14 Urban Forests and Habitat Elements

New York, New Orleans, Boston, Auckland, Seattle. These are just few of the world’s cities that developed in what were once forested landscapes. But now, that forest is gone and it has been replaced with roads, buildings, utility systems, and parking lots. Habitat lost, right? Well, yes, lost for some species, but not all. And with a bit of planning and forethought, even cities can provide habitat for a wide range of species, and even some of the same species that occupied the site before it became a city. Some habitat elements are provided serendipitously as a result of city development and others must be planned into the city system to ensure that they are effective, not ecological traps, and are sustainable. This chapter will focus on how an urban forester and a biologist can think collaboratively about providing habitat elements in the urban forest.

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Urban Forests and Habitat Elements from Wildlife Habitat Management