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ENV 341/441 Urban Forests as Social-Ecological Systems |
Course Description
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Urban forests include all the trees, forests, and greenspaces in cities and towns. Urban forest management, or urban forestry, is the discipline/profession that seeks to plan and manage this green infrastructure in order to provide ecological, economic, and social benefits to all residents. Trees and vegetation have long been protected and planted in cities and towns for a variety of reasons. Recently, urban forestry has expanded to be a lead focus in the broader arena of urban ecology and urban ecosystem management, with a clear goal of creating sustainable ecosystems. This course will look at urban forests through the lens of social-ecological systems (SESs) of linked human and natural components, with a focus on teaching students the basic skills of urban forest management. The course will utilize the talents of a number of guest speakers and field experience facilitators who are professionals in urban forestry to give students a practical, real world introduction to the subject. The DePaul University campus and the City of Chicago and surrounding region will serve as our field laboratory to view an actively managed urban forest.
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Students in SQ16 ENV 341 learning to climb trees from Davey Tree Company arborists Don Roppollo and Mark Noark.
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