FCCP publishes white paper and hyper-realistic urban tree visualization summarizing the impact of Emerald Ash Borer in Detroit, MI
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EmailFCCP researchers and communication specialists published a white paper and a hyper-realistic urban tree visualization to help address urban forest inequities in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
FCCP researchers and communications specialists, Daphna Gadoth-Goodman and Evan Beresford, in collaboration with American Forests and the USDA Forest Service, published a white paper to help bridge science and practice gaps to support the City of Detroit’s efforts to address urban forest inequities and improve understanding of the role of urban forests in climate change mitigation and adaptation. The white paper summarizes trends and challenges related to post-Emerald Ash Borer outbreaks, the biophysical and cultural benefits of urban tree canopies, particularly in linkages to a changing climate, and highlights the valuable work American Forests is doing with the Roots of Rock program and the Tree Equity Score tool to support urban canopy maintenance and address neighborhood inequities. 
Led by Em Esch, FCCP communication specialist, and Aidan Ackerman, associate professor of landscape architecture at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the project team developed a hyper-realistic urban tree visualization. This innovative knowledge transfer tool utilizes hyper-realistic urban landscapes and tree visualization to provide experiential learning and communicate a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of urban canopy loss as well as the benefits of restoration for well-being and climate. This video was developed through the Forest + Climate Visualization Partnership.
Lastly, this project provided five scholarships for urban practitioners, including urban forestry specialists, emerging city planners and developers to enroll in the FCCP Urban Forests and Climate Change professional development course. This train-the-trainers model of education encourages scaling of impact by supporting the readiness, response, and restoration planning and the connection of urban forestry to green jobs in support of long-term urban canopy maintenance and climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
This project was made possible through funding from the USDA Forest Service & National Association of State Foresters, State Urban Forest Resilience Grant Program in collaboration with American Forests and co-developed by the Forest + Climate Visualization Partnership
About the Urban Forests and Climate Change Course
Urban Forests and Climate Change explores the ways in which urban forestry can improve climate change resilience while providing myriad benefits to both ecological and social communities. Learners will gain a comprehensive understanding of the roles urban forest management and sustainable wood construction play in climate change mitigation, highlighting key obstacles and opportunities specific to urban and municipal-level forestry. The course identifies unique themes and addresses the ways in which urban forests can be impacted by climate change as well as how management can be used as a tool to reduce social inequities, improve human health and well-being, and reduce environmental and community vulnerability to climate-induced stressors.
