Urban forestry is the management of planted and naturally occurring green spaces on public land in communities. It involves planting, establishing, protecting, and managing public trees and green spaces, sustaining our communities’ natural surroundings now and in the future.
Nearly 85% of Americans live, work, and play in urban communities. Public trees play an integral role in the environmental, economic, and psychological wellbeing of these urban-dwelling residents. Despite their importance, challenges such as overdevelopment, lack of preservation, and wildfire loss have decreased opportunities for communities to enjoy the benefits of urban forests.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CAL Fire, California urban areas have experienced a net loss in tree canopy density from 2018-2022 due to development, drought, environmental stress, and wildfire impacts. What remains is often an uneven tree canopy distribution, leaving communities susceptible to excessive heat, erosion, and poor air quality.
This depleted tree canopy can exacerbate an already existing urban heat island effect, a phenomenon wherein urban areas become significantly hotter, up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, than surrounding rural areas, with dense tree stands. This is primarily due to changes in land use development, as man-made surfaces can absorb and retain more heat than natural sources.
Trees undergo photosynthesis, which stores atmospheric carbon and stores it into its woody tissue and surrounding soils. By removing carbon dioxide from the air, trees help improve air quality and reduce the urban heat island effect. Urban communities with a properly placed tree canopy can reduce heating and cooling needs by deferring costs of energy production.
Additionally, groups of trees and their understory provide habitat for native plant communities, wildlife, including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds. A well-maintained tree population can aid in enhancing existing ecosystems for local species, reduce stormwater runoff and erosion, and improve water quality. Trees help connect urban communities with nature, providing environmental stewardship opportunities for long-term environmental resilience.
Benefits of Urban Forestry
Urban forestry is the management of planted and naturally occurring green spaces on public land in communities. It involves planting, establishing, protecting, and managing public trees and green spaces, sustaining our communities’ natural surroundings now and in the future. Strategically planting, maintaining, and preserving trees within urban areas can filter air pollutants, cool neighborhoods, and lead to better overall health in a community. These methods can improve the resiliency of neighborhoods and promote well-being in a variety of ways, including:
- Environmental: Provides carbon uptake and erosion control, improves air and water quality, reduces stormwater runoff, and lowers city temperatures.
- Economic: Creates green jobs, provides energy savings, attracts visitors/businesses/new residents, increases property values, extends the life of roads, and increases the community tax base.
- Psychological: Improves aesthetics, encourages physical activity, enhances mental health, reduces psychological precursors to crime, and increases recreational opportunities.
More than 140 million acres of the nation’s forests are located in towns and cities, providing essential benefits for humans and urban wildlife across the country — and the trend holds true in California. While parks and gardens are a primary focus, urban forestry can also encompass landscaped roadways or medians, river and coastal promenades, greenways and more. Developing and maintaining each of these green spaces requires strategic community planning and expert consulting and management services.
Strategic Expertise for Developing Green Spaces in Your Community
The U.S. Forestry Service developed a 3-30-300 rule to offer benchmarks for cities seeking to promote equitable nature access. This rule dictates that residents should be able to see three trees from their dwelling, have a 30% tree canopy in their neighborhood, and live within 300 meters of a high-quality green space.
To meet these stipulations, communities must utilize thorough tree inventory, evaluation, monitoring, and mitigation. An excellent method of accomplishing these benchmarks is to partner with an environmental consulting firm that understands urban forestry is more than just planting trees — it’s a strategic investment in the health, resilience, and livability of our cities.
Partnering with International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborists consultants who possess deep expertise in urban forestry methods ensures every initiative and tactic is grounded in science, tailored to local ecosystems, and aligned with long-term environmental goals. They may also be able to assist municipalities in identifying and applying for municipal grants focused on planting and caring for trees, education and outreach projects, and green jobs/volunteer training to promote urban forestry.
This guidance can transform concrete jungles into thriving, sustainable urban landscapes, benefiting your community for generations to come.
