Dear netters, Growing demand: Social and environmental problems associated with rapid and uncontrolled urbanization in many parts of the "developing" world are growing. Thus, ensuring the provision of basic human needs for city dwellers is likely to be a focal development issue for many years to come. Many of yesterday's rural poor are becoming today's urban poor. In the not too distant future about half of all people in the "developing" countries will be living in an urban environment. Urban forest, i.e. trees and related green in and around places where people live can improve the quality of life. The urban forest can provide many goods like fuel, low-cost construction material and food, and services such as microclimate enhancement. Surprisingly urban forestry has been neglected in development cooperation. Most forestry related development and research agencies restrict their mandate to the rural area. TREE CITY initiative: As one response to address the increasing need for development and improved management of urban forests in developing countries following three organizations formed the Consortium TREE CITY: GWB (Society for Forest Conservation and Management), Ebersbach/Germany; Institut fur Baumpflege (German Institute for Arboriculture), Hamburg/Germany; and The International Institute for the Urban Environment, Delft/the Netherlands. TREE CITY initiative is a new urban forestry program to enhance the knowledge and application of urban forestry as an integrated land use approach to simultaneously meet economic, social and environmental needs. The overall goal of TREE CITY will be to assist in improving the quality of life with a focus on resource-poor settlements through sound urban forestry practices and services. The scope of the program will range across the full spectrum of forest and agroforest settings - from the inner-city forest to peri-urban forests. TREE CITY will conduct applied research and will provide planning and general consulting services related to forestry aspects of urban development. TREE CITY will accomplish projects through an interdisciplinary approach by drawing upon, and synthesizing ideas and techniques from arboriculture, development forestry, ecological landscape and urban planning. TREE CITY organized as a virtual organization is a "knowledge holding", consisting of a network of specialized knowledge and service producers. We will develop our strength to support organizations and initiatives (i) to optimize their knowledge; (ii) assist in acquisition of external knowledge potential and (iii) support in the development of long term priority knowledge. Clients of TREE CITY will get the services they require, in the phases of the project management cycle of their urban forestry program they need them. TREE CITY initiative aims to become a key resource for urban forest challenges and opportunities in development cooperation - a hotline to the urban forest. TREE CITY maintains and further develops a computerized database from which the program will draw to fill long- and short-term expert needs. If you are interested in participating in some of our future activities, please send a copy of your curriculum vitae. We would prefer an electronic copy, but are pleased to receive a hard copy as well. Any other ideas for further development of the urban forestry program is welcome as well. We are pleased to hearing from you soon. For further information, please contact: Dr. Guido Kuchelmeister, TREE CITY Program Coordinator TREE CITY - Urban Forestry & Arboricultural Program Office Illertissen: Graf-Kirchberg-Strasse 26, 89257 Illertissen, Germany. Tel. +49-7303-43776, Fax. +49-7303-42114. Email: 100441.3577@Compuserve.com
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