May 2023, part two- “BUFRG Article for Indiana Arborist Association Newsletter by BC Fischer”
See article “A New Frontier for Arborist: Urban Silviculture”
The Bloomington Urban Forestry Research Group (BUFRG) has been asked over the years to clarify/explain new urban forestry concepts and ideas. Urban silviculture is a developing/new concept being talked about by urban foresters that arborists also need to understand. It is the adaption of the forestry practice of silviculture to urban natural forest areas, forested patches, or woodlots (hereafter urban forested patches). Silviculture is the theory and practice of controlling the establishment, composition, structure, and condition of forest stands to meet landowner objectives. Historically, it focuses on timber production and other economic and environmental benefits of forests.
By definition a forest stand is a contiguous community of trees sufficiently uniform in composition, structure, age, size-class(es), spatial arrangement, site quality, condition, or location to distinguish it from adjacent stands.Larger forests are collections of forest stands.
Urban silviculture differs from traditional silviculture practice. Urban forest patches are a key component of the tree canopy in cities but often overlooked by city leaders and decision-makers, and often lack formal management frameworks. One approach to addressing this deficiency may be to borrow from traditional forest management frameworks and practices. Although urban forested patches share similarities with rural forests, the impacts of urbanization on forest stand dynamics may require modification of these methods and in some cases development of novel silvicultural guidelines. The article goes on to explain urban silviculture thinking for managing both forest patches and more broadly the urban forest.