Wild Urban Woodlands - New Perspectives for Urban Forestry

The outstanding social and ecological roles of urban forests in the growth of cities has become widely known. In many parts of the world, despite or even because of continuing suburbanization, initiatives are being put forth to preserve urban forests, to develop them further and to make them acc- sible to the public. This volume focuses on a particular component of the urban forest - trix - urban wild woodlands. We understand these to be stands of woody plants, within the impact area of cities, whose form is characterized by trees and in which a large leeway for natural processes makes possible a convergence toward wilderness. The wilderness character of these urban woodlands can vary greatly. We differentiate between two kinds of w- derness. The "old wilderness" is the traditional one; it may return slowly to woodland areas when forestry use has been abandoned. The enhancement of wilderness is a task already demanded of urban and peri-urban forestry in many places. This book would like to direct the attention of the reader to a second kind of wilderness, which we call "new wilderness." This arises on heavily altered urban-industrial areas where abandonment of use makes such change possible. The wild nature of urban abandoned areas was discovered in the 1970s through urban-ecological research. Since then, in a very short time, profound structural changes in industrial countries have led to h- dreds or thousands of hectares in urbanized areas becoming available for natural colonization processes.

List of contents

Wild woodlands as a new component of urban forests.- Wild Urban Woodlands: Towards a Conceptual Framework.- New Perspectives for Urban Forests: Introducing Wild Woodlands.- Attitudes towards wild woodlands.- Attitudes towards Wilderness and Public Demands on Wilderness Areas.- Surrogate Nature or Wilderness? Social Perceptions and Notions of Nature in an Urban Context.- Nature for People: The Importance of Green Spaces to Communities in the East Midlands of England.- Living in the Urban Wildwoods: A Case Study of Birchwood, Warrington New Town, UK.- Use and Perception of Post-Industrial Urban Landscapes in the Ruhr.- People Working for Nature in the Urban Forest.- Ecological studies.- Nature Returns to Abandoned Industrial Land: Monitoring Succession in Urban-Industrial Woodlands in the German Ruhr.- Spontaneous Development of Peri-Urban Woodlands in Lignite Mining Areas of Eastern Germany.- Ecological Networks for Bird Species in the Wintering Season Based on Urban Woodlands.- Conceptual approaches and projects.- Nature Conservation, Forestry, Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation: Perspectives for a Conceptual Alliance.- Approaches for Developing Urban Forests from the Cultural Context of Landscapes in Japan.- Strategies between Intervening and Leaving Room.- "New Wilderness" as an Element of the Peri-Urban Landscape.- Forests for Shrinking Cities? The Project "Industrial Forests of the Ruhr".- Post-Industrial Nature in the Coal Mine of Göttelborn, Germany: The Integration of Ruderal Vegetation in the Conversion of a Brownfield.- Natur-Park Südgelände: Linking Conservation and Recreation in an Abandoned Railyard in Berlin.

About the author

Prof. Dr. Ingo Kowarik ist Direktor des Instituts für Ökologie der TU Berlin, Fachgebiet Ökosystemkunde/Pflanzenökologie und ehrenamtlicher Landesbeauftragter für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege des Landes Berlin.

Geb. 1962. Ausbildung zum Landschaftsgärtner. Im Anschluss Studium der Landschaftplanung an der TU Berlin. Danach Mitarbeiter in einem Berliner Landschaftsarchitekturbüro. 1994-2001 Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter und Wissenschaftlicher Assistent am Lehrstuhl für Landschaftsökologie der TU München-Weihenstephan. Promotion 2001 zur Theorie und Methodologie der Landschaftsplanung, Landschaftsarchitektur und Sozialwissenschaftlichen Freiraumplanung "mit Auszeichnung" (entspricht summa cum laude). Seit 2001 Lehrbeauftragter für Kulturgeschichte der Natur und 2001-2002 Mitarbeit im F & E Vorhaben "Argumentenetz für den Naturschutz" des Bundesamtes für Naturschutz zum Akzeptanzdefizit des Naturschutzes (Kooperation TU Berlin mit der TU München). Seit 2002 wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter am Institut für Ökologie der TU Berlin. Zahlreiche Publikationen und Vorträge zum Themenspektrum Landschaftsplanung, Landschaftsarchitektur und Naturschutz.

