Events from the AllianceAssociation “Gyvo Žalio”

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Organization
  • Name: Auste
  • Surname: Juozapaityte
  • Organisation Name: Association "Gyvo Žalio"
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: health well-being services and citizen engagement
  • City: šiauliai
  • Country: Lithuania
  • Website: http://www.gyvozalio.com
  • Social: https://www.facebook.com/gyvazalia
  • Description: Our organization works on the topics of protection of the environment and green spaces, as well as the effects of forests and green spaces on the health of residents. We are looking for information and partners for future projects related to green spaces and urban forests. we can also share information about the impact of green spaces on health, as well as healthy, climate-resistant urban planning.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

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Events from the AllianceArthur Greene

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Individual
  • Name: Arthur
  • Surname: Greene
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: forestry and arboriculture
  • City: Dublin
  • Country: Ireland
  • Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-greene-05b1481a2/
  • Description: I have a great passion for forestry & rewilding with an emphasis on the landscape resilience & natural solutions. I believe that incorporating green spaces & nature in our cities and society is one of the best methods of to ensuring a balanced environment & lifestyle in an ever expanding urbanisation. I have learned the benefits of cultivating green spaces while studying Geography at Trinity College Dublin & MSc Ecosystem Science & Policy at UCD & JLU. I believe the UForest project can contribute to a healthier environmental & society. Hence, why I would like to be considered for this project.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

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Events from the AllianceEnzai Du

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Individual
  • Name: Enzai
  • Surname: Du
  • Organisation Name: Beijing Normal University
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: forestry and arboriculture
  • City: Beijing
  • Country: China
  • Website: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=-Z_5bSsAAAAJ&hl=zh-CN&oi=ao
  • Social: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5519-0150
  • Description: My current research mainly focuses on biogeochemical and eco-physiological processes in urban and natural forest ecosystems and their responses to multiple environmental changes, especially nitrogen deposition, climate change and air pollution. The findings of my research can help to guide better management of urban forests. I am happy to work with you for better and greener cities.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

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Events from the AllianceDavid Delgado López

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Individual
  • Name: David
  • Surname: Delgado López
  • Organisation Name: UAB
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: forestry and arboriculture
  • City: Terrassa
  • Country: Spain
  • Description: I would like to learn about urban forests. I'm environmental biology student of Barcelona
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

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Events from the AllianceDiarmuid McAree

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Individual
  • Name: Diarmuid
  • Surname: McAree
  • Organisation Name: Crann - Trees for Ireland
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: forestry and arboriculture
  • City: Dublin
  • Country: Ireland
  • Website: http://Crann - Trees for Ireland
  • Social: http://Diarmuid McAree
  • Description: Involved with the development of forestry and urban tree strategies in Ireland and in the promotion of ecosystem services and nature based solutions.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

Click here to discover the whole Alliance

Events from the AllianceUrban forests between challenges and opportunities

Photo: Mattia Bericchia (Unsplash)

An event to discuss the potential of urban forests for greener, healthier and more sustainable cities

In face of the challenges brought by urbanisation and climate change, more and more experts are pointing to a simple yet extremely effective solution: nature. For this reason, cities across the world have started implementing urban forests to address many environmental issues. However, urban forests have even a greater potential: not only do they produce important benefits for the environment, but also for the economy and for people’s health and wellbeing. Thanks to their multi-disciplinary nature, urban forests are key allies in the achievement of many SDGs.

To explore the potential of urban forests for greener, healthier, and more sustainable cities, on the 15th of February 2023 Uforest held the hybrid event “Urban forests between challenges and opportunties”. Organised by Uforest’s partners Politecnico di Milano and ERSAF, with the support of Etifor, the event presented the Uforest project and its international Alliance on urban forestry. At the same time, this event discussed the potential of urban forests as innovative and effective Nature-based Solution for many environmental, social, and economic challenges. Finally, with the participation of international experts from the Uforest partnership, we explored new challenges and opportunities in the urban forestry sector. Among them, keynote speaker Nadina Galle from Green City Watch discussed about the use of technology in the management and development of urban forests.

Programme:

  • Introduction to the Uforest project: aims and opportunities (ERSAF)
  • Learning with Uforest: opportunities for students (Politecnico di Milano)
  • Innovation in urban forestry: a pathway to maximising the benefits of urban forests (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and CREAF)
  • Unlocking the potential of urban forests: guidelines for implementation of effective urban forestry solutions (European Forest Institute)
  • Tree planting in urban contexts: the experience of ERSAF, WOWnature and Forestami
  • Meet the innovators plugging into the Internet of Nature with Nadina Galle (Green City Watch)







Events from the AllianceTrees can help reduce deaths attributed to the urban heat island effect

A new study by ISGlobal estimates that increasing urban tree coverage could prevent one third of deaths caused by summer heat

Over 4% of deaths in cities during the summer months are due to urban heat islands, and one third of these deaths could be prevented by reaching a tree cover of 30%, according to a modelling study published in The Lancet and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The study results, obtained with data from 93 European cities, highlight the substantial benefits of planting more trees in cities to attenuate the impact of climate change. 

Exposure to heat has been associated with premature mortality, cardiorespiratory disease and hospital admissions. This is particularly true for heat waves, but also occurs with moderately high temperatures in summer. Cities are especially vulnerable to higher temperatures. Less vegetation, higher population density, and impermeable surfaces for buildings and roads, including asphalt, lead to a temperature difference between the city and surrounding areas – a phenomenon called urban heat island (UHI). Given the ongoing global warming and urban growth, this effect is expected to worsen over the next decades.

“Predictions based on current emissions reveal that heat-related illness and death will become a bigger burden to our health services over the next decades,” says ISGlobal researcher Tamara Iungman, first author of the study.  

