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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2021) | Viewed by 23013

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Francesca Rapparini

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Guest Editor

Institute of BioEconomy (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
Interests: ecophysiology; plant physiology; urban and natural ecosystems; plant stress

Dr. Rita Baraldi

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Guest Editor

Institute of BioEconomy (IBE), Department of Bio-Agrifood Science (DiSBA), National Research Council (CNR), Via P. Gobetti 101, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
Interests: plant ecophysiology; urban forest; ecosystem services; phytoremediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Vegetation in the form of Urban Forestry (UF) and Green Infrastructures (UGIs, i.e., forests, parks, shrubs, green roofs, etc.) has the potential to be a long-term and sustainable tool for combined air quality and climate change governance in cities. The benefit of urban vegetation arises from plant multifunctional traits—i.e., plants sequester carbon, and absorb, and detoxify and degrade air pollutants. In addition, many plant species emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that play an important role in atmospheric chemistry, especially in a polluted urban context.

Planning and designing a new generation of UGIs requires investigating their role in climate change mitigation by assessing plant functional multitraits and by modelling the links between UGI features with the provided ecosystem services.

The goal of this Special Issue is to present novel research on the multifunctionality of UF and UGIs to increase our understanding of the innovation potential and the impact of urban vegetation on air quality. Articles in this Special Issue will contribute to the development of sustainable solutions for the management of forest urban ecosystems and strengthen their resilience to climate change, while sustaining and generating new ecosystem services.

Dr. Francesca Rapparini
Dr. Rita Baraldi
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

Carbon assimilation
Ecosystem services
Urban forest management
Forest resilience
System biology
Urban greening
Air pollutant removal
Phytoremediation
Plant ecophysiology

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5212 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Framework for Fairness Evaluation and Improvement of Urban Green Space: A Case of Wuhan Metropolitan Area in China

by Peng Cheng, Min Min, Weiyan Hu and Anlu Zhang

Forests 2021, 12(7), 890; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070890 - 7 Jul 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3163

Abstract

Urban green space (UGS) provides a wide range of ecosystem services for human beings. The fairness of UGS distribution has important implications for sustainable urban development and human well-being. However, many current studies on green space fairness are limited to within specific cities, and UGS fairness in rapidly developing metropolitan areas is still largely neglected. This study quantifies the change in green space fairness in the Wuhan metropolitan area from 2000 to 2020 based on a long time series of land cover and population spatial distribution products. We incorporated green space types and population distribution into the fairness evaluation framework, quantified the value of green space ecosystem services available to people through nested buffers, and analyzed the spatial and temporal variation of green space fairness in the study area based on the Gini coefficient of each city. The results show that the supply of green space services in most cities has shown a trend of “decreasing and then increasing” in the past 20 years. The fairness of green space in three cities has shown an improving trend, and the Gini coefficient in four cities is still above 0.50 in 2020. Based on the current green space and related indicators in each city, we propose future greening policies for each city. The methodology and conclusions of this study will help improve future green space planning recommendations in metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations, thus promoting regional public infrastructure coproduction and sharing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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21 pages, 1316 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Estimation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Street Trees in Kyoto, Japan

by Xiaoyang Tan, Satoshi Hirabayashi and Shozo Shibata

Forests 2021, 12(3), 311; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12030311 - 7 Mar 2021

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5815

Abstract

Street trees are integral components of urban green infrastructure. The importance of benefits provided by street trees has motivated the development of various tools to quantify the value of ecosystem services. The i-Tree Eco is a widely applied method for quantifying urban forest structure, ecosystem services, and values. Since its first release in 2006, i-Tree Eco has been successfully utilized in over 100 countries around the world. This study described one of the first applications of the i-Tree Eco international project in Kyoto, Japan, by customizing the models and parameters to enhance the accuracy of analysis results. Kyoto’s street trees are prominently dominated by Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.), Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum Miq.), Japanese Zelkova (Zelkova serrata (Thunb.) Makino.), Tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.), London Planetree (Platanus × acerifolia), Plum/cherry (Prunus spp.), and Weeping willow (Salix babylonica), which account for 92% of the 1230 sample trees and deliver ecosystem service benefits at US$71,434.21 annually or US$58.07/tree/year. The annual value of each function was estimated at US$41.34/tree for carbon storage and sequestration, US$3.26/tree for stormwater runoff reduction, US$11.80/tree for adverse health mitigation effects, and US$1.67/tree for energy savings. The street tree species of Kyoto city that produce the highest average annual benefits are among the largest trees currently in the population, including P. × yedoensis (US$225.32/tree), Z. serrata (US$123.21/tree), S. babylonica (US$80.10/tree), and P. × acerifolia (US$65.88/tree). Our results demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of street trees benefits for Kyoto city, providing baseline information for decision-makers and managers to make effective urban trees management decisions, developing policy, and setting priorities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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16 pages, 3980 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Cooling and Humidifying Effects and the Thresholds of Plant Community Structure Parameters in Urban Aggregated Green Infrastructure

by Jiaxing Wei, Hongbo Li, Yuncai Wang and Xizi Xu

Forests 2021, 12(2), 111; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020111 - 20 Jan 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3414

