Course objective: to provide background on the many challenges facing those charged with the responsibility of managing urban forest ecosystems. A major theme will be the need to address these challenges within the context of planning and legislative processes.

The Urban Forest Conservation course will provide the background, challenges, opportunities, and solutions to planning and managing urban forests and green infrastructure. The course is built on two interrelated components: the theoretical and the practical/hands-on parts. Through the lectures, the course will introduce students to a range of topics from the historical and existing roles of trees and green spaces in urban environments; socio-economic and environmental benefits of the urban forest and green infrastructure; urban forest relevant policies and urban forest inventories; management and planning; ecological and social drivers of urban forests; components of the urban forest and green infrastructure; urban forest sustainability, various components of green infrastructure to potential conservation and remedial measures. The course topics will be illustrated by real-life examples, guest lectures, and the most recent trends in urban forest management and conservation. By building on such knowledge, background, and critical thinking, students will be connected with the practical needs and will identify and work on specific problems related to urban forestry. They will gain hands-on experience in applied urban forest conservation, urban forest management, restoration, and stewardship and will propose solutions to real-world urban forest problems.