Title: Urban Forestry & Biodiversity Symposium

Date and time: April 24, 2021, 9 am – 12:30 pm

Location: Virtual, Advance registration is required at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HmMx-GlPQBu4Gr7quqCKWg

Event Details:

The City of West Hollywood is hosting a virtual symposium that will bring the West Hollywood community together with experts on the natural and built environment to discuss the topics of urban forestry and biodiversity through four lenses:

• (1) Urban Flora: Tree Canopies and Biodiverse Green Spaces,
• (2) Urban Fauna: West Hollywood’s Native Wildlife Residents,
• (3) Biomimicry: Learning Lessons from Nature,
• (4) Biophilic and Regenerative inspired Design. 

This program will provide a local-oriented perspective on urban forest stewardship methods, best practices for restoration and regeneration, and ways to monitor how land use policies and nurtured ecosystems can remain in dynamic balance going forward.

Presentations and Q&A featuring:

• Yujuan Chen, Ph.D, Senior Manager of Urban Forestry Policy, TreePeople; Lecturer, USC School of Architecture
• Travis Longcore, Ph.D, GISP, Associate Adjunct Professor, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
• Brian Brown, Ph.D, Curator, Entomology and Co-director, Urban Nature and Research Center at the Natural History Museum of LA County
• Sean Quinn AIA, Sustainable Design Leader of HOK San Francisco

Urban forestry and biodiversity address the cultivation and management of trees and animal species in urban settings, including parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, gardens, yards, etc.  As an essential part of climate-specific intricate, interrelated networks, cities’ urban forests are complex and diverse ecosystems made up of millions of species of plants and animals, each playing specific roles and forging essential relationships. Urban forests provide economic, social, environmental, and ecological benefits for the more than 80 percent of Americans living in urban areas. Globally urbanized environments are witnessing unprecedented challenges as formally nature-dominant settings continue to become denser with human habitation and goods and resources are being imported from greater distances. Yet, there are success stories which demonstrate that, with careful thought and locally focus planning and design, city dwellers can foster and provide direct stewardship over the built environment in ways that are in greater harmony with nature. 

The quality of life for the residents in West Hollywood is enhanced by the city’s urban forest.  Both its’ plant and animal life provide vital contributions that ensure pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, reinforce a sense of community, combat urban heat island effects, reduce energy demand, manage storm water and erosion, and enhance air quality. Within the dense urban context of West Hollywood, the urban forest often represents the sole opportunity for daily interaction with nature. Maintaining a thoughtfully curated urban forestry program that stewards both the natural and built environment together as one is critical in meeting the City’s commitment to combat climate change and  sequester carbon, filter and process storm water, propagate wildlife habitats, and produce oxygen.

Registration is required in advance at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HmMx-GlPQBu4Gr7quqCKWg.

For more information, please contact Andi Lovano at alovano@weho.org.