Barriers and opportunities for resilient and sustainable urban forests

As cities heat up and expand in area and population, urban forests offer a nature-based solution to enhance liveability and reduce rising temperatures in cities. However, urban forests are vulnerable to climate change and face costly establishment and maintenance challenges. Here we explore four key ecological and socioeconomic barriers to achieving resilient urban forests: species selection, tree supply, tree life cycle (establishment and maintenance, including irrigation) and community engagement. We discuss how integrating traditional urban forestry practices with emerging technology offers a holistic approach to creating resilient, sustainable urban forests that can adapt to climate change while meeting community needs.

Esperon-Rodriguez, M., R. Gallagher, C. Calfapietra, P. Cariñanos, C. Dobbs, A. A. Eleuterio, D. Esperon Rodriguez, A. Jahani, E. Litvak, S. J. Livesley, G. Manoli, R. M. Marchin, T. McPhearson, C. Messier, J. Östberg, L. A. Roman, A. Russo, M. Saff ariha, C. Shackleton, H. Sjöman, I. Solfjeld, J. Susskind, J.-C. Svenning, N. van Doorn, B. Wiström, J. Yang, and M. G. Tjoelker. 2025. Barriers and opportunities for resilient and sustainable urban forests. Nature Cities 2(4):290–298.