What is the urban forest?

The urban forest includes all the trees in a community. Often trees are planted as individuals in urban environments. However, a healthy urban forest is best managed as an entire forest ecosystem. Trees create shade which lowers summer temperatures in cities, and reduce storm runoff, which minimizes flooding. When cities manage trees properly, they can provide additional benefits such as protection from high winds. After a hurricane, communities have the opportunity to rebuild and plan the urban forest so that future storms are less devastating.