Raquel speaks at UQAM of her work in Southern Brazil on improving urban tree management
Using her experiences in Southern Brazil as a case study, Raquel spoke today about the importance of extension projects to help municipalities better plan and manage urban trees. The project was designed to 1) complete a tree inventory and identify current urban tree problems, 2) disseminate appropriate practices and strategies to both the municipality and the population to improve urban tree management, and 3) plant trees in partnership with the population. Overall, 1159 trees belonging to 66 different species were inventoried and evaluated, 400 new trees were planted with the help of the community, and several health problems/issues were identified – most stemming from a lack of planning and proper management from the city. Training was offered to the municipal staff to help mitigate these issues in the future and results of the study were shared directly with the municipality and the population, allowing them to interact directly on the subject, ask questions, and harbor a sense of involvement related to the trees in their city. The project provides evidence that extension projects can help cities improve their planning and management of urban trees and allow for more interaction between universities and cities.
Great job Raquel! A fantastic talk on a very important subject. Check out the project’s social media page at the link below.