Even in towns and cities people have a deep connection with nature. Denial of that connection leads to diminished physiological and psychological wellbeing.

Society functions best when it is embedded in natural green spaces; green spaces where people live, play and work.

Research is now proving what we as individuals already know – that green space in our towns and cities is good – but it is placing values on what that means for commercial, retail and residential spaces in which we live, play and work.

In this presentation we will take an overview of that research and the need to harness its findings in policy and guidance to build ‘strong and stable’ places for society.

Jago Keen has qualifications and experience in arboriculture and nature conservation and applies complex system thinking to the challenges presented by town planning, green infrastructure management and projection planning. He has two decades experience spent in the ‘natural capital’ sector, managing natural assets to ensure ecosystem services are delivered.

In private practice as an international green infrastructure consultant, Jago Keen is consulted by clients in local government, healthcare trusts, property development companies and private individuals, throughout the UK and Eurasia, to deliver pragmatic solutions to build resilient ecosystem provision.

Jago was, until recently, chairman of the Arboricultural Association in the United Kingdom.

President of the Moscow International flower and garden festival (Moscow flower show)

“… We should feel our city as a harmonic unity of all its elements, and only the nature itself in the hands of a landscape designer can become the uniting ecosystem of our concrete jungle. In fact, a landscape designer is an artist, who brings together macro-elements citywide with the help of the live plants…”

“… Its seems that in is impossible to turn the concrete jungle of buildings into a part, because the buildings occupy very much space and press us with their massive constructions, but the modern technologies and creative way of thinking of the landscape designers are able to turn even the concrete bulk into the blossoming gardens…”

… All the events, arranged for the Ecology Year, are aimed to improve the environmental situation in the region. This will affect not only the overall condition of nature, but also the attitude of the citizens of our region…

The importance of green infrastructure for healthy resilient cities is well communicated in the UK. Perhaps what has been less well articulated so far however is the critical role that trees play in delivering the green infrastructure benefits to those that live and work in our towns and cities. This message is becoming much clearer due to two key initiatives. Firstly, the explicit definition of ‘all the trees in the urban realm’ as ‘The Urban Forest’ and a flurry of associated advocacy publications, including: ‘Our Vision for England’s Urban Forest’, ‘Introducing England’s Urban Forests’ and ‘Delivery of Ecosystem Services by Urban Forests’. Secondly, the now widespread utilisation of the “i-Tree suite of tools for urban forest management”, with special attention to i-Tree Eco and i-Tree Canopy.

This talk will present the journey of the adoption of the i-Tree tools in the UK. How i-Tree Eco first came to the UK, how it was tested for fitness-for-purpose and how it was adapted to make it specific for the UK climate and geography. The talk will explain i-Tree Eco, how the projects are designed, how the surveys can be delivered and the vast depth and quality of the results generated. The talk will cover the lessons learnt and the positive impacts achieved in the UK, including how i-Tree is leading to new targets for green infrastructure and bolstered budgets to support these targets. The talk will also feature how the wider i-Tree tools such as i-Tree Canopy are helping to raise awareness of urban green infrastructure including the very recent i-Tree Canopy study to baseline the urban tree cover of over 280 English towns and cities. i-Tree is catalysing the debate on the composition, structure, health and resilience under a changing climate of urban tree cover in the UK and is now widely seen as an essential suite of tools for Britain’s green infrastructure managers.

Keiron is Head of Urban Forest Research Group for Forest Research, the research agency of the non-ministerial government department, the Forestry Commission.

Climate change seems to be the most popular word of this decade. Can we ignore climate change or do we face a lobby of environmental fanatics helping us remember?

There is a need for more insight into the effects of climate change. Solutions can be developed when effects are recognized and analysed. The use of more green infrastructure will help to adapt to climate change but there is a big missing link: knowledge on a practical level and products. On the other hand we must still be able to explain to the public why it’s important to implement climate-adaptive measures.

In the meantime everyone works from his own perspective focused on his island and forgets to cooperate with other disciplines. Governments are finally convinced of the need to act and institutes, scientist and industry are looking for solutions. Unfortunately a lot of people show a lack of awareness or priority and in the working field climate change is not a big issue as it is in the scientific world. The main solution is investment in more quality above quantity. Simple solutions like mulching the surface, innovative growth site constructions for trees but also a change in the design of the urban green infrastructure will help to adapt.

In the present time: summer storms happen more and more every year, winters are becoming milder, stormwater is more intense and dry spells are longer. When Beech (Fagus) won’t adapt to climate change we will lose this species in Western Europe. Invasive pest and diseases will establish because the feeding source is there and climate is suitable. Because of drought there will be an increase in spontaneous branch drop. Every degree the climate warms results in 12% more lightning. Especially trees can play a major role to mitigate the effects of climate change by preventing or weakening the effects of climate change . For this reason climate change must play a more important role in designing policies regarding trees.

