All around the world, climate change is driving cities to rethink how they prepare for the future. In this context, the development of urban forests emerges as a lever for ecological and social transformation thanks to the numerous ecosystem services they provide. Over the past two decades, there has been a surge in tree planting initiatives in major cities.
However, the expansion of urban greening is often hindered by a lack of space and budget, particularly in highly urbanized areas. These constraints highlight the need for a strategic approach to tree planting: planting "the right tree in the right place."
To address this challenge, prioritization tools are being used to assess the synergies and trade-offs of different planting locations. This methodology relies on selecting appropriate indicators to characterize the urban forest and on weighting these indicators—a critical step that significantly influences the results obtained.
This project aims to select indicators that reflect a wide range of services potentially provided by urban trees and to have these priorities evaluated by various stakeholders—citizens, communities, and researchers—to shed light on the diverse expectations regarding urban forest development.
By identifying these priorities, the project seeks to provide strategic recommendations for optimized and inclusive urban forest management while addressing the challenges posed by climate change and urban constraints.