Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Contexts and Urban-Rural Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 29453

Special Issue Editors

Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, RM, Italy
Interests: ecosystem mapping and assessment; ecological classification of land; vegetation dynamics; urban and peri-urban plant diversity; rural landscapes; biodiversity conservation; sustainable land planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: ecological networks; green infrastructure; urban and peri-urban forests; landscape planning; protected area management; socio-ecological systems; landscape connectivity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In order to tackle key challenges related to sustainable urban development, urban forests are widely recognized as effective nature-based solutions. Accordingly, several strategies and tree-planting campaigns are being launched worldwide, bringing out the need for synergies between central government regulations and local authorities implementation.

Besides the issue of multiple planning levels, advancing knowledge on other relevant topics is increasingly needed for making urban forestry and greening truly effective. In this respect, this Special Issue aims at collecting theoretical models as well as empirical studies concerning progress in urban green planning and monitoring. In particular, contributions on the following themes are welcome, though other relevant topics and reviews regarding urban forests will also be considered:

  • Multi-disciplinary planning of urban and suburban green infrastructure;
  • Combined environmental, societal, and economic challenges;
  • Landscape ecological connectivity;
  • Biodiversity conservation;
  • Flows of service and disservices at multiple scales and in different geographic contexts;
  • Resilience of cities against habitat and climate changes;
  • Multi-temporal monitoring of ecosystem conditions;
  • Long-term versus short-term balance between benefits and damages.

Dr. Giulia Capotorti
Dr. Simone Valeri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Sustainable development
  • Resilience of urban ecosystems
  • Multi-disciplinary planning
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Landscape ecological connectivity
  • Urban green dynamics
  • Ecosystem condition
  • Ecosystem services and disservices
  • Monitoring

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 5469 KiB  
Article
Old-Growth Forests in Urban Nature Reserves: Balancing Risks for Visitors and Biodiversity Protection in Warsaw, Poland
by Andrzej Długoński, Thilo Wellmann and Dagmar Haase
Land 2023, 12(2), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/land12020275 - 18 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1959
Abstract
Urban nature reserves in Poland are precious relics of ancient nature with preserved biodiversity. They consist of valuable trees several 100 years old, are biodiverse, and are valuable recreational spaces right in and around cities. It is therefore critical to manage tradeoffs between [...] Read more.
Urban nature reserves in Poland are precious relics of ancient nature with preserved biodiversity. They consist of valuable trees several 100 years old, are biodiverse, and are valuable recreational spaces right in and around cities. It is therefore critical to manage tradeoffs between visitor safety due to, e.g., falling dead branches and the need for old-grown trees for biodiversity conservation. This study aimed to determine whether airborne laser scanning data (LiDAR) can confirm that trees exhibiting the worst crown defoliation are the first to be damaged in storms. Our results show that during Storm Eunice in 2022, the detected defoliated trees, in fact, were damaged the most. Despite such evidence available to the city, no targeted changes to the management of the reserves were taken after the storm. One of the forests was completely closed to visitors; in the other forest, areas with damaged trees were fenced off, and then, the remaining branches and fallen trees were removed to make the forest available for recreation. Using available evidence such as LiDAR data, we propose more targeted and nuanced forms of managing biodiversity conservation in conjunction with visitor safety. This includes the establishment of priority areas, visitor information, and visitor management. This way, airborne laser scanning and Geographic Information Systems can be used to balance management needs accounting for both biodiverse old-grown forest structures while at the same time providing added safety for visitors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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14 pages, 2594 KiB  
Article
Public Perceptions of the Socioeconomic Importance of Urban Green Areas in the Era of COVID-19: A Case Study of a Nationwide Survey in Greece
by Antonios Kolimenakis, Alexandra D. Solomou, Nikolaos Proutsos, Evangelia V. Avramidou, Evangelia Korakaki, Georgios Karetsos, Aimilia B. Kontogianni, Konstantinos Kontos, Christos Georgiadis, Georgios Maroulis, Eleftherios Papagiannis, Konstantinos Lagouvardos and Konstantinia Tsagkari
Land 2022, 11(12), 2290; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122290 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1910
Abstract
Considering the emerging challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19, this study was designed to evaluate citizens’ perceptions of the role of urban green areas in the era of COVID-19 in Greece. The evaluation was based on the implementation of an electronic questionnaire [...] Read more.
