Beijing residents regarded the fresh water provision ES as the second most important ES. Beijing residents were willing to pay up to 1.84% of the average monthly income of Chinese households annually to expand urban forest ecosystems in order to improve air quality. Secondly, apartment owners were willing to pay more municipality tax for forest ESs than residents who did not own an apartment. Thirdly, residents were more willing to pay for urban forest ESs as their income increases. The results indicated that Beijing residents were willing to pay more tax in support of urban forestry for air quality improvement. This research suggests that urban environmental policy makers in Beijing should pay more attention to the regulation function of forests (especially improving air quality) when designing and managing urban forests.

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Effects of forest certification towards sustainable community forestry in Nepal

Banko Janakari ◽

10.3126/banko.v17i1.654 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pem N Kandel

Keyword(s):

Forest Management ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Community Forestry ◽

Forest Certification ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Forest Stewardship Council ◽

Community Forests ◽

Sustainable Community ◽

Forest Stewardship ◽

Forest Users

In early 2005, 10,045 ha Community Forests (CFs) were certified in Bajhang and Dolakha districts of Nepal by using the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme. After two years of forest certification, subsequent questions are being asked such as: What benefits have certification brought for the Forest Users Groups (FUGs)? What tangible differences are there in forest management system because of forest certification? and What lessons have been learnt from the certified forests? In an attempt to answer these questions, a study was carried out in April 2007 in Dolakha district where 11 (2,182 ha) community managed forests were certified in 2005. On the basis of field study from two certified forests (Vitteripakha and Suspa) of the district, this paper analyzes the effects of forest certification and its implications for enhancing Sustainable Community Forestry (SCF) in Nepal. Key words: Sustainable forest management, forest certification, community forestry Banko Janakari: A journal of forestry information for Nepal Vol.17(1) 2007 pp.11-16

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