Topics of interest include:

• Urban Forestry for resilient cities: Innovations in policy, governance, and urban planning that promote integrated and sustainable urban forest management.
• Urban Forestry for healthy cities: The impact of urban forests on public health, mental wellbeing, and community resilience.
• Social Equity and Access: Ensuring inclusive access to urban green spaces for all citizens, addressing social and environmental justice in urban forestry.
• Transforming urban planning with urban forests: Strategies and practices for enhancing the resilience of urban forests in the face of climate change, extreme weather events, and environmental stressors.

All information on the CAS Urban Forestry can be found at: https://urbanforestry-edu.ch

Further information can also be found in the following flyer Flyer CAS Urban Forestry

Registration deadline: January 31, 2023    

The starting point is the Hunzikerareal, where the cooperative Mehr als Wohnen has been realizing its vision of communal living since 2015, with outdoor space playing a crucial role. The open landscape architectural concept of the rather urban squares contrasts with the densely overgrown niches of the community gardens, where different participatory concepts are implemented in collaboration with the ZHAW.

From here we walk to the SRF television studio, next to which a family of beavers settled some time ago and has since cut down many trees in the area and dammed up the Leutschenbach. Here is also the new Leutschenpark, with its so-called “Baumtopf”, a ruderal forest dominated by old black locust trees, which may not be entered because of the high pollution levels and has therefore been virtually walled in (https://zürinord.org/agenda/leutschenpark). Nearby is also the popular Opfikerpark with its huge artificial lake, as well as smaller urban forests and other ruderal sites along the Katzenbach and at the Gleisdreieck Seebach.

Afterwards, the general assembly of the members of ArboCityNet will take place in the Allmendraum Genossenschaftsstrasse 18.

Schedule: 14:00 — 17:00 (city tour), 17:00 — 18:30 (GV ArboCityNet)

Starting and ending point of the city tour: Allmendraum Mehr als Wohnen, Genossenschaftsstr. 18 (back side), 8050 Zürich

https://www.mehralswohnen.ch/hunziker-areal/anreise/

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EFUF 2022 will be a great opportunity to learn about new and cutting-edge research on adaptive measures in urban forest and an opportunity to discuss with inspiring practitioners, advanced researchers and sector-leading policymakers on how to improve urban forest management in a rapidly changing world.

Mark your calendars to experience the Urban Forests of Serbia and meet and greet urban forestry colleagues you may have not seen since the 2019 in person EFUF in Germany.

Registration deadline: 30.11.2021.

Urban trees and forests are a cost-efficient and scalable nature-based solution that can play a key role for sustainable development and climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities. Many cities are strengthening efforts to integrate urban trees and forests into their resilience strategies and to develop or update urban forestry masterplans. However, while doing so, cities have faced many challenges.

By providing a peer-to-peer learning opportunity for mayors, local stakeholders and experts, the webinar aims to discuss how urban forestry and green infrastructure can be integrated into urban planning, understand how trees can be sustainably grown in cities, and share experiences on innovative approaches to finance sustainable urban forestry.

Selected cities and experts will share examples and proven practices for addressing these challenges, and mayors, local stakeholders, and experts are encouraged to provide input in peer-to-peer Q&As. Anyone interested in urban forestry is welcome to register for the event and to follow the presentations and discussions.

The webinar is organized as part of UNECE’s “Trees in Cities Challenge”, a global campaign inviting mayors to pledge, restore, protect, and sustainably manage urban trees and forests. Mayors are invited to make pledges for actions through 2022 and to join the community of cities exchanging experience as part of their participation in the Challenge.

Goals
The goals of the workshop are to enable participants to (1) increase their understanding of the concept of Forest Ecosystem Services and Values, (2) explore the integrated assessment framework and (3) apply the assessment tools to 8 case studies to deepen the experience and allow for in-​depth discussion.

Programme
The event is spread over two days and is divided into four parts: (1) Introduction of the integrated assessment methodology, (2) measuring and valuing Forest Ecosystem Services (FES), (3) analysing economic trade-​offs between management options, (4) modeling FES with InVEST.
Participants will work in small groups on eight concrete practical cases, namely: timber production, protection against natural hazards, forest climate protection, drinking water filtration, biodiversity conservation, health promotion, heat mitigation and urban trees management. During registration participants can sign up for one of these cases.

Chairs and speakers
The workshop is organized and chaired by Luis Inostroza, PD Dr., Landscape and Spatial Planning, Ruhr University of Bochum (D) and Rudolf de Groot, Ex.A.Prof. at the Environmental Systems Analysis Group, Wageningen University & Research (NL). Additional speakers include Prof. Dr. Verena Griess, Forest Resources Management Forstlicher Ressourcen (ETH Zurich), Dr. Clemence Dirac (FOEN) and Dr. Roy Remme (Leiden Univ., The Netherlands, previously Stanford Univ, USA).

Target public
The event is aimed at interested forest professionals from science and practice as well as students. The number of participants is  limited; early registration is recommended.

Language
English

Conditions of participation
Participation is free of charge and includes 2 coffee breaks per day. Meals are not included; they can be taken at the cafeterias of ETH.

All information on the CAS Urban Forestry can be found at: https://urbanforestry-edu.ch

Climate risks are unevenly distributed, both within and between cities. Cities with outdated infrastructure, urban sprawl, inadequate housing regulations and supply, are at particularly high risk. Building urban resilience to climate change is a complex, multi- stakeholder driven process, and is often constrained by the lack of resources.
In this context, nature-based solutions are both cost-effective and scalable. They simulta- neously mitigate climate change and contribute to building resilience against climate- related and natural hazards. Urban and peri-urban trees and forests are one such solution.

Strategic, tailored and ambitious tree-planting and strengthening capacities for sustainable management of urban forests is a palpable way for local governments to contribute to climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, hoping to inspire large-scale efforts to halt the destruction of natural habitats and restore degraded ecosystems, this is the perfect moment for city governments to step in and contribute.

In 2019, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) launched the “Trees in Cities Challenge”. This initiative invites mayors and local governments worldwide to make a concrete tree-planting pledge that will be implemented within a year and set up their objectives for making their cities greener, resilient, and more sustainable. The “Trees in Cities Challenge” will last until the end of 2022.

Mayors and local authorities pledging under the “Trees in Cities Challenge” are invited to become part of a global community of change-makers and offer their residents benefits from the many ecosystem services that trees and forests in and around cities provide.

For more information, please visit treesincities.unece.org