Urban and Community Forestry in the Northeast

John Kuser has taught Urban Forestry, Dendrology, Forest Ecology and Silvics, Forest Genetics, and Introduction to the Forestry Profession at Cook College, Rutgers University, for 30 years. He has advised approximately 10 undergraduates per year, and 2-3 M.S. and Ph.D. candidates per year. His fields of interest include regional genetics of Atlantic White-cedar, Eastern White Pine, Coast Redwood and Dawn Redwood, on all of which he has published several papers each.

During the latter part of 2004, Helen Buitenkamp of Springer Publishing emailed me that the first edition of Handbook of Urban and Community Forestry in the Northeast is the best volume in its field and inquired whether we'd be interested in compiling a second edition; I replied that we certainly would, and started working on it imme- ately. We have revised 14 out of 26 chapters in the first edition, and added two new authors. Many things in urban forestry have changed a great deal, while others have not changed at all. Henry Gerhold has written an entirely new Chapter 1 based on a book that he and his graduate student Stacy Franks have written entitled "Our Heritage of Community Trees. "Dave Nowak has included the most up-to-date inf- mation on the environmental effects of trees in Chapter 2, and Peter Fengler and Tom Smiley have done the same with the diagnosis and treatment of hazard trees in Chapter 17. All told, we have revised or replaced 16 chapters of the original 26; we've kept 10 chapters as originally written, and substituted two entirely new chapters, 1 and 14, respectively. With the emergence of urban and community forestry as the fastest growing part of our profession in the last several years, the need for a book such as this inevitably developed. The Society of American Foresters' urban forestry working group counts over 40 universities now offering courses in this subject, and the number is growing.

Origins of Urban Forestry.- Understanding the Benefits and Costs of Urban Forest Ecosystems.- Arboriculture Law in the Northeast.- Tree Ordinances.- Using Comprehensive Planning to Conserve the Natural Environment.- Urban and Community Forestry: Planning and Design.- Tree Inventory and Systematic Management.- Urban and Community Forestry Financing and Budgeting.- Community Involvement in Urban Forestry Programs.- Soils: The Key to Successful Establishment of Urban Vegetation.- Selecting Trees for Community Landscapes.- Guide to Selecting and Specifying Nursery Stock.- Planting and Maintenance.- Pruning.- Trees, Utilities, and Municipalities.- Tree Roots versus Sidewalks and Sewers.- Hazard Tree Inspection, Evaluation, and Management.- Integrated Pest Management.- Tree Appraisal: The Goal is Equity.- Leaf Composting.- Urban Tree Removals.- Recycling Urban Tree Removals.- Tree City USA.- A Case Study of Paramus, New Jersey: A "Tree City USA" Community.- Attracting and Managing for Wildlife.- Managing Urban Ecosystems: A Look to the Future of Urban Forestry.