Considering the emerging challenges posed by the spread of COVID-19, this study was designed to evaluate citizens’ perceptions of the role of urban green areas in the era of COVID-19 in Greece. The evaluation was based on the implementation of an electronic questionnaire survey through the Google Forms platform, which was conducted nationwide. The survey was conducted in 2020 and 735 responses were collected in total based on 14 structured questions. Among the key findings of the study, of notable importance is that citizens considered urban green areas as an important means of improving public health, while citizens were willing to accept an increase of EUR1 to EUR20 in their municipal taxes for improving the services offered by the urban green areas. Results indicate that in a period of both climatic and public health crises, healthy and green urban environments can play a seminal role for alleviating and mitigating different challenges and impacts, while at the same time ensuring sustainability of urban ecosystems. A certain necessity arises for investigating the socioeconomic importance of urban green areas both from an ecosystemic and public health perspective considering the novel challenges of COVID-19 to public policy and decision making. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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22 pages, 1149 KiB  
Article
Forestry Bioeconomy Contribution on Socioeconomic Development: Evidence from Greece
by Stavros Kalogiannidis, Dimitrios Kalfas, Efstratios Loizou and Fotios Chatzitheodoridis
Land 2022, 11(12), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11122139 - 27 Nov 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1645
Abstract
Forests are of utmost importance for sustainability because of their ongoing contributions to biodiversity protection, fertility management in agricultural areas, and the well-being of people. However, few studies have focused on the extent to which the bioeconomy of forests impacts a country’s social [...] Read more.
Forests are of utmost importance for sustainability because of their ongoing contributions to biodiversity protection, fertility management in agricultural areas, and the well-being of people. However, few studies have focused on the extent to which the bioeconomy of forests impacts a country’s social and economic development. This study aimed to examine the bioeconomy contribution of forestry to social and economic development using Greece as a case study. Data was collected from 312 professionals in the forestry and finance sectors of Greece using a survey questionnaire. Forests are associated with direct and indirect contributions that impact human livelihood and contribute toward a country’s economic development. However, the role of forestry in development is affected by policy-related and human-made challenges. The difficulties are primarily caused by shifts in how economic activity is distributed from the agricultural to the industrial to the service sectors, different government policies intended to increase forest cover, and in other instances, as a result of the role of global capital and trade. The forestry contributions to global commerce, national economies, employment, and family incomes remain consistent throughout all these patterns of loss, stabilization, and recovery. It was established that the bioeconomy can increase the benefits of forests by further exploiting forest wealth (biomass, resins) with the direct and indirect benefits for forest-related societies and local economies. In addition, the management and exploitation of forests by adopting bioeconomy practices, allows the attainment of important skills, knowledge, and new fields of entrepreneurship. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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16 pages, 1937 KiB  
Article
Micrometeorological and Hydraulic Properties of an Urban Green Space on a Warm Summer Day in a Mediterranean City (Attica–Greece)
by Nikolaos D. Proutsos, Alexandra D. Solomou, Michaela Petropoulou and Nikolaos E. Chatzipavlis
Land 2022, 11(11), 2042; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11112042 - 14 Nov 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1281
Abstract
Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) are considered the most effective tool to mitigate Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). The optical properties of the materials and the vegetation types of the UGSs affect their surface temperatures, directly influencing their cooling ability. The hydraulic properties of urban [...] Read more.
