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Forests
Special Issues
Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation
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Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 August 2024) | Viewed by 6062

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Milena D. Lakicevic

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 8, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
Interests: landscape planning; decision support systems in landscape management; application of the R program in landscape ecology
Dr. Kazuhiro Aruga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Forest Science, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine, Utsunomiya 321-8505, Japan
Interests: forest engineering; forest operations; forestry machinery; forest biomass; environmental conservation; forest road; biomass harvesting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Won-Sop Shin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Forest Resources, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si 361-763, Republic of Korea
Interests: forest therapy; social forestry; forest recreation; forest welfare; forest education; psychological benefits of forest/nature use; forest/nature and public health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban forests are residuals of nature within a city and have multiple benefits for city dwellers. Additionally, they are important for preserving the biodiversity of plant, animal, and fungal species and their communities. The survival of urban forests depends on how they are planned, monitored, and managed; therefore, this topic should be addressed carefully and include a multidisciplinary approach.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-profile papers that deal with up-to-date research in planning and managing urban forests. The scope of this issue is broad and encompasses research related to diverse biology and forestry disciplines such as botany, dendrology, entomology, forest pathology, etc., in the context of urban forests and their proper management and planning. In addition to this, there are newly developed IT tools (including decision support systems) and specialized software in forestry science that move both theory and practical work forwards, and papers dealing with this subject are also very welcome. The papers we are soliciting should help in understanding the process of urban forest planning, management, and evaluation by offering representative real case study examples or introducing contemporary methodology and practices.

Dr. Milena D. Lakicevic
Dr. Kazuhiro Aruga
Prof. Dr. Won-Sop Shin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban biodiversity
  • urban landscape planning
  • biotic factors
  • abiotic factors
  • decision-making process
  • IT tools

