Paquette_et_al_2021

Paquette A, Sousa-Silva R, Maure F, et al (2021) Praise for diversity: A functional approach to reduce risks in urban forests. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 62:127157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127157

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Keywords: functional diversity, urban trees, resilience, biodiversity

The preference for monocultures of the same age in city planning makes urban trees extremely vulnerable. Diversity is based on species richness and evenness – with evenness being an issue in urban environments. NA urban forests have a very low amount of true diversity, resulting in an overall less resistant forest. Current management does not allow for effective resilience against future stressors. Using functional traits to plan forests allows for simple categorization of species that results in diverse and resistant communities.