Urban Green Spaces (UGSs) are considered the most effective tool to mitigate Urban Heat Islands (UHIs). The optical properties of the materials and the vegetation types of the UGSs affect their surface temperatures, directly influencing their cooling ability. The hydraulic properties of urban soils are also affected by the vegetation coverage. The aim of this study is to investigate the temperature and reflected radiation (albedo) differences between UGS’s elements, around noon on a warm summer day, in Greece. The results indicate that green elements have smaller surface temperatures and higher reflectance compared to the artificial or the dry bare soil, presenting differences with the direct air temperature (measured above the surfaces with unshielded thermometers) −5.5 °C (shrubs), −3.8 °C (grass), +7.8 °C or +8.7 °C (paved surfaces inside or outside the UGS), +10.8 °C (dry bare soil), +12.2 °C (concrete) and +12.5 °C (asphalt), and albedo values 0.14 (grass and shrubs), 0.15 (dry bare soil), 0.27 (concrete), 0.21 (asphalt) and 0.20 (paved surfaces). The tree shades also produce great surface differences. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the urban soil is greater than the surfaces covered with grass compared to the shrub-covered or bare soil, presenting values of 27.6, 10.8 and 11.4 mm h−1, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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15 pages, 2560 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Variations in the Particulate Matter Accumulation and Leaf Traits of 24 Plant Species in Urban Green Space
by Huong-Thi Bui, Uuriintuya Odsuren, Sang-Yong Kim and Bong-Ju Park
Land 2022, 11(11), 1981; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11111981 - 05 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1286
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM), an extremely serious type of air pollution, leads to numerous human diseases. Mitigating PM in the urban city, where resident density has been increasing, has been a major challenge. The increase in residents leads to increasing traffic, the primary source [...] Read more.
Particulate matter (PM), an extremely serious type of air pollution, leads to numerous human diseases. Mitigating PM in the urban city, where resident density has been increasing, has been a major challenge. The increase in residents leads to increasing traffic, the primary source of PM in urban areas. Plants play an important role in reducing PM and maintaining an ecological balance. For some Asian countries, such as Korea, with differing seasons and environmental conditions, PM accumulation and plant survival are greatly impacted by environmental conditions. In this study, we analyzed the amount of PM accumulation on the leaf surfaces and wax layers of 24 plant species during four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) to determine the PM accumulation in plants under different environmental conditions. The leaf traits of plant chlorophyll a (Chl a), chlorophyll b (Chl b), total chlorophyll (TChl), relative water content (RWC), leaf extract pH (pH), and leaf specific area (SLA) were analyzed to determine the influence of PM on plants and the relationship between PM and leaf traits. In this study, we found that the amount of PM accumulation differed among plants and seasons. Among the 24 plant species, plants Pinus strobus, P. parviflora, P. densiflora, Euonymus japonicus, and Acer palmatum were most adept at PM accumulation. Leaf structure, environmental conditions, such as PM concentration, and rainfall may be the main factors that impact the ability of plant leaves to accumulate PM. The plant leaf traits differed among the four seasons. PM accumulation on the leaf was negatively correlated with SLA (in all four seasons) and pH (in spring, summer, and autumn). PM was negatively correlated with Chl a, Chl b, and TChl in summer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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19 pages, 1040 KiB  
Article
The Embeddedness of Nature-Based Solutions in the Recovery and Resilience Plans as Multifunctional Approaches to Foster the Climate Transition: The Cases of Italy and Portugal
by Elena Di Pirro, Rúben Mendes, Teresa Fidélis, Lorenzo Sallustio, Peter Roebeling, Marco Marchetti and Bruno Lasserre
Land 2022, 11(8), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081254 - 05 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2590
Abstract
European countries recently prepared recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) to recover from the pandemic crisis and reach climate neutrality. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are recognized as crucial drivers to fostering climate transition while addressing other challenges. Accordingly, RRPs offer the opportunity to promote the [...] Read more.
