IUFRO-UNRI Urban Forestry Research

A Cooperative Vision for Urban Forestry Science and Exploration

Welcome!

by David Bloniarz - November 17th, 2014

Welcome to the IUFRO-UNRI Urban Forestry Research Website. This site is intended to provide access to information on the work of Urban Forestry Research scientists and practitioners around the world, through timely and relevant distribution of research and development activities, tools and findings.  IUFRO is “the” global network for forest science cooperation. It unites more than 15,000 scientists in almost 700 Member Organizations in over 110 countries. Scientists cooperate in IUFRO on a voluntary basis.

Your participation in the IUFRO Urban Forestry network will greatly enhance it’s outreach capabilities, product dissemination and technology transfer efforts around the globe.  Visit the ‘Join Us‘ page to learn more about the IUFRO-UNRI cooperative partnership, and how you can join other researchers in the effort to share the latest findings related to urban natural resources.

Calendar of Events Now Online

by David Bloniarz - January 9th, 2015

big-calendar-iconThe IUFO Urban Forestry Section now has a Calendar of Events to keep you updated and posted on conferences and events of interest.  

Visit the Calendar of Events to view the latest updates and information on upcoming educational events, conferences and learning opportunities. To access the calendar, visit http://unri.org/iufro/calendar

European i-Tree Conference Scheduled

by David Bloniarz - January 9th, 2015

i-tree_logoEuropean i-Tree Conference Scheduled for March 2015

ABOUT THE 2015 EUROPEAN i-TREE CONFERENCE

Assessing urban tree resources and the the ecosystem services and benefits these provide are crucial to urban forest management. i-Tree is a software suite from the USDA Forest Service (USA) that has been used since 2006 to calculate and economically valuate these ecosystem services. i-Tree has been used on individual trees, parcels, neighbor- hoods, cities, and even entire states. i-Tree is now being used around the world and have been modi- fied specifically to Australian and Canadian conditions.

The European i-Tree conference will discuss how i-Tree can be used in Europe and how i-Tree have been used around the world!

CONFERENCE DETAILS
Dates: 12 March 2015
Place: University of Agriculture, Alnarp, Sweden
Deadline for registration: 1 March 2014

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit www.i-tree.se for registration and more information or contact the conference coordinator Dr. Johan Östberg, johan.ostberg@slu.se

Visit www.i-tree.se for additional details.

Position Announcements

by David Bloniarz - January 9th, 2015

Post Doc Opportunity – Future Sustainable Urban Environments, at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

A two-year post doc is now available within the FUSE program, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The post can cover research within one or several of the following themes: Urban Greenery and Forestry in a Compact City; Systems Landscape – From Region to Urban Districts; and Transforming Urban Sites.

The successful applicant will be based at the Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management, SLU in Alnarp, southern Sweden.

Read the full announcement at: http://www.slu.se/sv/om-slu/fristaende-sidor/aktuellt/lediga-tjanster/las-mer/?eng=1&Pid=1716 .

Applications should be received by February 16th, 2015.


Soil Scientist – The Morton Arboretum

nominations and applications for a full-time Soil Scientist position, to conduct research in applied soil science, with emphasis on ecological approaches to optimizing soils for tree growth in urban and natural forest communities, are now being accepted by the Morton Arboretum. Research topics may emphasize the role of soil ecology in tree health, carbon and nutrient cycling and other soil processes, the impact of human activities on soil ecosystems, and the impacts of changing climate and management practices on soil community dynamics and ecosystem function.

Expectations include establishing an internationally recognized research program, publishing in scientific, professional, and popular journals; obtaining extramural funding; interacting with industry professionals and the scientific community; and contributing to Arboretum education and horticultural programs. There are opportunities for academic teaching and advising, with potential adjunct faculty status at area universities.

Qualifications: Ph.D. in soil science or related field; a strong background in sampling, analysis and experimental design; in-depth understanding of the regional and local geologic/geomorphic conditions as related to soil development and land management; familiarity with soil mapping and soil analysis procedures and interpretation as related to plant growth; thorough understanding of tree biology.

Applicants should send a letter of application and curriculum vitae to: The Morton Arboretum, Human Resources, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, IL 60532 or jobs@mortonarb.org. For further information or to nominate candidates, please contact Head of Research, Dr. Gary Watson, at 630-719-2415 or gwatson@mortonarb.org.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. For full consideration, submit application materials by January 31, 2015.