Henry Kuppen is managing director of Terra Nostra, a consultancy and knowledge centre for trees and soil in The Netherlands and has 34 years of experience in the tree-care sector. Henry is an innovator and develops solutions for (practical) management and policy related issues for trees in an urban environment. He specializes on integrated management of pest and diseases in trees, therefore he is been asked in many countries to share his experience. As supervisor of the European Arboricultural Association (EAC ) he is involved in education of Tree Workers and Tree Technicians over all of Europe.

Arboriculturist

Urban green consultant

Expert for the outdoor plants’ International market

New-plant varieties hunter

President ANVE (Italian Nursery Exporters Association) -2006/2014

Vice President ENA (European Nursery Stock Association) -2010/2012

President ENA (European Nursery Stock Association) -2012/2014

Nursery consultant for Sapienza University, Rome – 2014/2015

Chairman  at the Worldwide Round Table of Nurserystock organized by ENA (European Nurserystock Association). - 2013. 

Creator of the Master “Export Manager” for Flower and Ornamental Plants in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and ICE (Italian Trade Agency)

Coordinator of the EXPORT MANAGER MASTER -2010/2014

Creator and Coordinator of the experimental project  “Therapeutic Terraces – the green effect on patients affected by Cancer” in partnership with the Oncology Department of Carrara Hospital

Chairman of the table on the problems of  horticulture in Task Force Italy-Russia  organized by the Italian and Russian Ministries of Economic Development.

Green Ergonomics and Environment, technologies to serve citizens

Franco C. Grossi is an Italian Architect and Ergonomist, professor at the Universities of Udine and Trieste, Italy and Kazan, Russia. He is expert of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and senior expert of the European Commission. His main teachings concern “Applied ICT, Communication and Ergonomics”, making, every year, projects for some major multinational companies as e.g.: Sony, Matsushita Electric Co., Fiat Automobiles, IBM, Ericsson, FATA/Finmeccanica, Fincantieri, Costa Cruise, Italian Banks, Italian Associations of Artisans (Confartigianato, CNA), ICE, Italian Chambers of Commerce, etc. Before teaching he was CEO and General Director of companies specialized in the design of complex technological systems for public places, theaters, schools, casinos and, above all, cruise ships. Prof. Grossi is coordinating several national and international research projects and is author of more than 300 scientific publications and papers.

Manager of the general improvement and landscaping department at the municipality of Bologna

Born in 1975, graduated from Voronezh state Academy of Forestry and Technologies in 1997, doctor of engineering science, professor, head of the chair of forestry mechanization and machine designing of Voronezh state Academy of Forestry and Technologies in 2011. Author of more than 90 published works in the field of forestry mechanization. For the present he is Vice president of Voronezh state University of Forestry and Technologies named after G.F. Morozov.

Keith is a Chartered Arboriculturist and holds an MSc in Arboriculture and Urban Forestry and Bsc (Hons) in Arboriculture. He is also a member of the Chartered institute of Foresters.

Keith led the development of the new British Standard BS 8545:2014 Trees: from nursery to independence in the landscape.

He is a Director and Chairman of the Arboricultural Association and in 2014 he received the Arboricultural Association Award for his continuing services to arboriculture. He is also a Trustee of the Trees & Design and Action Group (TDAG) and a Director of Treeconomics

Vice-director for academic work, director of the landscaping design and stable ecosystems department of the Agrarian and technological institute of RUDN University.

Doctor of science (biology), professor, Head of the chair of ecology and agroecological monitoring, modeling and ecosystems forecasting laboratory, chairman of the commission for soils evaluation and land-use planning at the International Society of Soil Science.

President of non-commercial partnership strategic alliance “HEALTHY FOREST”, candidate of science (agriculture). He initiated and organized the certification of tree surgery specialists in Russia to be in compliance with the international standards of the European Tree Worker (ETW) and European Tree Technician (ETT). He is also a chairman of the national examination certification commission, member of natural resources and ecology expert council of Russian State Duma, member of the Council of the Federation Committee for Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management.

Doctor of Science (biology), professor, head of the chair of ecology and land resources at the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “Voronezh State University”

Director of the Association of organizations assisting in development of ecological certification in the field of the construction “National center of green building”

Head of the Department, Doctor of Biological Sciences, FGBOU VO "Voronezh State Forestry University named after. G.F. Morozov »

Associate Professor, Candidate of Biological Sciences FGBOU VO "Voronezh State University"