Recognizing the Role of Forests in Urban Climate Mitigation and Adaptation: State of the Art, Lessons Learned, and the Way Forward

Abstract

Research on nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, and ecosystem services to support climate action in cities has proliferated over the past decade. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the unique features of urban forests under climate change. This paper addresses this gap by providing an integrative critical review of 44 articles published during the 2000-2020 period. The review allowed us to identify three key themes that require further research: (1) the need to strengthen the framing of urban forests under climate change in the light of other discourses; (2) the need to better understand the complexity of urban forest benefits and exposures, and (3) the need to facilitate further knowledge integration to support more informed and inclusive decision making. The paper concludes by highlighting prospects for collaboration across science, policy, and practice contexts.