Nature and mental health: An ecosystem service perspective
A growing body of empirical evidence is revealing the value of nature experience for mental health. With rapid urbanization and declines in human contact with nature globally, crucial decisions must be made about how to preserve and enhance opportunities for nature experience.Gregory N. Bratman, Christopher B. Anderson, Marc G. Berman, Bobby Cochran, Sjerp de Vries, […]
Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing
Spending between 2-5 hours/week in the natural environment contributes to good health and well-being.White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J. et al. Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Sci Rep 9, 7730 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3 View Resource
Strategically growing the urban forest will improve our world
Growth in urban populations creates opportunities for urban forests to deliver ecosystem services critical to human wellbeing and biodiversity. Our challenge is to strategically expand urban forests and provide communities, particularly the vulnerable, with healthier, happier, and enriched lives. Endreny, T.A. Strategically growing the urban forest will improve our world. Nat Commun 9, 1160 (2018). […]
Live fast, die young: Accelerated growth, mortality, and turnover in street trees
In this 2019 study, size-specific growth, mortality, and planting rates were estimated in trees under municipal control. The scientist used a box model to forecast short-term changes in street tree aboveground carbon pools under several planting and management scenarios and compared their findings to rural, forested systems.Smith IA, Dearborn VK, Hutyra LR (2019) Live fast, […]
Harvesting the Value of Water: Stormwater, Green Infrastructure and Real Estate
For developers and builders, managing the impact of stormwater is a given: the law requires it. But increasingly, they’ve ceased to regard it as a burden, and consider it an amenity — one that can lead to increased rents and sales prices.Burgess, Katharine, et al. Harvesting the Value of Water: Stormwater, Green Infrastructure, and Real […]
Aligning City Forest Management by Engaging Community Partners in New York City
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) manages the majority 7,300-acres of natural area forests through hands-on work and contracts overseen by the Division of Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources. Additional capacity to manage and steward NYC Parks’ forest resources is created through nurturing community organizations by the non-profit Natural Areas […]
Growing Tree Canopy through Environmental Justice Project
The 3-year Growing Tree Canopy through Environmental Justice project focused on delivering in-depth community engagement with tree canopy in the heavily urbanized and impaired Anacostia watershed. With pilot communities in Wards 7&8 of Washington, DC and inside-the-beltway urbanized communities in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the project brought together a robust, cross-boundary partnership to achieve tree […]
Trees to Offset Stormwater: A Study of 12 Cities in the Southeastern US
A study of the 12 cities in the Southeastern US, their tree canopy, and the role that trees play in taking up, storing and releasing water. Green Infrastructure Center Inc. (2019, June). Trees to offset Stormwater: A Study of 12 Communities. US Forest Service.; Green Infrastructure Center View resource
New York, NY: Streets without trees harm kids and seniors
NYC Parks mapped neighborhoods with high rates of asthma, and concentrated heat islands. What they found? Fewer trees, more childhood asthma, seniors vulnerable to extreme heat.