What is the Urban Forest?

         

                            
                                                            

    When someone says urban forest, what comes to mind? Maybe you imagine a tree along a sidewalk or a group of trees in a park. Although these are aspects of the urban forest the whole picture is quite more complex. Nature we encounter in our daily lives such as trees in parking lots, trees outside schools, trees in our yards, groves on the sides of the street, parks, and street trees are examples of the urban forest. Truly the urban forest is where nature and infrastructure come together it is the ecosystem relationship between people and the environments we live in (Miller et al., 2015).  One of the biggest aspects of the urban forest is native forest remnants. Native forest remnants refer to the remainder of forests, native flora, and fauna that were once a part of the natural woodlands that neighborhoods, towns, and cities were developed and built (Miller et al., 2015). Native forest remnants surround the many places people call home and they heavily influence the environment, climate, and ecosystems that individuals interact with every day.

This short video clip gives a quick and brief explanation of the components of the urban forest: 

 So to recap; the urban forest is : 

• The trees, vegetation, and landscape that surrounds urban and developed areas.

• It is native forest remnants from past woodlands that border our homes, streets, neighborhoods, and highways. 

• It is our green scapes, parks, recreational areas, arboretums, gardens, and yards.

• It is the trees planted along streets, sidewalks, outside businesses, schools, and agricultural areas.

• Most importantly it is the ecosystem relationships between developed infrastructure, the natural w.orld, and human beings All these aspects are tied together when looking at the benefits of the urban forest on people's well-being and the environments we live in which is discussed in the next post! 

Citation:  Miller, R. W., Hauer, R. J., & Werner, L. P. (2015). Urban Forestry: Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces, Third Edition (3rd ed.). Waveland Press, Inc.