Urban Forestry: Its Scope and Complexity

Abstract

Every State in the Nation, particularly throughout densely populated urban environments, is currently involved in an environment-energy crisis. Yet, man's misuse of forest, water, soil, and wildlife resources in and around our cities has caused detrimental environmental impacts that reflect a lack of concern for the basic underlying needs of society for ecological support systems, Urban forestry offers a means to help meet this challenge and to help improve the quality of life for a large proportion of the American public. Urban foresters need to know: the benefits of urban forests, factors that influence those benefits, means to manage vegetation to provide the benefits, and how to integrate urban forestry with the total urban planning and development process.