Summary

The outstanding social and ecological roles of urban forests in the growth of cities has become widely known. In many parts of the world, despite or even because of continuing suburbanization, initiatives are being put forth to preserve urban forests, to develop them further and to make them acc- sible to the public. This volume focuses on a particular component of the urban forest - trix – urban wild woodlands. We understand these to be stands of woody plants, within the impact area of cities, whose form is characterized by trees and in which a large leeway for natural processes makes possible a convergence toward wilderness. The wilderness character of these urban woodlands can vary greatly. We differentiate between two kinds of w- derness. The “old wilderness” is the traditional one; it may return slowly to woodland areas when forestry use has been abandoned. The enhancement of wilderness is a task already demanded of urban and peri-urban forestry in many places. This book would like to direct the attention of the reader to a second kind of wilderness, which we call “new wilderness.” This arises on heavily altered urban-industrial areas where abandonment of use makes such change possible. The wild nature of urban abandoned areas was discovered in the 1970s through urban-ecological research. Since then, in a very short time, profound structural changes in industrial countries have led to h- dreds or thousands of hectares in urbanized areas becoming available for natural colonization processes.

Additional text

From the reviews:"This book is about the ‘new wilderness’ arising on abandoned urban-industrial areas through out the world. Some of these areas ... can be vast. A series of articles identifies the rise of urban woodlands, public attitudes towards them, the findings of ecological studies, and how different perspectives have been integrated into policy and management strategies. Case studies ... illustrate the conceptual and scientific approaches used to identify, study, and manage urban woodlands. Useful for urban foresters and planners." (Northeastern Naturalist, Vol. 13 (1), 2006)"The book successfully bring together the ecological, social, cultural/historical, and design issues and perspectives inherent in the topic of wild urban woodlands - a particular component of the urban forest matrix described as ‘new wilderness’. … And by providing vivid images and stories, as well as thoughtful integration and insights, it is a book that should prove itself interesting to both the casual reader and the topical scholar." (R. Riemann, Landscape Ecology, Vol. 22, February, 2007)“This attractively produced collection of papers emerged from a conference on ‘Wild forests in the City’ held in Dortmund, Germany in 2003. … addresses the values of forests that have regenerated spontaneously on abandoned industrial sites in Germany. … I like this book, it is well edited and comprehensively referenced – for anyone seeking an entry into the fascinating world of urban forests it will be useful. For those concerned with spontaneous woodland development in cities it provides a comprehensive and technically sound review.” (Jeffrey Sayer, International Forestry Review, Vol. 7 (3), September, 2005)

Report

From the reviews:

"This book is about the 'new wilderness' arising on abandoned urban-industrial areas through out the world. Some of these areas ... can be vast. A series of articles identifies the rise of urban woodlands, public attitudes towards them, the findings of ecological studies, and how different perspectives have been integrated into policy and management strategies. Case studies ... illustrate the conceptual and scientific approaches used to identify, study, and manage urban woodlands. Useful for urban foresters and planners." (Northeastern Naturalist, Vol. 13 (1), 2006)
"The book successfully bring together the ecological, social, cultural/historical, and design issues and perspectives inherent in the topic of wild urban woodlands - a particular component of the urban forest matrix described as 'new wilderness'. ... And by providing vivid images and stories, as well as thoughtful integration and insights, it is a book that should prove itself interesting to both the casual reader and the topical scholar." (R. Riemann, Landscape Ecology, Vol. 22, February, 2007)
"This attractively produced collection of papers emerged from a conference on 'Wild forests in the City' held in Dortmund, Germany in 2003. ... addresses the values of forests that have regenerated spontaneously on abandoned industrial sites in Germany. ... I like this book, it is well edited and comprehensively referenced - for anyone seeking an entry into the fascinating world of urban forests it will be useful. For those concerned with spontaneous woodland development in cities it provides a comprehensive and technically sound review." (Jeffrey Sayer, International Forestry Review, Vol. 7 (3), September, 2005)

Product details

• Assisted by: Körner (Editor), Körner (Editor), Stefan Körner (Editor), Ing Kowarik (Editor), Ingo Kowarik (Editor)
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 13.10.2010
• EAN: 9783642062933
• ISBN: 978-3-642-06293-3
• No. of pages: 300
• Dimensions: 136 mm x 18 mm x 238 mm
• Weight: 476 g
• Illustrations: XVI, 300 p.
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Miscellaneous; Umweltchemie, C, Geography, Urban Planning, biochemistry, environmental science, engineering & technology, Earth and Environmental Science, Regional & area planning, Ecological science, the Biosphere, Botany & plant sciences, Earth System Sciences, Geoecology/Natural Processes, Geobiology, Biogeosciences, Geoecology, Environmental geology, Environmental Chemistry, Landscape Ecology, Ecotoxicology, Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning, Regional planning, Geography, general, Human Geography