Vibrant Cities Lab: Urban Forestry at Your Fingertips

In the beginning, it was about the trees.

18^th century urban growth in Europe had already begun to encompass nearby forests – Epping [London], Grunewald [Berlin], Fontainebleau [Paris]. In the US, Thomas Jefferson, disheartened by rampant cutting of trees in the swamplands of the new capital, confided to a friend that he wished he could post guards around each tree to prevent cutting for firewood. As Napoleon built tree-lined boulevards throughout 19^th century Paris, pre-Civil War horticulturist Andrew Jackson Downing declared that the “first duty of an inhabitant of forlorn neighborhoods is to use all possible influence to have the streets planted with trees.”

That sentiment persists today, still driven by the conviction that trees soften the hard edges of the built environment, and foster well-being among the people who live there.

But worldwide, today it’s about more than trees. We think about sustaining entire urban forests – in the US, there’s 140 million acres (56 million hectares) of metro areas where 80 percent of Americans live. What is an “urban forest?” What can it do for us? How can we extend the benefits of trees to all?

Vibrant Cities Lab (vibrantcitieslab.com), supported by the US Forest Service in partnership with American Forests and the National Association of Regional Councils, helps answer these questions and shows how any community can grow and sustain their own urban forest. It’s a free website offering the latest, expert-reviewed research on benefits of trees, as well as case studies, a community assessment and goal setting tool, and step-by-step guidance on how communities can create and sustain healthy urban forests.

A screenshot from vibrantcitieslab.com.

Modern scientists have sketched a clearer picture of the many benefits trees deliver where people live. A thriving tree canopy reduces air pollution and related illnesses, like asthma. Cooling shade abates the urban heat island effect, helping to reduce the annual toll of 7,000 deaths in super-heated cities. Thoughtful urban forestry initiatives aim to calm traffic, manage stormwater, conserve energy, reduce stress, even improve academic performance.

These benefits have been measured but they’re not yet embraced by planners, policymakers and the public at large. Nor have different agencies learned how to advance their own goals by investments in urban forestry – from parks and public health to police, economic development, transportation and public works.

Diners enjoy Larimer Square in Denver, Colorado: shady, cool and pleasant even in the summer heat thanks to an urban forest canopy.

This knowledge gap can block progress and deprive residents of the benefits of urban trees. Indeed, research by the National Association of Regional Councils [2016] has shown that lack of alignment and coordination among municipal agencies, their stakeholders and the public at large present the biggest obstacle to successful urban forestry initiatives.

But in communities where knowledge is shared, the public engaged and agencies aligned, urban forestry makes a big difference to residents, especially in lower income neighborhoods. In Portland, Oregon children aged 4 to 12 living in neighborhoods with street trees show lower prevalence of asthma and missed 7,380 fewer days of school. Not surprisingly, Portland’s urban forestry program involves direct participation by city planners, health officials, development experts, the public works, parks and transportation departments.

Vibrant Cities Lab (VCL) aims to help communities of all sizes achieve these kinds of results. Designed for easy use by policymakers, practitioners and the public, VCL is becoming a valuable resource for community leaders and residents who want to put their trees to work. As County Executive and chair of the National Association of Counties Transportation Committee Gary Moore put it, “trees are the hardest workers on our payroll, and they contribute to just about everything we do. If we take care of them, they’ll take care of us for just a few dollars a day.”

About the author

Jad Daley is the co-founder and co-chair of the Forest Climate Working Group, having come to American Forests from a nine-year stint at the Trust for Public Land where he created a groundbreaking Climate Conservation Program that integrates science, spatial planning, policy and on-the-ground implementation for “climate-smart” use of trees and forests in cities and large landscapes.