In cities, patches of remnant and regenerating forest are hotspots of biodiversity that provide both social and ecological benefits. In addition to biogeophysical conditions that affect rural forests, urban forest patches are also subject to social influences on their composition, condition, and functions. Therefore, there is a need for multi-scale studies that compare trends in forest biodiversity among cities while also considering social context of forest patches. We have convened a group of ecological and social scientists and urban land managers to develop a framework for drivers of change in this dynamic system, and to synthesize long-term data describing both social and ecological change in five metropolitan areas of the United States: Baltimore, Washington DC, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. To empirically expand this framework, we are integrating remotely sensed data and extensive field measurements to identify changes in the composition and condition of urban forest patches over time and across urban-to-rural gradients. Socioeconomic and housing data, management and stewardship datasets, and manager knowledge are also being used to understand management approaches to forest condition, and how management and stewardship affect the composition and condition of forest communities.
Results/Conclusions
We will present a preliminary framework for drivers of change over time urban forest patches, informed by perspectives from urban, landscape, and forest ecology, social science, civic stewardship, and land management decision-making. Our conceptual framework envisions urban forest patches as the center of socio-ecological systems. Results will be applicable not only to our five study cities, whose managers and stewards serve a combined population of more than 12 million people, but also to municipalities that face similar challenges.