Download or read book Urban Forests written by Jill Jonnes and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-09-05 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Far-ranging and deeply researched, Urban Forests reveals the beauty and significance of the trees around us.” —Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction “Jonnes extols the many contributions that trees make to city life and celebrates the men and women who stood up for America’s city trees over the past two centuries. . . . An authoritative account.” —Gerard Helferich, The Wall Street Journal “We all know that trees can make streets look prettier. But in her new book Urban Forests, Jill Jonnes explains how they make them safer as well.” —Sara Begley, Time Magazine A celebration of urban trees and the Americans—presidents, plant explorers, visionaries, citizen activists, scientists, nurserymen, and tree nerds—whose arboreal passions have shaped and ornamented the nation’s cities, from Jefferson’s day to the present As nature’s largest and longest-lived creations, trees play an extraordinarily important role in our cities; they are living landmarks that define space, cool the air, soothe our psyches, and connect us to nature and our past. Today, four-fifths of Americans live in or near urban areas, surrounded by millions of trees of hundreds of different species. Despite their ubiquity and familiarity, most of us take trees for granted and know little of their fascinating natural history or remarkable civic virtues. Jill Jonnes’s Urban Forests tells the captivating stories of the founding mothers and fathers of urban forestry, in addition to those arboreal advocates presently using the latest technologies to illuminate the value of trees to public health and to our urban infrastructure. The book examines such questions as the character of American urban forests and the effect that tree-rich landscaping might have on commerce, crime, and human well-being. For amateur botanists, urbanists, environmentalists, and policymakers, Urban Forests will be a revelation of one of the greatest, most productive, and most beautiful of our natural resources.

Download or read book The Trees of San Francisco written by Michael Sullivan and published by Wilderness Press. This book was released on 2013-10-21 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Trees of San Francisco introduces readers to the rich variety of trees that thrive in San Francisco's unique conditions. San Francisco's cool Mediterranean climate has made it home to interesting and unusual trees from all over the world - trees as colorful and exotic as the city itself. This new guide combines engaging descriptions of sixty-five different trees with color photos that reflect the visual appeal of San Francisco. Each page covers a different tree, with several paragraphs of interesting text accompanied by one or two photos. Each entry for a tree also lists locations where "landmark" specimens of the tree can be found. Interspersed throughout the book are sidebar stories of general interest related to San Francisco's trees. Trees of San Francisco also includes a dozen tree tours that will link landmark trees and local attractions in interesting San Francisco neighborhoods such as the Castro, Pacific Heights and the Mission - walks that will appeal to tourists as well as Bay Area natives.

Download or read book Urban Forests and Trees written by Cecil C. Konijnendijk and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005-12-16 with total page 525 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This multidisciplinary book covers all aspects of planning, designing, establishing and managing forests and trees and forests in and near urban areas, with chapters by experts in forestry, horticulture, landscape ecology, landscape architecture and even plant pathology. Beginning with historical and conceptual basics, the coverage includes policy, design, implementation and management of forestry for urban populations.

Download or read book Trees for Urban Parks written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Trees in Urban Design written by Henry F. Arnold and published by Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 222 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues for using trees as living components to shape urban landscapes, rather than herding them into parks where artificial pastoral structures try to hide the city. The second edition includes new chapters on recently improved urban tree-planting techniques, and the economics and management of urban forestry. For architects and designers. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Download or read book Trees for Urban Parks written by and published by . This book was released on 1982 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Central Park Trees and Landscapes written by Edward S. Barnard and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2016-05-31 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The splendor of New York’s most famous green space comes alive in this essential companion for nature lovers and travelers to New York. In more than 900 color images, a leading nature writer and a long-time Central Park naturalist detail the park’s tree species and their place in the park’s iconic landscapes. They show how to identify trees by their needles and leaves as well as by their flowers, fruits, and bark. Historical maps illustrate Manhattan’s changing vegetation and depict the various stages of the park’s construction. Beautiful photographs of the park’s most outstanding trees and landscapes accompanied by historical vignettes conjure the people and events that brought the trees to the park and helped create this urban oasis. More than a botanical guide, this book cultivates an appreciation of the park as both a natural triumph and an embodiment of the city’s varied spirit.

