In the context of intensifying global change, optimizing and maintaining the ecosystem services provided by urban forests is a key issue. In Canada, the lack of adequate tools to guide urban forest management practices makes the situation particularly critical. In order to address this shortcoming, the present project aims to describe, with greater precision, the performance of different species under a variety of growing conditions found in urban contexts, as well as to improve our theoretical understanding of how urban forests function at different organizational scales. Using terrestrial lidar-based methods, allometric equations for a range of species and growing sites will be developed to estimate traits associated with key services such as carbon storage and microclimate cooling. A framework based on ecosystem allometry and other biophysical ecosystem theories will also be developed to help establish causal links between grey infrastructure and the ecological integrity of urban forests. These tools will be a key step in accurately assessing the state of Canada's urban forests, helping to better inform the implementation of new management strategies.