European countries recently prepared recovery and resilience plans (RRPs) to recover from the pandemic crisis and reach climate neutrality. Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) are recognized as crucial drivers to fostering climate transition while addressing other challenges. Accordingly, RRPs offer the opportunity to promote the adoption of NBS. This article assesses the NBS embeddedness in the policy discourse of Italian and Portuguese RRPs and how they are considered to meet climate–and related environmental–targets. We conducted a discourse analysis based on two steps, (i) a quantitative analysis to classify different nature-related terms into four categories—biophysical elements, general environmental concepts, threats and challenges, and NBS—and estimate their frequency in the text; (ii) a qualitative analysis to understand the relationship between the categories of challenges and NBS as well as the dedicated investments. The results show that NBS are barely mentioned, with a frequency in the texts for the NBS category of 0.04% and 0.01%, respectively, in Italian and Portuguese RRPs. Narratives are mainly built around general concepts such as resilience and sustainability with nature scarcely considered as an ex novo solution to meet challenges. Notwithstanding, Italy invests 330 M in the implementation of urban forests, while in Portugal, no specific NBS interventions have been considered so far. To date, both countries are primarily orienting the climate transition toward reducing emissions instead of combining these measures with multifunctional NBS to address environmental and socio-economic challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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15 pages, 2126 KiB  
Article
Urban Green Spaces Restoration Using Native Forbs, Site Preparation and Soil Amendments—A Case Study
by Jaime Aguilar Rojas, Amalesh Dhar and M. Anne Naeth
Land 2022, 11(4), 498; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11040498 - 30 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2087
Abstract
Restoration of urban green spaces with native flora is especially important for promoting various ecosystem services. Although there have been years of research on land reclamation, ecological restoration and plant establishment, there is a lack of knowledge on how to reintegrate the native [...] Read more.
Restoration of urban green spaces with native flora is especially important for promoting various ecosystem services. Although there have been years of research on land reclamation, ecological restoration and plant establishment, there is a lack of knowledge on how to reintegrate the native ecological component, specifically forb species in urban green spaces. We evaluated the restoration potential of 24 native forbs using different site preparation (herbicide, tillage, herbicide with tillage and control) and soil amendment (100% compost, 50% compost with 50% topsoil, 20% compost with 80% topsoil and control) treatments in a recreational park in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Soil texture and nutrients generally increased with increased compost application rate; some declined within a year, others increased. Based on survival and growth analysis, the forb species with the highest potential for use in urban green spaces were Penstemon procerus, Fragaria virginiana, Heuchera cylindrica, Agastache foeniculum, Antennaria microphylla, Mentha arvensis and Geum aleppicum. Native forb species response was more prominent with soil amendment than site preparation. Treatments with greater amounts of compost had greater survival, growth, species richness, cover and noxious weed cover than control treatments. This study suggests amendment of soil with compost can positively influence forb species restoration in urban green spaces; under some conditions site preparation may be required. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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16 pages, 4761 KiB  
Article
Ecological Connectivity in Agricultural Green Infrastructure: Suggested Criteria for Fine Scale Assessment and Planning
by Simone Valeri, Laura Zavattero and Giulia Capotorti
Land 2021, 10(8), 807; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080807 - 31 Jul 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4273
Abstract
In promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service capacity, landscape connectivity is considered a critical feature to counteract the negative effects of fragmentation. Under a Green Infrastructure (GI) perspective, this is especially true in rural and peri-urban areas where a high degree of connectivity [...] Read more.
In promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service capacity, landscape connectivity is considered a critical feature to counteract the negative effects of fragmentation. Under a Green Infrastructure (GI) perspective, this is especially true in rural and peri-urban areas where a high degree of connectivity may be associated with the enhancement of agriculture multifunctionality and sustainability. With respect to GI planning and connectivity assessment, the role of dispersal traits of tree species is gaining increasing attention. However, little evidence is available on how to select plant species to be primarily favored, as well as on the role of landscape heterogeneity and habitat quality in driving the dispersal success. The present work is aimed at suggesting a methodological approach for addressing these knowledge gaps, at fine scales and for peri-urban agricultural landscapes, by means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The study area was stratified into Environmental Units, each supporting a unique type of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV), and a multi-step procedure was designed for setting priorities aimed at enhancing connectivity. First, GI components were defined based on the selection of the target species to be supported, on a fine scale land cover mapping and on the assessment of land cover type naturalness. Second, the study area was characterized by a Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and connectivity was assessed by Number of Components (NC) and functional connectivity metrics. Third, conservation and restoration measures have been prioritized and statistically validated. Notwithstanding the recognized limits, the approach proved to be functional in the considered context and at the adopted level of detail. Therefore, it could give useful methodological hints for the requalification of transitional urban–rural areas and for the achievement of related sustainable development goals in metropolitan regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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Review

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21 pages, 19512 KiB  
Review
How Do Different Modes of Governance Support Ecosystem Services/Disservices in Small-Scale Urban Green Infrastructure? A Systematic Review
by Sina Razzaghi Asl and Hamil Pearsall
Land 2022, 11(8), 1247; https://doi.org/10.3390/land11081247 - 05 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2670
Abstract
As cities are facing environmental and societal challenges, including climate change, rapid urbanization, and the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars and policymakers have recognized the potential of small-scale urban green infrastructures (UGI), such as rain gardens and street trees, to support important ecosystem services (ES) [...] Read more.
As cities are facing environmental and societal challenges, including climate change, rapid urbanization, and the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars and policymakers have recognized the potential of small-scale urban green infrastructures (UGI), such as rain gardens and street trees, to support important ecosystem services (ES) during periods of crisis and change. While there has been considerable research on the design, planning, engineering, and ecology of small-scale UGI, the governance modes of such spaces to support ES and manage ecosystem disservices (EDS) have received significantly less research attention. In this article, we provide a systematic review to evaluate how different modes of governance support different ES in small-scale green infrastructure. We evaluated governance in six types of small-scale green infrastructure: small parks, community gardens, vacant lands, rain gardens, green roofs, and street trees. Our review examines the different characteristics of four new governance approaches, including adaptive, network, mosaic, and transformative to understand their bottom-up nature and applicability in governing ES/disservices of small-scale UGI. Each governance mode can be effective for managing the ES of certain small-scale UGI, given their associations with principles such as resilience thinking, connectivity, and active citizenship. Our synthesis highlights knowledge gaps at the intersection between governance arrangements and ES in small-scale UGI. We conclude with a call for further research on the environmental and contextual factors that moderate the linkages between governance modes and ES/EDS in different types of UGI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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Other

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23 pages, 14710 KiB  
Perspective
Developing a Metropolitan-Wide Urban Forest Strategy for a Large, Expanding and Densifying Capital City: Lessons from Melbourne, Australia
by Martin Hartigan, James Fitzsimons, Maree Grenfell and Toby Kent
Land 2021, 10(8), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/land10080809 - 01 Aug 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 8068
Abstract
Urban forests provide many ecosystem services, such as reducing heat, improving air quality, treatment of stormwater, carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity benefits. These benefits have resulted in increasing demand for urban forests and strategies to maintain and enhance this natural infrastructure. In [...] Read more.
Urban forests provide many ecosystem services, such as reducing heat, improving air quality, treatment of stormwater, carbon sequestration, as well as biodiversity benefits. These benefits have resulted in increasing demand for urban forests and strategies to maintain and enhance this natural infrastructure. In response to a broader resilience strategy for Melbourne, Australia, we outline how a metropolitan-wide urban forest strategy (Living Melbourne) was developed, encompassing multiple jurisdictions and all land tenures. To this end, we mapped tree cover within the Melbourne metropolitan area, modelled potential habitat for some bird species, and investigated the role of tree cover for urban heat island mitigation. We outline the consultation and governance frameworks used to develop the strategy, the vision, goals and actions recommended, including canopy and shrub cover targets for different parts of the metropolitan area. The metropolitan-wide urban forest strategy acts as an overarching framework to guide local government authorities and various stakeholders towards a shared objective of increasing tree cover in Melbourne and we discuss the outcomes and lessons from this approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Urban Forest Planning and Monitoring)
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