Download or read book Seeing Trees written by Sonja Dümpelmann and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-08 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating and beautifully illustrated volume that explains what street trees tell us about humanity’s changing relationship with nature and the city Today, cities around the globe are planting street trees to mitigate the effects of climate change. However, as landscape historian Sonja Dümpelmann explains, this is not a new phenomenon. In her eye-opening work, Dümpelmann shows how New York City and Berlin began systematically planting trees to improve the urban climate during the nineteenth century, presenting the history of the practice within its larger social, cultural, and political contexts. A unique integration of empirical research and theory, Dümpelmann’s richly illustrated work uncovers this important untold story. Street trees—variously regarded as sanitizers, nuisances, upholders of virtue, economic engines, and more—reflect the changing relationship between humans and nonhuman nature in urban environments. Offering valuable insights and frameworks, this authoritative volume will be an important resource for years to come.

Download or read book New York City Trees written by and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This pocket-sized gem is dedicated to the idea that every species of tree has a story and every individual tree has a history. Includes stories of New York City's trees, complete with photos, tree silhouettes, and leaf and fruit morphologies.

Download or read book The Great Kapok Tree written by Lynne Cherry and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2000 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The many different animals that live in a great Kapok tree in the Brazilian rainforest try to convince a man with an ax of the importance of not cutting down their home.

Download or read book Shading Our Cities written by American Forestry Association and published by . This book was released on 1989-10 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shading Our Cities is a handbook to help neighborhood groups, local officials, and city planners develop urban forestry projects, not only to beautify their cities, but also to reduce energy demand, improve air quality, protect water supplies, and contribute to healthier living conditions.

Download or read book Growth and Ecosystem Services of Urban Trees written by Thomas Rötzer and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 1 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerous studies indicate an accelerated growth of forest trees, induced by ongoing climate change. Similar trends were recently found for urban trees in major cities worldwide. Studies frequently report about substantial effects of climate change and the urban heat island effect (UHI) on plant growth. The combined effects of increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extended growing season lengths, in addition to increasing nitrogen deposition and higher CO2 concentrations, can increase but also reduce plant growth. Closely related to this, the multiple functions and services provided by urban trees may be modified. Urban trees generate numerous ecosystem services, including carbon storage, mitigation of the heat island effect, reduction of rainwater runoff, pollutant filtering, recreation effects, shading, and cooling. The quantity of the ecosystem services is often closely associated with the species, structure, age, and size of the tree as well as with a tree's vitality. Therefore, greening cities, and particularly planting trees, seems to be an effective option to mitigate climate change and the UHI. The focus of this Special Issue is to underline the importance of trees as part of the urban green areas for major cities in all climate zones. Empirical as well as modeling studies of urban tree growth and their services and disservices in cities worldwide are included. Articles about the dynamics, structures, and functions of urban trees as well as the influence of climate and climate change on urban tree growth, urban species composition, carbon storage, and biodiversity are also discussed.

