Training the future leaders in urban forestry (Ufor)

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More than 80% of Canadians live in urban areas, and urban forests (UF) are often the only nature that people will experience on a regular basis. These urban trees and forests provide many direct and indirect benefits to city dwellers that are just starting to be realised. The arrival of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), a non-native insect from Asia, into eastern North America has decimated urban tree populations (with more than 20% loss for many large cities like Montréal and Ottawa). This has increased the awareness of the value of UF among politicians and residents. Because planning and managing UF require a broad perspective that encompasses many fields, no single research domain or training program can adequately prepare graduate students for the challenges they will face in the workplace. This poses a challenge from an educational and training perspective. Traditionally, management of UF in Canada is done by foresters, landscape architects,arborists and horticulturists who have little training in urban ecology, biology, restoration, soil science, hydrology or social and economic sciences. Well-qualified professional leaders who can manage UF in novel urban ecosystems that are shaped by complex socio-cultural and economic conditions are rare in Canada and across the globe. Ufor (or Urban Forestry space training program or ForU in french for "formation en Foresterie Urbaine") aims to increase the supply of this type of highly-qualitified professional. The development of a broad-perspective expertise in the planning and management of urban trees and forests that provide the bulk of ecosystem services in cities, as well as includes aspects of natural, social and health sciences, will provide a substantial career-long asset for our trainees, with corresponding long-term benefits to Canadians.