Urban Forests and Trees: Good Health and Working Environment

Description

An urban forest is the trees or forest just outside our front doors. It is also an urban ecosystem, a complex human-environment system that requires understanding to ensure sustainable urban planning. Urban forests come in various shapes and sizes, including urban parks, street trees, greenways, river corridors, gardens, and wetlands. They are interconnected networks of open, green spaces and green infrastructure that provide multiple ecosystem services in urban environments. Green infrastructure, with urban trees as an integral component, can serve as a natural solution to drainage, heat, air, and water quality issues common in urban landscapes. Urban forests are often overlooked as they are “hidden in plain sight.” Urban forests and the services they provide can be vague concepts. This book “Urban Forests and Trees Good Health and Working Environment” gives a definition of urban forests, detailing their functional and structural values. Terminology associated with both terms and determining valuation of the benefits is provided. Quantitative information on these benefits helps land-use planners, local governments, and decision-makers see the contributions often overlooked in urban forests and can help plan on where to continue to plant trees within a complex urban environment.