Download or read book Trees at Risk Reclaiming an Urban Forest written by Evelyn Herwitz and published by . This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Journal of Political Ecology, Vol. 8Trees At Risk: Reclaiming an Urban Forest, by Evelyn Herwitz. Worcester, MA: Chandler House Press, Inc (2001), iv, 200 pp.Reviewed by Brent Evans and Carolyn Chipman Evans, Cibolo Nature Center, Boerne, TXEvelyn Herwitz has contributed a major historical work with a strong environmental message in Trees At Risk: Reclaiming an Urban Forest. The City of Worcester, MA serves as the focal point for this evolving story of grassroots negligence and activism. The author is adept at uncovering the societal and industrial forces that carved a city out of the wilderness, and sometimes molded a little of the wilderness back into the city.An ambitious work, the book is a 200-page treasure with 16 pages of color photos, and numerous illustrations throughout. Nature lovers will also appreciate the occasional botanical information and illustrations of native trees.Trees At Risk is both a hopeful blueprint and a cautionary tale of what cities can do to protect and promote their urban forests, and what can happen if they do not. Ms. Herwitz is a skilled historian, but also a masterful wordsmith. For example: On a chill December afternoon when the hardwoods stand barren, their fallen leaves but sodden dregs of autumn's gold, Worcester's hues are clay and stone. Viewed from Mount St. James, once home to native Nipmucs, now to the College of the Holy Cross, the muted city melds with the dun-colored woodlands of surrounding hills - its red-brick factory buildings and cement offices crowding the valley floor, a glass-and-steel bank tower mirroring winter's slate sky, white and frown and beige three-deckers climbing rocky hillsides, the charcoal-gray swath of I-290snaking over streets.Come spring, though, there is green. First, a fine misting of chartreuse as the weeping willows unfurl their buds, then a wash of emerald as the sugar and Norway maples, the ashes, oaks and ginkgoes spread their leaves, until Worcester's swarthy face is softened by a sylvan veil. A city of aging factories and dreams of renewal, of ethnic pride and paternalism, of grit, ingenuity and determination, Worcester is also a city of trees.Her work reaches far beyond Worcester though, in its lessons and implications. She looks at the national picture of demising urban forests. Statistics abound: "the average life of a city tree is only 32 years - 13 if planted downtown - far short of the 150-year average life span of trees in rural settings." What's more, city tree planting and maintenance budgets have been slashed nationwide, and urban parks are also at risk. The story of the threat to Worcester's trees is the story of the relationship between Americans and nature - at times exploitative, at times romantic, and occasionally reverent. She gives a clear history of the local native landscape, and its gradual civilization. And, throughout the work she provides wonderful snippets of historical significance, like the quote from Genesis that English settlers liked to use to justify their taking of Native land: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." But, the settlers proved far more accomplished at subduing than replenishing, as have their offspring, even to this day.The sad history of the wasting of trees, deforestation, and industrial transformation are detailed, as are early conservation efforts in the mid-eighteenth century, and the first use ofpublic funds for tree planting, a century later. She follows the trend of the romantic ideal of pastoral land in rural cemetery design, through to the "Greening or Worcester" in 1885 with the planting of 500 trees by the Worcester Grange.The book traces the urban parks movement, and the inevitable growing demand for green space as the city expanded. Then, it chronicles the turn of the century, and the theme of "Wilderness Squandered." As the Worcester case study continues, Ms. Herwitz examined politics, the railroad, the Hurricane of "38, the Great Depression, ethnic politics and public parks, the Chestnut Blight, and Dutch Elm Disease.As the 20th century gathered momentum, the early precursors to land use controls and planned communities are seen and followed up to current times. As budget cuts and benign neglect took hold, a legacy was being squandered, and the trend was national. "A 1991 survey of urban tree care programs in 20 major American cities by the national conservation group American Forests revealed that nearly three-fourths of those communities had cut back funding for street trees, despite the fact that they had collectively planted only abut one tree for every four needed just to maintain their current tree census."Thus, the powerful story of an urban forest, lost and found again and again, teaches us to open our eyes in our own hometowns. The author then calls us to action, using global numbers that we have almost grown numb to: In the past 50 years, global deforestation and exponential acceleration of fossil fuel consumption and methane gas production have raised the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to about 25 to 30 % above levels that have prevailed for thepast 160,000 years, and could double by the 21st century.The arctic ice cap has thinned by 42%.The world's coral reefs have thinned by 27%.Rainforests could disappear in 25 - 30 years.Air pollution, acid rainIt all adds up, or maybe we should say, it all subtracts, down, down, down.But, she also provides us with hope. She points to good stewardship in Milwaukee, and other positive examples around the country. And, she discusses modern economic forces that are driven by the pressure of population growth and basic human nature. These economic forces are then seen as possible sources of support for the future of our urban forests.Our suggestion is that our cities do in fact have the economic and technological resources to grow magnificent urban forests, but they lack the political will. Further, we would say that political will, rooted in the minds and hearts of the public, can be won through education. There is an old Chinese proverb: "Think one year ahead - plant rice; think ten years ahead - plant trees; think one-hundred years ahead - educate people."And, we would finally suggest that North America's 1200+ nature centers are good places to look to. Nature centers teach environmental values, and are vital members of their communities. While school districts may be slow to advocate for social action or conservation, nature centers are busily doing just that.The education of all citizens, not just the young and not-yet-enfranchised, but the adults, the property owners, the industrial leaders, and our civic representatives - all need education. However, sending them facts and figures, and even sending them this wonderful book, will probably not do the trick. They spend the vast majority oftheir lives indoors. They need contact with nature. If you want to educate someone about the value of trees, take them to an arboretum, or a nature center, or a fabulous old urban park. Once inspired, Trees At Risk can help any community organizer understand what mistakes to avoid, what social forces are in play, and just how much truly is at risk.Evelyn Herwitz deserves the thanks of all the tree-huggers, tree-lovers, and even those not yet educated and inspired. As a boy, Brent's one great and often expressed fear of growing up was that he might someday no longer want to climb trees. Well, he's 54, and still climbing (every now and then)!