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2212 KiB  
Article
Visitors’ Perceptions towards the Sustainable Use of Forest Areas: The Case of Istanbul Belgrade Nature Parks
by Hasan Tezcan Yıldırım, Nilay Tulukcu Yıldızbaş, Çağdan Uyar, Osman Devrim Elvan, Hélder Fernando Pedrosa e Sousa, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis and Dalia Perkumienė
Forests 2024, 15(10), 1687; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15101687 - 25 Sep 2024
Viewed by 269
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to analyze how stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainable land use and the management of natural parks affect land management planning, with a focus on park visitors. This study was carried out in July 2019, during a period [...] Read more.
The main purpose of this study is to analyze how stakeholders’ perceptions of sustainable land use and the management of natural parks affect land management planning, with a focus on park visitors. This study was carried out in July 2019, during a period of high visitor numbers at the Belgrade Forest nature parks, as reported by the park manager. It involved evaluating participants’ knowledge about the specific natural park they visit and the organization managing it. The results show that the mode of transportation significantly influences this knowledge. Visitors who walked or drove to the park demonstrated a greater understanding of the park and its management. A visit to a nature park typically involves anticipation, planning, the visit itself, participating in activities, returning, and reflecting on past experiences. Visitors are drawn to the Belgrade Forest nature parks because of their cleanliness, family-friendly atmosphere, peacefulness, proximity, uniqueness as a green space in Istanbul, wooded areas, and suitability for sports. The study also reveals that the characteristics of nature parks, such as park amenities, distance, transportation options, and reasons for visiting, contribute to visitors’ happiness, especially affecting younger visitors between the ages of 19 and 30. These findings highlight the varied nature of visitors’ impressions after their visit, depending on their individual characteristics. In conclusion, this detailed analysis offers valuable insights to guide strategic park management efforts aimed at promoting sustainability and enhancing visitor experiences in the Belgrade Forest areas of Türkiye. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation)
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16 pages, 10092 KiB  
Article
Which Factors Affect the Visual Preference and User Experience: A Case Study of the Mulan River Greenway in Putian City, China
by Junming Zheng, Yashan Chen and Lei Guan
Forests 2024, 15(9), 1529; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091529 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 402
Abstract
Greenways are an important component of urban green infrastructure. User experiences and visual preferences are highly related to human well-being. The influencing factors of user experience and the relationship between environmental attributes with visual preference were explored by using the analytic hierarchy process [...] Read more.
Greenways are an important component of urban green infrastructure. User experiences and visual preferences are highly related to human well-being. The influencing factors of user experience and the relationship between environmental attributes with visual preference were explored by using the analytic hierarchy process method and questionnaire experiments. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process was conducted to construct the users’ experience evaluation system, and three methods were used to reveal the influencing factors of the users’ experience in the Mulan River greenway, China. The connection between visual perception and environmental attributes was also identified. The results show that the site leveling, plant landscape aesthetics, and air quality are the main factors affecting user experience. The most significant factor influencing visual preference is the green view index. The green view index can promote visual preference within 60%. Various environmental features contribute to visual preference, providing quantitative support for enhancing landscape quality. This research reveals the factors of visual preference that contribute to forming scientific recommendations for the management and quality improvement of the Mulan River greenway. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation)
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13 pages, 2066 KiB  
Article
Building Urban Forest Resilience to Sea Level Rise: A GIS-Based Climate Adaptation Tool for New York City
by Ravneet Kaur, Richard A. Hallett and Navé Strauss
Forests 2024, 15(1), 92; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010092 - 3 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1312
Abstract
Urban forests in coastal regions are vulnerable to changing climate conditions, especially sea level rise (SLR). Such climate change impacts add complexity for urban forest managers as they make decisions related to tree species selection. The New York City (NYC) Parks Department manages [...] Read more.
Urban forests in coastal regions are vulnerable to changing climate conditions, especially sea level rise (SLR). Such climate change impacts add complexity for urban forest managers as they make decisions related to tree species selection. The New York City (NYC) Parks Department manages over 660,000 street trees, many of which occupy sites that are susceptible to saltwater flooding. In order to build a resilient urban tree canopy in these flood-prone zones, we ranked tree species based on their overall tolerance to coastal vulnerability factors such as high winds, salt spray, and soil salinity. Our results revealed that 16 of the 44 species ranked high in overall tolerance to these factors. We also developed a GIS-based tool, specific to NYC, which delineates three coastal tiers based on their susceptibility to coastal vulnerability factors using SLR projections for the 2100s. The species list combined with the GIS tool provides urban forest managers a method to assign tree species to different coastal tiers based on their ability to withstand coastal climate change impacts into the future. We provide details on how this tool was developed for NYC so other coastal cities can replicate this approach to creating a more resilient future coastal urban forest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation)
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20 pages, 4652 KiB  
Article
Impacts and Predictions of Urban Expansion on Habitat Connectivity Networks: A Multi-Scenario Simulation Approach
by Shihui Chang, Kai Su, Xuebing Jiang, Yongfa You, Chuang Li and Luying Wang
Forests 2023, 14(11), 2187; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112187 - 3 Nov 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1910
Abstract
Urban expansion is leading to the loss and fragmentation of habitats, which poses a threat to wildlife. People are hopeful that, through scientific urban planning and the adoption of innovative models for human communities, such a situation can be improved. Thus, a case [...] Read more.
Urban expansion is leading to the loss and fragmentation of habitats, which poses a threat to wildlife. People are hopeful that, through scientific urban planning and the adoption of innovative models for human communities, such a situation can be improved. Thus, a case study was carried out in Nanning City, China, to extract habitats, build an ecological resistance surface, and construct a habitat connectivity network (HCN). To simulate changes to unused land in the future, we put forth the A (the parcel is divided into strips), B (the parcel is divided into two strips), C (the central area of the parcel is planned as a quadrangle), and D (opposite to Scenario C, the peripheral area is green space) scenarios of human communities that guarantee a 30% ratio of green space, and established the corresponding HCNs. The results indicate that: (1) Currently, the habitats cover approximately 153.24 km2 (34.08%) of the entire study area. The ecological corridors in this region amount to a total of 5337, and the topological indicators and robustness indicate a strong stability of the current HCN. (2) With urban expansion, once continuous habitats are being fragmented into smaller green spaces, it is estimated that the habitats will shrink by 64.60 km2. The topological indicators and robustness reveal that the stability of the HCNs becomes lower as well. Multiple scenario simulations demonstrated that Scenario D is better than Scenarios B and C, while Scenario A performed the worst. (3) Furthermore, we observed a stronger negative impact of urban expansion on local connectivity. This indicates that the influence of urban expansion on the local HCNs is often more pronounced and may even be destructive. Our findings can advise urban planners on decisions to minimize the impact of urban expansion on wildlife. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation)
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17 pages, 2867 KiB  
Article
Fuzzy AHP Assessment of Urban Parks Quality and Importance in Novi Sad City, Serbia
by Bojan Srdjevic, Milena Lakicevic and Zorica Srdjevic
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061227 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1256
Abstract
This paper proposes an AHP approach that utilizes the fuzzy extent model to prioritize five city parks based on their present quality and projected importance for Novi Sad City, the capital of Vojvodina Province, in Serbia. The study involved an expert evaluation of [...] Read more.
This paper proposes an AHP approach that utilizes the fuzzy extent model to prioritize five city parks based on their present quality and projected importance for Novi Sad City, the capital of Vojvodina Province, in Serbia. The study involved an expert evaluation of a set of eight criteria to identify the most relevant subset of criteria for a detailed park assessment. The park evaluation took into account uncertainties (fuzziness), the expert’s risk tolerance, and different levels of optimism and pessimism. The obtained results could serve when defining upcoming city plans and management agendas related to green areas in the city. The proposed fuzzy-based methodology can be extended to group decision-making scenarios by involving more experts and stakeholder representatives. The park weights obtained through the fuzzy AHP methodology described in this paper can aid city planners and politicians in the strategic allocation of financial, organizational, and human resources for parks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forest Landscape Planning, Management and Evaluation)
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