Meaning and role of urban forests for land management in Italy

Abstract

Trees and forest stands in urban and periurban context play a multifunctional role from the environmental, social and economic point of view. The rapid growth of urban population in Europe emphasizes “urban forest” functions requested from stakeholders. The paper describes the main aspects of urban forestry in Italy in relation to urban and landscape planning and management. The need for a specific policy for the urban forestry sector is discussed also with the prospect of increasing the specific cultural contribution of forestry skills in land management