Download or read book Street Trees in Britain written by Mark Johnston and published by Windgather Press. This book was released on 2017-07-31 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The trees which line many of the streets in our towns and cities can often be regarded as part of a heritage landscape. Despite the difficult conditions of an urban environment, these trees may live for 100 years or more and represent Ôliving historyÕ in the midst of our modern streetscapes. This is the first book on the history of BritainÕs street trees and it gives a highly readable, authoritative and often amusing account of their story, from the tree-lined promenades of the seventeenth century to the majestic boulevards that grace some of our modern city centers. The impact of the Victorian street tree movement is examined, not only in the major cities but also in the rapidly developing suburbs that continued to expand through the twentieth century. There are fascinating descriptions of how street trees have helped to improve urban conditions in spa towns and seaside resorts and also in visionary initiatives such as the model villages, garden cities, garden suburbs and new towns. While much of the book focuses on the social and cultural history of our street trees, the last three chapters look at the practicalities of how these trees have been engineered into concrete landscapes. This includes the many threats to street trees over the years, such as pollution, conflict with urban infrastructure, pests and diseases and what is probably the greatest threat in recent times Ð the dramatic growth in car ownership. Street Trees in Britain will have particular appeal to those interested in heritage landscapes, urban history and the natural and built environment. Some of its themes were introduced in the authorÕs previous work, the widely acclaimed Trees in Towns and Cities: A History of British Urban Arboriculture.

Download or read book Trees and Shrubs of Central Park written by Louis Harman Peet and published by Legare Street Press. This book was released on 2023-07-18 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautiful and detailed guide to the trees and shrubs found in Central Park, New York. The author covers over 170 species of trees and shrubs, including their history, uses, and how to identify them. They also cover the history of Central Park and how it was designed to ensure the best habitat for trees and other plants. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in urban parks, landscaping, or the beauty of nature. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Download or read book Strong Towns written by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new way forward for sustainable quality of life in cities of all sizes Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Build American Prosperity is a book of forward-thinking ideas that breaks with modern wisdom to present a new vision of urban development in the United States. Presenting the foundational ideas of the Strong Towns movement he co-founded, Charles Marohn explains why cities of all sizes continue to struggle to meet their basic needs, and reveals the new paradigm that can solve this longstanding problem. Inside, you’ll learn why inducing growth and development has been the conventional response to urban financial struggles—and why it just doesn’t work. New development and high-risk investing don’t generate enough wealth to support itself, and cities continue to struggle. Read this book to find out how cities large and small can focus on bottom-up investments to minimize risk and maximize their ability to strengthen the community financially and improve citizens’ quality of life. Develop in-depth knowledge of the underlying logic behind the “traditional” search for never-ending urban growth Learn practical solutions for ameliorating financial struggles through low-risk investment and a grassroots focus Gain insights and tools that can stop the vicious cycle of budget shortfalls and unexpected downturns Become a part of the Strong Towns revolution by shifting the focus away from top-down growth toward rebuilding American prosperity Strong Towns acknowledges that there is a problem with the American approach to growth and shows community leaders a new way forward. The Strong Towns response is a revolution in how we assemble the places we live.

Download or read book Urban Trees written by Leonard E. Phillips and published by McGraw-Hill Companies. This book was released on 1993 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Plus, easy-to-use appendices round out your knowledge by providing botanical descriptions and illustrations of each recommended street tree, charts of the species that have been successfully planted in different U.S. and Canadian cities, and comparisons of the services and budgets of various municipal forestry departments.