Complementary Studies elective

With over 80% of the world's population now living in cities, tomorrow's forests will be urban. Increasing global recognition of nature deficit disorder and the values of green infrastructure to mitigate broader human impacts gives a new meaning to the term 'urban forestry', coined here at UofT and now recognized widely. Trees in and around the city are key to providing multiple engineered and ecological services that only recently have been brought into the responsible fiscal planning of every municipality around the globe. If managed properly (a key concept), urban forests mitigate climate change and urban heat island effects, act as carbon sinks, air filters, water purifiers, air conditioners, noise dampeners, wildlife and/or biodiversity refuges, and green spaces for the human spirit. Here, we explore the challenges and opportunities of this exciting new applied field at the cross-roads of ecology, engineering and planning to ensure future global sustainability.