Treesearch

BACKGROUND: At a time of increasing disconnectedness from nature, scientific interest in the potential health benefits of nature contact has grown. Research in recent decades has yielded substantial evidence, but large gaps remain in our understanding. OBJECTIVES: We propose a research agenda on nature contact and health, identifying principal domains of research and key questions that, if answered, would provide the basis for evidence-based public health interventions. DISCUSSION: We identify research questions in seven domains: a) mechanistic biomedical studies; b) exposure science; c)...

Agroforestry, the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal production systems, is being deployed to enhance productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship of agricultural operations and lands across the United States. This assessment provides a science-based synthesis on the use of agroforestry for mitigation and adaptation services in the face of climatic variability and change. It provides technical input to land-use sector issues in the National Climate Assessment (NCA) and serves as a framework for including agroforestry systems in agricultural...

Decades of research studies demonstrate links between healthy environment, healthy lifestyles, and healthy people. This study evaluated the correlations between young adult conservation workers’ perceived stress, personal effectiveness, and nature experience using quantitative and qualitative social science methods. The study cohort numbered nearly 300 individuals serving on small crews for an entire year, and were dispersed across Washington State (USA) to participate in conservation projects in rural to urban landscapes. Pre- and post-test surveys, using validated measures of perceived...

This book is a first edition technical handbook on a topic that is gaining ever greater attention around the world – urban forestry. Written for international audiences, the book covers a range of conceptual and technical content, including urban forest assessment, planning, and best management practices. Chapters address the full scale of city tree knowledge, from arboricultural activity concerning individual trees to operations across an entire city. Authors were invited to contribute by the editors based on their expertise, so the volume contains the best available science and knowledge...

We question the growth arrestment hypothesis for bow stave removal used by indigenous people in the western Great Basin. Using modern understanding of tree growth and wound response, we suggest that growth would not be arrested by one or two transverse notches along a juniper stem. Rather these would trigger compartmentalization, which limits cambial death to within 10 cm of the wound, and wound closure. Seasoning on the stem, as suggested by the hypothesis, would not occur as 90% of the cambium between the notches would remain alive. Further, wound closure growth ("wound wood") is...

The magazine article is an informal review of a wide range of research, spanning multiple decades, concerning human health benefits derived from experiences of nearby nature in urbanized places. The actionable information is aimed at professional, manager, and concerned citizen audiences who may have an interest in urban design and planning, as well as urban forestry. A framework of benefits is presented, including Active Living, Stress Reduction, Mental Health and Function, Healing and Therapy, and Social Cohesion. In addition, the article offers suggestions for integrating the research...

This magazine article is an informal review of a wide range of research, spanning multiple decades, concerning human health benefits derived from experiences of nearby nature in urbanized places. The actionable information is aimed at professional and manager audiences who may have an interest in urban design and planning, as well as urban forestry. Urban parks range in scale from large regional parks that are destinations for recreation, to local parks that contain natural areas and sports facilities, to small parks that serve a specific community or neighborhood, including pocket parks....

An enduring paradox for the management of public lands is the need to accommodate increasing levels of human uses while reducing the environmental impacts of those uses. Historically, land management agencies used standard practices and principles of outdoor recreation management like recreation carrying capacity, limits of acceptable change, recreation opportunity spectrum, and scenery management system (Hendee et al. 1990, Manning 2010). But most of these principles are dated. This book provides a case study of integrated approach to understanding and planning for human uses in a large,...

The previous chapters in this book build on over three decades of work studying human-landscape interactions and associated conflicts, as well as policy related to protection of special places, wildland values, and human experiences. We believe that the approach recommended to the Forest Service in chapter 19 has merits beyond the region of Prince William Sound. Finally, through the course of putting this volume together, three interconnected themes emerged that are vital when managing for the sustainable use of wildlands. Those themes are as follows: • Sustainable use of management...

Many plant seeds travel on the wind and through animal ingestion or adhesion; however, an overlooked dispersal mode may lurk within those dispersal modes. Viable seeds may remain attached or embedded within materials birds gather for nest building. Our objective was to determine if birds inadvertently transport seeds when they forage for plant materials to build, insulate, and line nests. We also hypothesized that nest-mediated dispersal might be particularly useful for plants that use mating systems with self-fertilized seeds embedded in their stems. We gathered bird nests in temperate...