Photo: Mattia Bericchia (Unsplash)

In face of the challenges brought by urbanisation and climate change, more and more experts are pointing to a simple yet extremely effective solution: nature. For this reason, cities across the world have started implementing urban forests to address many environmental issues. However, urban forests have even a greater potential: not only do they produce important benefits for the environment, but also for the economy and for people’s health and wellbeing. Thanks to their multidisciplinary nature, urban forests are key allies in the achievement of many SDGs.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, Uforest promotes knowledge and innovation in urban forestry, with the aim to increase the capacity of higher education institutions, start-ups, and entrepreneurs to support EU cities in the achievement of sustainability goals. Bringing together leading universities and experts, as well as public administrations, businesses, and organisations with different backgrounds, Uforest wants to explore the multidisciplinary nature of urban forestry and foster entrepreneurship in this field.

With the aim to disuss the potential of urban forests for greener, healthier, and more sustainable cities, on the 15th of February 2023 Uforest invites you to the hybrid event “Urban forests between challenges and opportunities”. Organised by Uforest’ partners Politecnico di Milano and ERSAF, with the support of Etifor, the event will present the Uforest project and its international Alliance on urban forestry. At the same time, this event represents an opportunity to discuss urban forests as innovative and effective Nature-based Solution to many environmental, social, and economic challenges. Finally, with the participation of international experts from the Uforest partnership, the event will present challenges and opportunities in the urban forestry sector. Among them, keynote speaker Nadina Galle from Green City Watch will discuss the use of technology in the management and development of urban forests.

• 09:30 – 10:00 | Welcome and registration
• 10:00 – 10:30 | Introduction to the Uforest project: aims and opportunities (ERSAF)
• 10:30 – 10:45 | Learning with Uforest: opportunities for students (Politecnico di Milano)
• 10:45 – 11: 00 | Innovation in urban forestry: a pathway to maximising the benefits of urban forests (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and CREAF)
• 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee break
• 11:15 – 11:30 | Unlocking the potential of urban forests: guidelines for implementation of effective urban forestry solutions (European Forest Institute)
• 11:30 – 12:15 | Tree planting in urban contexts: the experience of ERSAF, WOWnature and Forestami
• 12:15 – 12:45 | Meet the innovators plugging into the Internet of Nature with Nadina Galle (Green City Watch)
• 12:45 – 13:00 | Q&A

On the 15th of February 2023, from 10:00 to 13:00

At the Politecnico di Milano, aula Castigliano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32 – Edificio 5 and online

This is a free event, but participants need to register