New Ph.D. Course Offered

by David Bloniarz - January 9th, 2015

Landscape Theory in Architectural and Planning Practice, Ph.D. Course

A Ph.D. course, Landscape Theory in Architectural and Planning Practice is being offered 7th April-5th June 2015, Alnarp, Sweden (7,5 ECTS)

The Department of Landscape Architecture, Planning and Management offers the PhD course Landscape Theory in Architectural and Planning Practice in spring 2015. If you are interested in the course, or have any requests, please contact Mattias Qviström: Mattias.qvistrom@slu.se

How you think about landscape can have a big effect on the way you plan, design and manage “landscape.” In concentrating on the relation between concepts and practice, the course seeks to provide the historical and philosophical background that is necessary for a reflexive practice of landscape architecture and planning. The course seeks to give the student insight into how to use critical theoretical concepts such as landscape, nature, place, space, … to inform and guide a landscape architectural and planning practice that is capable of wedding perspectives taken from the social and natural sciences and the humanities. A key insight the course aims to convey is an understanding of concepts not as fixed and finished, but as living and contested tools that enable the conception of new approaches to the planning practice of landscape architects and planners. The course examines this practice on three inter-linked levels; that of the region, that of the district and that of the local environment. Similarly, it addresses rural and urban, wild and cultivated landscapes. An important aspect of the course is the insight that society and its landscapes are not uniform, but are made of multiple cultures ranging from those of differing generations, which is why one focus in upon the landscapes of childhood and youth, to different classes and ethnicities.

Course Goals
The course’s goal is that the participants shall have attained:
insight into use of key theoretical concepts. ?
learn historical background for key concepts. ?
learn to wed perspectives taken from the social and natural sciences and the ?humanities. ?
learn to work at the region, the city and the local level. ?
develop the interface between working concepts and practice. ?

Course Content & Structure
The course is given on two levels, .master level and PhD-level. The readings, seminars, lectures and other course content and structure are shared by the two levels, but the demands and requirements between Master and PhD students differ somewhat.
The course has two phases:

Phase 1: Theoretical and conceptual questions.
This section has two interspersed parts:
a) Literature seminars based on assigned readings that are presented by the students
b)Lectures by staff and guest lectures.
The literature seminars and lectures are structured around the following themes:
• Landscape and nature
• Landscape
• Representations and reality/the map
• Children, planners and the city
• Place and space
• The right to landscape

Section 2: Empirical research and summary report.
During the first part of the course (7th April–11th May) there will be literature seminars and lectures in Alnarp two days a week. The second part of the course (12th May–29th May) consists of individual writing of a paper. Supervision can be arranged through telephone or Skype for external students.

Teachers and Lecturers:

Mattias Qviström, professor in landscape theory
Maria Kylin, associate professor
Vera Vicenzotti, senior lecturer
Emma Paulsson, PhD-student
Invited guest lecturers

Australia – New Zealand Forestry Conference Planned

by David Bloniarz - January 9th, 2015

anzifThe Australia-New Zealand Forestry Conference is planned to take place April 13-15, 2015 in Creswick, Victoria Australia. “Beyond tenure: managing forests across the landscape” is the theme for this upcoming conference. Forest management in Australia and New Zealand is undergoing rapid change driven by local economic, social and political restructuring and dynamic social and economic forces across the Asia Pacific region.

This conference aims to provide forest managers, owners, researchers and policy makers in all sectors from across Australia and New Zealand and the Asia Pacific region the opportunity to learn about the implications of these emerging issues for forests and forest management.

The program is designed to explore different sectors of forest management (such as fire management, conservation, timber, recreation, water production, urban forests or carbon forestry) through the lenses of transformative thinking, resilient systems and community and market-based approaches to management of different forest values.

Conference Details
Dates: April 13-15, 2015
Place: Creswick, Victoria Australia

Presentations and Abstracts
The Deadline for submittal is Friday 28 November 2014
To submit an abstract visit http://www.forestryconference.org.au/submit/submit-an-abstract

For More Information
Please visit www.forestryconference.org.au for registration and more information or contact the conference coordinator Professor Rod Keenan, The University of Melbourne, Conference Chairperson

Visit www.forestryconference.org.au for additional details.