Team G member Grant Thompson, Ph.D., PLA, ALSA, ISA, spoke as a panelist alongside Deborah Hilbert, Johan Östberg, and Cecil Konijnendijk at the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) 2022 Annual International Conference in Malmo, Sweden. The team of four presented, “Widening the Funnel: Understanding and Addressing Low Urban Tree Diversity” which touched on efforts of tree diversity in the urban environment and how the overuse of planted tree species threatens the resilience of the urban forest. Grant presented the findings of ‘Conceptualizing the Human Drivers of Low Tree Diversity in Planted Urban Landscapes’, a research paper that aimed to detail the complex cycle of tree producers and consumers. The paper identifies the problem (producers tend to grow only what is profitable and consumers only purchase what is available) and creates a conceptual framework that can be used as an educational resource and aid in finding solutions to increasing tree diversity in urban environments.
Attending events such as this one allows members at Genus to grow professionally and educate our Team and clients. Traveling internationally also allowed Grant to see how urban environments through a different lens – A successful trip of teaching and learning!
Click here to view ‘Conceptualizing the Human Drivers of Low Tree Diversity in Planted Urban Landscapes’.
