Urban Forestry

Urban Forests: A Supplement to Florida's Project Learning Tree

Bebette de Vera, Martha C. Monroe, and Jennifer A. Seitz

Urban Forest Educational Resources for Teaching Youth

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.

A Scientific Framework for Managing Urban Natural Areas

Frank J. Mazzotti and Carol Morgenstern

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.

What are urban mangroves?

Gabriela Reyes, Ashley Smyth, and Laura 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.

Developing Successful Extension Tree Stewardship Programs

Stephanie Cadaval, Michael Andreu, Ryan Klein, Andrew Koeser, and Paul 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.

Birds in the ’Burbs: Do migratory birds prefer urban forest fragments or residential yards?

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.

What Types of Urban Greenspace Are Better for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration?

Mark Hostetler and Francisco Escobedo

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

The Costs of Managing an Urban Forest

Francisco Escobedo and Jennifer Seitz

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Woodpecker Poles and Habitat Wood in Your Yard

Benjamin Schwartz, Jiri Hulcr, Andrew Koeser, and Stan 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.

Comparison of Community Leader Perceptions on Urban Forests in Florida

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

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Potential Breeding Habitat for 3 Forest-Specialist Birds in the Suburbs

Natalie Pegg and Mark 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.

Urban Trees and Allergies in North Florida

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.

Miami-Dade County's Urban Forests and Their Ecosystem Services

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

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet.

Urban Forest Management: A Primer to Strategic Planning for Municipal Governments—an Introduction

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/

Orlando, Florida's Urban and Community Forests and Their Ecosystem Services

Edem K. Empke, Elizabeth Becker, Jessica Lab, Ross Hinkle, Francisco Escobedo, and Basil Iannone

This publication describes a 2010 assessment of urban forests within the limits of the city of Orlando and provides information on the structure and composition of Orlando's urban forest, the occurrence of invasive trees in the city, the ecosystem services trees provide—including estimating the mitigation of climate change effects and their role in urban hydrology—and how this information can be used to define sustainable urban planning goals.