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The urban forest is a green infrastructure system that delivers multiple environmental, economic, social and health services, and functions in cities. Environmental benefits of urban trees are well understood, but no review to date has examined how urban trees affect human health. This review provides a comprehensive summary of existing literature on the health impacts of urban trees that can inform future research, policy, and nature-based public health interventions. A systematic search used keywords representing human health, environmental health, and urban forestry. Following screening and appraisal of several thousand articles, 201 studies were conceptually sorted into a three-part framework. Reducing Harm, representing 41% of studies, includes topics such as air pollution, ultraviolet radiation, heat exposure, and pollen. Restoring Capacities, at 31%, includes attention restoration, mental health, stress reduction, and clinical outcomes. Building Capacities, at 28%, includes topics such as birth outcomes, active living, and weight status. The studies that were reviewed show substantial heterogeneity in purpose and method yet indicate important health outcomes associated with people’s exposure to trees. This review will help inform future research and practice, and demonstrates why urban forest planning and management should strategically promote trees as a social determinant of public health.

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This paper explores how arborists negotiate their work environment, including the pressures of policies, the labour market, technologies, government regulations and lack thereof, and the non-human agencies with which they are confronted. The political climate surrounding urban forestry in Southern Ontario influences and governs operations and physical labour. There are many (f)actors and conditions (both external and internal) surrounding fieldwork in urban forestry and that these affect work and personal lives. The questions guiding this paper include: a) How do various political and labour conditions impact arborists' sense of pride, independence and skill?; b) What are the social and labour divisions within the culture of arboriculture?; and, c) What is the lived experience of urban forest workers, their employment, and what is it like to be a frontline worker? This paper provides a closer look at licensing, work conditions, subcultures and social dynamics in urban arboriculture. Using accounts from semi-structured interviews with arborists across Southern Ontario and by examining field arborists' activities, relationships with coworkers and working conditions through participant observation and ethnographic field notes, I explore and reveal how arborists feel about their working environment and the labour processes and people who oversee and surround them. Findings reveal that despite dehumanizing (f)actors within the field, there are elements of resistance and negotiation, and potential for an alternative future.

Research in urban forestry (UF) is rapidly evolving. In order to better understand this increased interest among the scientific community, a comprehensive inventory of scientific articles published between 1800 and 2015 on the subject was carried out. To do so, 21 keywords were used to query six different databases. Data was gathered and analyzed using the Endnote x7 reference management software. Some 3100 papers were identified and grouped by period, topic and author origin. The results show that the number of papers published has constantly risen since 1800, more so over the last decades. For example, the number of papers more than doubled between 2000 and 2009 compared to the previous decade (1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999). If this trend continues, the number of publications could double again between 2010 and 2019. This observation is valid for all countries, except for Scandinavian and Baltic countries where the number of related articles has decreased in recent years. The most commonly studied topics are human health and sociology, followed by air quality and pollutants. These results show, among other things, that UF research is thriving and that many scientists appear particularly preoccupied by the impacts of global warming. Key words: urban forests, urban forest management, urban forestry, urban parks, health and forests, urban ecology, urban trees, arboriculture, community forestry, urban woodlands, green spaces, urban forest planning, urban green spaces, research review. RÉSUMÉLa recherche en foresterie urbaine (FU) évolue rapidement. Afin de mieux comprendre cet intérêt accru parmi la communauté scientifique, un recensement exhaustif a été réalisé à partir des publications à caractère scientifique parues de 1800 à 2015. Pour ce faire, 21 mots clés ont été utilisés en interrogeant six bases de données. Les données obtenues ont été recueillies et analysées avec le logiciel de gestion de références Endnote x7. Les quelque 3100 références recensées ont été regroupées par période, par thème et par provenance des auteurs. Les résultats obtenus montrent que le nombre de publications n'a cessé de progresser depuis 1800, et ce plus particulièrement ces dernières décennies. Par exemple, elles ont plus que doublé de 2000-2009 par rapport à 1990-1999. Si la tendance se maintient, elle pourrait encore doubler de 2010-2019. Ce constat est valable pour tous les pays, sauf les pays scandinaves et les pays baltes où le nombre de publications est en baisse ces dernières années. Les thèmes de recherche les plus souvent abordés sont la santé humaine et la sociologie, suivis par la qualité de l'air et les polluants. Ces résultats indiquent, entre autres, que la FU est un champ de recherche florissant et que plusieurs scientifiques semblent préoccupés par les impacts du réchauffement climatique.