Urban forestry

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Urban Forestry (also Arboriculture ) deals with the protection and sustainable development of trees and green spaces in settlement areas. This comparatively young scientific field of work comes from the Anglo-Saxon-American cultural area, in particular from the area of ​​university education and basic scientific research.

Definitions

Since there is currently no German-language scientific definition, reference is made to the English-language definition below.

“The urban forest can be defined as the sum of all woody and similar vegetation in and around dense human settlements, from small settlements in rural areas to metropolitan areas . [...] This forest is the sum of the trees in the street, in gardens, parks and the vegetation in the green belts "

- Robert W. Miller

"Urban Forestry is the art, science and technology of managing trees and forests in and around ecosystems of urban communities for the physiological, social, economic and aesthetic benefits that trees bring to society"

- YES helms

"Arboriculture includes all aspects of the production, establishment, cultivation and management of trees in the landscape"

- University of Bournemouth, Kingston Maurward College, England

Definition of terms

Strictly differentiate between the concept of tree care (engl. Tree care ) and urban forestry, tree care as one of its sub-disciplines integrated. While tree care only looks at the individual object “tree”, Urban Forestry treats urban green as a whole, from ornamental lawns to urban forests in a functional, ecological overall context. The Anglo-Saxon-American urban forestry must also be distinguished from the German urban forestry ( urban silviculture ), but includes this as an important component in the methodological concept.

"Urban silviculture is defined as the art of reproducing and managing forests continuously to obtain sustained yields of forest benefits in urban regions through the application of ecological principles"

- Robert W. Miller

It is an interdisciplinary field of activity. Urban Forestry is made up of elements from horticulture , forestry, ecology, landscape architecture , urban planning , tree care and sociology ( social geography ) and brings these sub-disciplines together for the special framework conditions and requirements of urban spaces.

Since around the beginning of the 1980s there have been university courses in the USA under the term Urban Forestry , in the late 1990s also in Great Britain under the term Arboriculture , there since the 2000s also in the postgraduate area.

A college education is available in Great Britain up to the Master of Science, in the USA at universities and colleges mainly in the undergraduate area (Bachelor).

tasks

"The purpose of urban forestry is to use trees and natural habitat patches to ameliorate negative environmental impacts of cities and to contribute to the creation of more liveable, ecological sustainable cities"

- Carreiro et al. 2007

The central task of urban forestry (partly also arboriculture ) lies in the maintenance and development of urban green spaces, which include urban forests, conversion areas , park-like forest landscapes, gardens, greenery along the road , etc. An important and central aspect is the safeguarding and maintenance of the urban tree and wood population according to ecological as well as traffic safety requirements.

The importance of securing, planning and sustainable development of urban green spaces on a scientific-ecological basis has become one of the most important research areas in relation to urban green in recent years. To be mentioned in this area are e.g. B. the project BUGS-Benefits of urban green spaces 2001-2004 carried out as part of the research framework program and the project URGE-Development of Urban Green Spaces to improve the quality of Life in Cities and Urban Regions of the Leipzig Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ .

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. Miller, p. 27: The urban forest may be defined as the sum of all woody and associated vegetation in and around dense human settlements, ranging from small communities in rural settings to metropolitan regions. [...] This forest is the sum of street trees, residential trees, park trees and greenbelt vegetation
  2. Helms, JA (Ed.): The Dictionary of Forestry. Society of American Foresters , 1998: Urban forestry is "the art, science, and technology of managing trees and forest resources in and around urban community ecosystems for the physiological, sociological, economic and aesthetic benefits trees provide society"
  3. Arboriculture involves all aspects of the production, establishment, cultivation and management of trees in the landscape
  4. ^ Miller, p. 353

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