A study involving 93 European cities

An international team led by Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of the Urban Planning, Environment and Health Initiative at ISGlobal, estimated mortality rates of residents aged over 20 in 93 European cities (a total of 57 million inhabitants), between June and August 2015, and collected data on daily rural and urban temperatures for each city. The analyses were performed at a high-resolution level (areas of 250m x 250m). First, they estimated the premature mortality by simulating a hypothetical scenario without urban heat island. Second, they estimated the temperature reduction that would be obtained by increasing tree cover to 30% and the associated mortality that could be avoided. 

“Our goal is to inform local decision-makers about the benefits of integrating green areas into all neighborhoods in order to promote more sustainable, resilient and healthy urban environments,” explains Nieuwenhuijsen.

The benefits of urban forests

The results show that, from June to August 2015, cities were on average 1.5oC warmer than the surrounding countryside. In total, 6,700 premature deaths could be attributed to hotter urban temperatures, which represents 4.3% of total mortality during the summer months and 1.8% of year-round mortality. One third of these deaths (2,644) could have been prevented by increasing tree cover up to 30%, thereby reducing temperatures. Overall, cities with the highest excess heat-mortality rates were in Southern and Eastern Europe, with these cities benefiting the most from an increase in tree cover.

The study highlights the substantial benefits of planting more trees in cities, although the authors acknowledge that this can be challenging in some cities due to their design, and that tree planting should be combined with other interventions such as green roofs or other temperature-reducing alternatives.

“Our results also show the need to preserve and maintain the trees that we already have because they are a valuable resource and it takes a long time to grow new trees. It is not only about increasing trees in the city, it is also about how they are distributed,” says Nieuwenhuijsen.

The analyses were done for 2015 because population data were not available for later years, but, as Iungman points out, the study provides valuable information for adapting our cities and making them more resilient to the health impact of climate change. “Here we only looked at the cooling effect of trees, but making cities greener has many other health benefits, including longer life expectancy, fewer mental health problems and better cognitive functioning”, she adds. 

“Vulnerability to heat changes from city to city depending on several factors. Understanding the benefits of policies such as increasing tree cover can help inform action to reduce risks and prevent avoidable deaths, especially with climate change”, says Antonio Gasparrini, Professor of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and one of the authors of the study.

Read the ISGlobal's study here

Authors: 

Barcelona Institute for Global Health – ISGlobal 

Reference: 

Iungman T, Cirach M, Marando F., Pereira-Barboza E., Khomenko S., Masselot P., Quijal-Zamorano M., Mueller N., Gasparrini A., Urquiza J., Heri M., Thondoo M., Nieuwenhuijsen M. Cooling cities for health through urban green infrastructure: a health impact assessment for European cities. The Lancet, 2023.

Events from the AllianceISAO 2023 Educational Conference & Trade Show

Organizer: ISA Ontario
Where: London, Ontario
Date: 22 February 2023

The Education Committee is delighted to invite you to ISA Ontario’s Annual Educational Conference & Trade Show. The eagerly anticipated 2023 event aims to explore the inner workings of trees and the impact they have on the world around them. By dissecting the internal operations of a tree, we can begin to understand their connection to each other and the impact they have on society. Trees provide benefits far beyond providing oxygen and carbon sequestering, so it is important for arborists to understand how trees work and why they do what they do. We are very excited to offer another strong lineup of speakers including Dr. Nadina Galle. In her keynote address on Day 1 of the conference, she’ll discuss how smart cities are putting technology to work to relieve congestion, restore democracy, prevent crime, and improve public services. Yet, the ecology upon which cities rely risks being left behind by the digital revolution. At the same time, arborists, planners, and politicians lack the insights needed to safeguard urban forests. Could technology hold the answer to greener and smarter cities? Nadina takes her audience into the lab, in the field, and onto the street with avant-garde innovators as they: use sensors and machine learning to predict how much water a tree will need the day after tomorrow; alter reality in the outdoors to gamify nature conservation; train deep learning algorithms to monitor insect biodiversity; foster human-nature relationships through texting trees. Nadina calls their quest the “Internet of Nature” (IoN). Through research, design, and real-life (success) stories, Nadina shows us how the IoN is already being applied to build better places for both people and nature to live.
Read more

Events from the AllianceMacklins Mudenda

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Individual
  • Name: Macklins
  • Surname: Mudenda
  • Organisation Name: Local government
  • Main Sector: private
  • Specific Sector: urban planning and landscape architecture
  • City: Lunte
  • Country: Zambia
  • Social: http://@MacklinsJRMudenda(M.Archi)(G.ZIA)
  • Description: As our cities grow and expand in population and human activities , it’s vital to consider the impact of human activities on our belt spaces. Working as a Town planner in the local government, I want to enrich my knowledge on the importance of our cities going green and it’s impact on our wellbeing. I would also like to contribute to a wider community on this platform of my knowledge from my community.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

Click here to discover the whole Alliance

Events from the AllianceLatvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies

is part of the Uforest Alliance connecting individuals and organizations in Uforest activities!

  • Description

  • Join As: Organization
  • Name: Kristine
  • Surname: Vugule
  • Organisation Name: Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
  • Main Sector: public-academia
  • Specific Sector: urban planning and landscape architecture
  • City: Jelgava
  • Country: Latvia
  • Website: http://www.lbtu.lv
  • Description: Urban forestry is one of the current research topics in our university, department of Landscape Architecture and Planning.
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Uforest can only be held responsible for responding to questions and applications sent directly to the email info@uforest.eu and through the Alliance Map form. The project seeks to foster communication and exchange of knowledge between network members however it is not responsible for such interactions, or lack thereof. Please report any suspected misconduct to info@uforest.eu.

Click here to discover the whole Alliance