Urban Forestry

Jennifer Seitz, Martha Monroe, and Francisco Escobedo

"FOR-172, a 5-page fact sheet by Jennifer Seitz, Martha Monroe, and Francisco Escobedo, lists and describes resources available to assist educators, extension agents, home school parents, foresters, and nature center staff as they help youth become more aware of the urban forests in their backyard. Published by the UF School of Forest Resources and Conservation, January 2008.

Frank J. Mazzotti yCarol Morgenstern
Otros contactos: Venetia S. Briggs-Gonzalez, Eric Suarez, yAaron I. Chimelis

The purposes of this paper are: to present a scientific framework for managing urban natural areas; to discuss general ecological issues and management concerns identified from our early efforts at applying this approach to Broward County ESL sites; and to discuss the Pine Island Ridge ESL site as a case study.

Gabriela Reyes, Ashley Smyth, yLaura K. Reynolds

Urban mangroves are mangroves located in cities and residential areas. While urban mangroves may be highly impacted by humans, they continue to provide important ecosystem services, or benefits to society. In fact, due to their location, more people may benefit from these urban mangroves than from pristine mangroves, which are often located in protected areas. The following document describes the role of mangroves in urban areas. This document is intended for coastal residents, coastal resource managers, and urban planners who are interested in learning about mangroves and their importance in cities. Written by Gabriela Reyes, Ashley Smyth, and Laura Reynolds, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Soil and Water Sciences; 4 pp.

Stephanie Cadaval, Michael G. Andreu, Ryan Klein, Andrew Koeser, yPaul Monaghan

This publication is for Extension agents and the stakeholders they partner with in urban forestry, parks and recreation, and urban greening and urban tree management roles in cities or municipalities. This publication can also help communities working with these actors to better understand the collaborative and iterative process of developing Extension tree stewardship programs. Written by Stephanie Cadaval, Michael Andreu, Ryan Klein, Andrew Koeser, and Paul Monaghan, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, August 2025.

Ryan Buron, Mark Hostetler, and Michael Andreu

During migration, birds travel from their northern breeding grounds to their southern wintering grounds and vice versa. To understand which urban habitats are valuable for specific migratory species, we compared the diversity of migratory bird species that used urban forest fragments vs residential areas with tree canopy in Gainesville, Florida. Study results summarized in this fact sheet can help inform urban planners, developers, and homeowners about vegetation migratory birds use. Conservation of large, forested areas is important, but fragmented landscapes are not useless, and conserving urban forest fragments and trees in residential areas is also important for bird conservation.

Francisco J. Escobedo, Mark Hostetler, yFrancisco J. Escobedo

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. Published by Sustainability of production systems and alternatives

Francisco Escobedo and Jennifer Seitz

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Benjamin Schwartz, Jiri Hulcr, Andrew Koeser, Stanton Rosenthal, yStanton Rosenthal

This publication provides a practical guide for homeowners and professional arborists to maintain dead wood habitat on their or their clients’ property. It outlines the environmental and financial benefits of keeping dead wood, the different types of habitat one can manage, and strategies for mitigating the risk associated with dead wood.

Francisco Escobedo, Robert Northrop, Michael Orfanedes, and Anna Iaconna

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Natalie Pegg yMark Hostetler

Studies report that urban areas may not provide breeding habitat for interior-forest birds, but some residential neighborhoods do have sufficient vegetation to serve as breeding habitat for forest birds and even interior-forest specialists. The authors investigated the occurrence of three interior-forest specialists, pileated woodpeckers, summer tanagers, and northern parulas, during the breeding season in two suburban neighborhoods of Gainesville, Florida, and found that all three species occurred in residential neighborhoods consistently throughout the breeding season and were most often detected in local areas with dense vegetation from the ground to the canopy. Our results suggest that decision-makers can improve the amount of breeding habitat in southeastern cities for these three species by retaining forest fragments, tree canopy, large trees, tree snags, and understory vegetation.

Jennifer A. Seitz and Francisco J. Escobedo

Trees are an integral part of our communities. They are a source of shade, beauty, community empowerment, and environmental benefits. Trees and tree pollen can also be a headache for people with allergies. Proper landscape planning and species selection can reduce the potential that trees will cause problems for people with pollen allergies, and a few simple steps will minimize the effects of pollen around your home.

Francisco Escobedo, Joy Klein, Micah Pace, Henry Mayer, Sebastian Varela, and Basil Iannone

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Michael Andreu, Robert Northrop, and Wayne Zipperer

This publication is an introduction to Urban Forest Management: A Primer to Strategic Planning for Municipal Governments, available in full for free here: https://ffgs.ifas.ufl.edu/urbanforestmanagementbook/