As tree lovers and champions, we are fortunate to have an ever-growing collection of urban forestry webinar series and archives to keep expanding our knowledge base, and to share with newcomers to the field. In our Chesapeake region, a special shout out to the Penn State Extension Urban Forestry team who is currently offering a special free Community Forestry Webinar Series through June 3 to keep the learning alive at home during this time of COVID-19.
For those wanting to take a deeper dive into the research on trees and human health, we’ve assembled some free recorded webinar resources for you. (And, if you’re wondering why there’s not more on urban heat issues in this list – stay tuned for our summer edition!)
1. First, a two-part presentation from a leading expert on the topic, who provided the keynote address at our recent Chesapeake Tree Canopy Summit 2020:
Nature & Health in Communities: A Review of Best Available Science
March 14, 2018
From Science to Action: Evidence-Based Programs for Nature & Health Communities
March 28, 2018
Speaker: Dr. Kathleen Wolf – Research Social Scientist, University of Washington
Provided by Southern Regional Extension Forestry as part of the 2018 Understanding Urban and Community Forestry Webinar Series.
2. Next up, a sampling of health-related webinars from the USDA Forest Service’s monthly Urban Forest Connections series (sign up for future webinar notices here; free CEUs if you attend the live webcast!)
Leveraging Outdoor Green Space for Improved Health
October 19, 2019
Michelle Kondo, USDA Forest Service
Elisa Sarantschin, The Schuylkill Center
The Green Heart Project: Studying the impact of trees and green space on cardiovascular health
March 14, 2018
Ray Yeager, University of Louisville
Chris Chandler, The Nature Conservancy
Let Them Climb Trees! The decline of play outdoors and the rise of sensory issues
March 8, 2017
Angela Hanscom, TimberNook
The Forest at School: Implications for learning
February 10, 2016
William Sullivan, University of Illinois
3. Still more, from the Utah State University Extension Forestry webinar archives:
Planting Healthy Air: How Trees Can Make Cities More Livable
April 27, 2017
Rob McDonald, Lead Scientist for Global Cities Program, The Nature Conservancy
In this talk Rob reviews the results of a global study that reviews the literature on vegetation and human health, and maps the potential for trees to help more than 200 major cities globally.
4. Finally, although not focused on public health, we would be remiss not to mention the excellent monthly webinar series/archives of University of Massachusetts Extension Urban Forestry Today. And, a reminder about Penn State Extension’s webinar archives and their timely spring Community Forestry series: (registration to attend live is free but required at links below!)
Community Forestry Management Webinar Series Schedule
Wednesday, April 1, 2020: Large Bare Root Trees: Cost Effective and Volunteer Friendly , presented by Vincent Cotrone
Wednesday, April 8, 2020: Site Analysis: The First Step to Successful Tree Planting Projects , presented by Scott Sjolander
Wednesday, April 15, 2020: No webinar
Wednesday, April 22, 2020: Planting Landscape Trees , presented by Brian Wolyniak
Wednesday, April 29, 2020: Modifying Tree Planting Sites in the Built Environment , presented by William Elmendorf
Wednesday, May 6, 2020: TreeVitalize Recommended Trees on Parade! , presented by Julianne Schieffer
Wednesday, May 13, 2020: Planting Aftercare: Essential to Tree Establishment and Survival , presented by Vincent Cotrone
Wednesday, May 20, 2020: Conducting Community Tree Inventories , presented by Brian Wolyniak
Wednesday, May 27, 2020: Municipal Tree Ordinances, presented by William Elmendorf
Wednesday, June 3, 2020: Community Tree Plans, presented by William Elmendorf
Please share widely and happy watching!
