What and Where Are Old Growth Urban Forests?

Abstract

Old growth urban forests have developed in cities around the earth with human actions that have changed arboreal composition and forest dynamics. For the term old growth urban forest, the concept "urban forest" refers to forests in a metropolitan area and "old growth" indicates forest development after a regional forest resetting event such as a war. Urban forestry and ecology literature in English revealed studies of street, landscaped, and remnant old growth urban forests in 28 countries and 62 metropolitan areas. Long-term changes in old growth urban forest structure are primarily determined by human activities causing species losses and arboreal population decimation. Most changes were intended, especially in regard to shifting fashions in species selection for arboricultural plantings; however, new species introductions are frequently not successful over the long term. The unintended or at least unforeseen effects of diseases and invasive species introductions often have caused the most devastating transmutations of old growth urban forests. Reversing impending losses in old growth urban forests that are unable to reproduce because of human modifications of the forest environment requires historical ecology research to determine the species composition and environmental conditions for the historical continuity of the forests. PU - SPRINGER PA - 233 SPRING STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10013, UNITED STATES