Urban forestry at the University of Toronto focuses on urban trees and the benefits their canopy provides. Our research spans from urban to peri-urban to rural landscapes and their interfaces. We also focus on conservation, restoration and long-term strategic planning and management of trees, woodlots, forests, green-areas and green systems that support biodiversity and environmental protection; sustain cultural landscapes and their urban and rural communities; provide a range of ecological goods and services; and support and enhance human health and well-being.
Emphasis is also placed on:
- Planning and management of urban and community forests
- Spatial conservation planning
- Landscape ecology and landscape planning
- Design and planning of green systems and green-areas networks
- Estimating ecological and monetary values of forests and green areas
- Quantifying urban forests and green systems in the context of green infrastructure
- Defining landscape and vegetation reference conditions
- Spatial prioritization of restoration
- Predictive modeling and mapping of forest, vegetation and species distributions under current and future environmental and climate conditions
- Predictive modeling and mapping of historical (pre-settlement) vegetation distribution and landscape conditions
- Development of landscape and forest monitoring criteria and indicators utilizing information technology (GPS, GIS and remote sensing)
- Spatial analysis techniques, spatial prioritization and optimization tools.