Urban Forest Patches

Photo Credit

Sarah Low

Forest Service scientists Rich Hallett (left) and Nancy Falxa Sonti on an urban forest patch.

In Baltimore, Maryland, 28% of the land is covered by trees, and almost a third of the trees are in small patches of forest. These patches, along with the rest of the city’s trees, help cool neighborhoods, soak up rainwater, and improve people’s health and well-being. City trees are also homes and food sources for animals and they give people a chance to enjoy nature.

Many cities protect and take care of their green spaces. But in cities, there is still a lot to learn about taking care of forested areas and keeping them healthy.

Scientists in Baltimore are studying forest patches and trying out new ideas to help them stay healthy. This work is not just about city forests; it also helps us understand how to take care of forests outside of cities since all forests face challenges like climate change and invasive species.

Key Findings

• Just like larger rural forests, urban forest patches provide services that people rely on such as storing carbon and absorbing rainwater.
• Urban forest patches are formed by the interactions of people, plants, animals, and non-living environmental factors. These interactions create a system where people and nature come together.
• Even though urban forest patches have problems like invasive species and deer herbivory, most of them also have a majority of trees that are native to the area. These trees are growing well, and the soils are generally healthy.
• The soils in Baltimore’s urban forest patches have higher levels of nutrients and metals than rural forest patches. After two decades, Baltimore’s forest soils are changing and becoming less acidic.
• Even with urban environmental stressors, these soils can support healthy white oak seedling growth.
• People who live near forest patches in Baltimore feel some of the calming effects that come from being around nature, even if they don’t go into the woods themselves. Some people also feel uncomfortable about forest patches because they think of urban nature as disorderly and unpredictable. 

Photo Credit

USDA Forest Service Photo by Nancy Sonti

A sign for the Springfield Woods forest patch in Baltimore. 

Approach

Northern Research Station scientists at the Baltimore Urban Field Station are partnering with schools and nonprofits to study forest patches in and around Baltimore. The researchers are collecting information about how big the patches are, what plants are there, and how healthy the soil is. They have also looked at how people use these green spaces and what they mean to different communities in both Baltimore and New York City.

The scientists have teamed up with Baltimore Green Space and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County to figure out who owns forest patches and how healthy the plants and soils are. By collecting data from lots of different forest patches, the scientists can see how things like size, location, and past land use affect what plants grow in forest patches, how well they are growing, and how healthy the ecosystem is.

Healthy soils in forest patches do important jobs like soaking up water, storing carbon, and decomposing dead plants and animals. A good soil system also helps plants and tree fight diseases and survive tough conditions like drought and heatwaves. The research team is studying how things like nutrients and earthworms change in city soils over time, and how city soil breaks down leaves and wood compared with soils in more rural areas.

Outcomes

• The research team has worked with Baltimore Green Space to create a forest patch first aid guide and a way to evaluate urban forest patch health.
• By exchanging information with people who take care of green spaces (also known as stewards), the research team is learning about what urban forests need.
• Mapping urban forest patches will help the scientists understand how historical land use has influenced where forest patches are located today.
• Knowing who owns forested land in cities helps the research team think about how to protect forest patches and keep them healthy for future generations.