Urban Tree Summit 2021

Assessing Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of Our Urban Forests

Carly Ziter, Assistant Professor in the Biology Department, Concordia University, Montreal

Urban trees provide an incredible range of benefits to our communities. Managing our urban forests for multiple benefits requires an understanding of how these benefits are provided across different land use types, and at multiple scales. This talk will present an overview of recent urban ecology research on ecosystem services of the urban forest, drawing on field studies of temperature regulation in Madison, WI, and community science approaches to mapping urban forest biodiversity and benefits in Montreal, QC.

Healthy Levels of Decay and Disease in Urban Forests

Kevin Smith, Supervisory Plant Pathologist, US Forest Service

Arborists, horticulturists, and land managers are often trained to see macro-fungi (mushrooms in a broad sense) as an indication of disease and risk. Indispensable to healthy wild and rural forests, fungi also participate in urban and community greenspaces. This presentation will introduce the concept that mushrooms and other decay fungi drive the living landscape. Tradeoffs of tree risk and landscape benefit will be explored. Landscape professionals will be encouraged to become more engaged with these interesting and essential partners and occasional adversaries.

Mainstreaming Urban Forestry for Healthier and More Resilient Cities

Cecil Konijnendijk, Professor of Urban Forestry, University of British Columbia

Recent years have seen an increasing interest in urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions as part of healthy and resilient cities. The climate emergency and the recent global pandemic have accelerated this trend. Urban green is on the agenda of cities – perhaps more than ever. But what is the role of urban forestry and how can we ensure that we stay relevant? Taking a global perspective, this presentation discusses the current use of green space as a way of dealing with major societal challenges. It also shows how urban forestry can play an essential role by engaging with other fields and disciplines, and by providing an important longer-term social-ecological perspective that can operate at different scales. Recent innovations in urban forestry will be highlighted. Finally, specific recommendations will be offered for the further development of urban forestry and urban foresters.

Urban Wood Utilization: Let’s talk shop!

Do you want to learn more about how to utilize your urban wood waste? Come learn from municipal urban wood utilization experts from the City of Baltimore, Washington, DC and Montgomery County Parks who are currently turning waste wood into valuable lumber and other wood products. This session will present the initiatives, challenges and solutions of each agencies’ urban wood utilization program and will help urban foresters, local leaders and professionals gain insight into the management of an urban wood utilization program. This session will include a live sawmill demonstration and interactive question and answer session.

Tree Pit Design Throughout the Decades and Rooftop Tree Plantings

This interactive field session will cover two fascinating topics in the world of modern Urban Arboriculture: Tree Pit Design and Rooftop Tree Plantings. For the first hour we will dive into tree pits – What designs work and why? Why do some older designs still work today? How is tree pit design changing over time and what new strategies are we moving towards? We will discuss these questions as well as issues of modern conflicts such as increased salt usage, more concrete in cities, and fewer pavers. We will also engage in discussion around how tree pits can assist in stormwater runoff.

In the second hour, we will look to the skies and discuss the modern phenomenon of rooftop tree planting. The emergence of green rooftop plazas with trees allows for expanded habitats in otherwise fairly desolate cityscapes, natural insulation for buildings, stormwater retention, and provides aesthetic benefit for the communities. However, this movement is not without complications. Upkeep and maintenance of the trees, tree weight, installation, waterproofing of roofs, the height of the plazas, and mature tree size are all factors that need to be considered when implementing rooftop green spaces. Come chat with us about this emerging aspect of urban forestry!

Partnerships in Action: From Advocates to Arboretum

Come join us for a special Pop-Up Arboretum in the lovely local Langdon Park! UFD Forester Earl Eutseler will guide this group on a tour through notable trees in Langdon Park and learn more about the history of the park, the trees that shade it, and what benefits they provide. We will also discuss Casey Trees’ ever-growing relationship with Langdon Park — exploring themes of community advocacy, partnership, and how and why we chose the trees we did for plantings here. During this walk-and-talk we will also chat about the geographic history of Langdon Park and the stream that once flowed through it; and we will stop by the notable memorials in this park — including the beautiful cherry trees in the 9/11 Memorial Tree Groves Project.