Abstract

The cooling and humidifying effects of urban aggregated green infrastructure can provide essential services for city ecosystems, regulating microclimates or mitigating the urban heat island effect. However, the optimal thresholds of plant community structure parameters for maximizing the associated cooling and humidifying effects remain unclear. In this paper, we use the method of dummy variable regression to measure plant communities in an urban aggregated green infrastructure. By examining the relationships between the cooling and humidifying effects and plant community structure parameters (i.e., canopy density, porosity, and vegetation type), we introduce optimal thresholds for the parameters. We find that canopy density has a significantly positive correlation with both cooling and humidifying effects, while porosity has a positive correlation with cooling and a negative one with humidifying. Different vegetation types have distinct influences on cooling and humidifying effects. When the canopy density is between 0.81 and 0.85 and the porosity is between 0.31 and 0.35, the cooling and humidifying effects of the plant communities reach their peak. Additionally, the greening coverage rate and spatial types of urban aggregated green infrastructure have influences on cooling and humidifying effects. The findings can help us to better understand the relationships between plant community structure parameters and their temperature regulation functioning for urban aggregated green infrastructure. This study provides guidelines and theoretical references for the plant configuration of future urban green spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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16 pages, 9102 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Functions of Windbreaks in the Landscape Ecological Network and Methods of Their Evaluation

by Jana Podhrázská, Josef Kučera, Daniel Doubrava and Petr Doležal

Forests 2021, 12(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12010067 - 8 Jan 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2897

Abstract

Linear elements in the agricultural landscape, particularly windbreaks, reduce the wind speed and improve the microclimate in the protected zone. They offer many direct effects on agricultural production with maximum benefits of ecosystem biodiversity. Despite the indisputable advantages and favourable effects of permanent linear vegetation elements, their representation in the agricultural landscape is not as frequent as it used to be. Moreover, the formerly planted elements do not fulfil their original function due to the overgrowth and neglected maintenance. The optimum spatial and functional organisation of the newly proposed linear elements requires evaluation of the existing linear vegetation, its functional parameters and involvement in the landscape ecological network. Our report presents methods for the evaluation of the linear elements, both from the aspect of their internal structure and species composition (category A) and their involvement in the functional system (category B). The evaluation is based on seven established criteria and results in a point scoring system that reflects the characteristics of the reference criteria. In five selected localities, we tested the linear elements as individuals by the A method and their integrity by the B method of evaluation. In one locality only, the state of windbreaks was assessed as functional; at two localities, they were found as conditionally functional, and at two other localities, the state of the windbreaks was assessed as non-functional. An example of the evaluation of individual windbreaks (category A) is demonstrated in model localities in South Moravia, Czech Republic. The results of the evaluation of the model localities thus point out an unsatisfactory state of the linear elements in the region of South Moravia and the need to accord them increased care and to establish new plantations under professional supervision. Their building can be sped up by using the tools of land consolidation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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22 pages, 2268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Urban Conditions on the Phenology of Aesculus hippocastanum L. Using the Example of Wroclaw (Poland)

by Iwona Dominika Orzechowska-Szajda, Robert Krzysztof Sobolewski, Joanna Lewandowska, Paulina Kowalska and Robert Kalbarczyk

Forests 2020, 11(12), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121261 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3322

Abstract

The differences in plant phenology between rural and urban areas are the subject of research conducted all over the world. There are few studies aimed at assessing the impact of the urban heat island on plant vegetation only in urban areas. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the distance from the city center and the form of land cover on the phenological development of trees using the example of the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.). The research area covered the entire city of Wrocław. In order to best capture the impact of the distance from the city center on the rate of changes of individual phenophases, 3 areas were designated—at a distance of 1 km, 2 km and 5 km. The study assessed the average duration of individual phenological phases along with the variability characteristics for leafing, flowering and fruiting in relation to the designated zones and classified forms of land cover based on mean value (

\bar{x}

) and standard deviation (±SD) in individual weeks of the year. For the leafing and flowering phases, the frequency of the occurrence of phases in individual weeks of the year was analyzed in relation to the designated zones and classified land use methods. The results obtained on the basis of phenological observations carried out in 2017 in Wrocław confirmed the extension of the period of vegetation in the city center in relation to its peripheries. Trees growing in road lanes entered the vegetation period later and defoliated faster, which confirms the negative impact of street conditions on the development of trees in urban space. Thus, the growing season in road lanes is shorter and due to the 1-year observation period, it is justified to conduct further observations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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19 pages, 4422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Case Study Balancing Predetermined Targets and Real-World Constraints to Guide Optimum Urban Tree Canopy Cover for Perth, Western Australia

by Jackie Parker and Greg D. Simpson

Forests 2020, 11(11), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11111128 - 23 Oct 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3273

Abstract

Trees in urban settings are becoming increasingly important as mediators to emerging challenges that transect social, environmental, and economic factors. Trees provide shade; absorb and store atmospheric carbon and other pollutants; reduce local temperature fluctuations; provide essential inner-city fauna habitat; assist in reducing over-land stormwater flow; provide amenity; and provide many more social, environmental, and economic benefits. To secure these benefits, tree canopy cover targets are commonly employed by land managers; however, such targets are rarely quantified against the characteristics and limitations of individual urban centers. Through the generation and interrogation of qualitative and quantitative data, this case study of Perth, Western Australia presents a new conceptual tool that integrates eleven factors found to influence the capacity and opportunity for a city to support urban tree canopy cover. This tool is designed to capture and causally weigh urban tree canopy considerations based on individual city characteristics, collective values, and identifiable constraints. The output of the tool provides an “optimum” tree canopy cover result (as a percentage of the urban fabric) to better inform canopy cover targets and recommendations for urban tree strategic planning and management. This tool is valuable for urban land managers, city planners, urban designers, and communities in effective planning, management, valuation, and investment regarding urban trees as a sub-set of urban green infrastructure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Forestry and Green Infrastructures)

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