OOS 6: Social-Ecological Drivers of Change in Urban Forest Patches

Session Organizer(s)

• Lea Johnson

  Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland
  Kennett Square, College Park, PA, MD, USA

Moderator(s)

• Lindsay Darling

  Chicago Region Trees Initiative
  The Morton Aboretum

Volunteer(s)

• Savannah Fuqua

  Point Reyes National Seashore Association
  Point Reyes, California, United States

Forest patches are hotspots of biodiversity in urban regions, yet are subject to urban conditions influencing their composition, condition, and function. Many different public, private, and non-profit organizations engage in management and stewardship of these urban forest patches. Management efforts vary in emphasis according to organizational mandates and available resources; different management choices occur simultaneously in nearby parcels. Fine-scale heterogeneity of land ownership in cities often limits the scope of these interventions. The position and context of a forested patch in the urban landscape can further influence long-term forest community dynamics. This session draws upon three ongoing efforts of cross-city researcher-practitioner exchanges focused on understanding social-ecological drivers of urban forest patch condition (SESYNC Pursuit on Changing Urban Woodlands), management of urban forest patches across cities (Forests in Cities network), and research as adaptation to climate change (Urban Silviculture network) to explore multiple social and ecological aspects of urban forest patches.

Presentations:

• ON DEMAND

  A tale of urban forest patch governance in four eastern US cities
  

  Presenting Author: Anita T. Morzillo – Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Connecticut
• ON DEMAND

  Conceptualizing social-ecological drivers of urban forest patch condition
  

  Presenting Author: Michelle L. Johnson – Northern Research Station, NYC Urban Field Station, USDA Forest Service
• ON DEMAND

  Functional traits of urban forest patch vegetation across multiple gradients of urbanization intensity
  

  Presenting Author: Myla F.J Aronson – Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University
• ON DEMAND

  Macro-scale analysis of forest patch canopy composition highlights syndromes of response to urbanization
  

  Presenting Author: Lea R. Johnson – Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland
• ON DEMAND

  Nurturing a national network: Advancing the science and practice of managing forests in cities across the U.S.
  

  Presenting Author: Clara C. Pregitzer – Natural Areas Conservancy
• ON DEMAND

  Urban and climate adaptive silviculture in the city: Managers and scientists work together to co-produce management and research strategies for urban oak forests in the Northeast U.S.
  

  Presenting Author: Richard A. Hallett – Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service