ABSTRACT Urban forest reserves as part of green infrastructure are one of the pathways to conserving biodiversity, adapting to climate change, and supporting a green economy. However, there is a dearth of literature on public perceptions and involvement in urban forest governance in African cities. To address this knowledge gap, this study examines public willingness to participate in urban forest governance using the Wa Forest Reserve, Ghana. Quantitative data were elicited from 214 residents and analysed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, binary logistics regression, and Spearman’s correlation. Generally, the public recognise urban forest provides important ecosystem services and therefore are willing to participate in its governance. Sociodemographic, economic factors and prior conservation knowledge and practices influence the decision. However, lack of legal support and complex administrative procedures are perceived to constrain public participation. The adoption of a collaborative resource management approach is recommended for urban green infrastructure planning.

ABSTRACT Veteranisation is a promising management technique for dead wood creation at sites where dead wood, and ancient and veteran tree abundance is limited; it aims to replicate the microhabitats associated with ancient and veteran trees in younger trees by controlled physical damage of woody tissues. Five veteranisation treatments were applied, using a chainsaw, to healthy branches within the crowns of three mature oak trees. Treatments consisted of variations of cambium girdling, lopping, and lopping with girdling in combination; in addition, two branches that had died naturally were selected from each tree for comparison. Veteranised branches were harvested after 14 months. The fungal community composition was determined in different parts of the branch and their 3-dimensional structure mapped in representative branches. Stereum gausapatum was the most frequently isolated basidiomycete from veteranised branches, which occurred in all treatment types. The most commonly isolated ascomycete of veteranised branches was Ophiostoma quercus, which caused distinctive pockets of discoloured wood and was associated with half girdle treatments. There were significant differences in fungal species composition between veteranised branches and branches that had died naturally. This compositional difference may influence the development of later stage fungal communities, managers must consider these community compositional differences when prescribing veteranisation.

ABSTRACT During a moderate to severe hurricane more than 5% of trees snap or uproot, depending on the strength and duration of the storm, causing considerable damage to nearby property, housing, and power lines. This study aims to specify the mechanics of trunk damage and possible repair mechanisms. Field data are assembled from trees after hurricane damage to the trunk. Allometric scaling parameters based on trunk diameter (D ^ exp) are determined for the damaged trees’ height, weight, Safety Factor S.F. and critical wind velocity Vcrit. 55% snap via stress fracture of the trunk, 45% by uprooting of the entire tree. Hurricane boundary layer profiles, shear layer forces, Safety Factor (SF), and critical wind velocity Vcrit are determined. Power law exponents (D ^ exp) predict tree height (0.84), weight (2.68), Safety Factor S.F. (0.74), and critical wind velocity Vcrit (0.33) in terms of trunk diameter, with correlation coefficients r = 0.94 to 0.99. Critical velocity Vcrit (wind velocity above which the tree will fail) is found to scale as the Safety Factor S.F.^ (1/2). In conclusion, strategic use of clamps, bolts, tree sap and cables allows restoration of uprooted or snapped trunks for some hurricane damaged trees. Success rate for repair is 67%, average longevity after repair 5.6 years for medium-sized commercially valuable trees.

ABSTRACT Numerous modern dynamic bracing systems are now available throughout the arboricultural industry. These replace the practice of invasive rigid bracing, often shown to weaken structural security through the causation of decay. Furthermore, in historic cases where extensive internal decay develops, the edaphoecotropic occlusion of the bracing system with newer wood provides additional strength to the resulting system. Additionally, it can be shown that wound wood (ww) resulting from cambial damage is stronger and faster growing than average annual growth. This paper explores the concept of inducing ww with the aim of utilising a wood’s haptotropic nature to occlude objects. The findings identified that small longitudinal fenestration wounds >15 mm in width can be occluded within a year with low chance of further dysfunction or decay. The concept was tested by successfully inserting plastic “I” beams [lengths of plastic with a cross section of an “I”, used frequently for hobbyist construction and in this case as they had a winged base and were of the size required] into 1 mm width cambial wounds on a Norway maple (Acer platanoidies), demonstrating that it is possible to utilise induced ww to capture an object without causing lasting damage to the tree.

ABSTRACT The university campuses in the Global South (low- and middle-income countries of the world) harbour a significant proportion of the trees outside forests which furnish precious ecosystem services. In this study, we conducted field surveys to document the tree flora in the campus of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana), India. We documented 35,184 trees belonging to 66 species in 29 families from the campus. Eucalyptus globulus was the most dominant tree species with 13,932 individuals and Fabaceae was the most speciose family. Nearly 60% of tree species in the campus were native. The mean height (m) and circumference at breast height (cm) for the tree flora were 6.51 ± 0.21 and 50.93 ± 1.11, respectively. The overall tree density on the campus was around 140 trees/ha, mean density 2.11 ± 0.87, and the average basal area 0.021 ± 0.0009 m2/tree. The values for Simpson’s, Shannon, Margalef’s and Pielou’s evenness indices were 0.18, 2.51, 6.21 and 0.6 respectively. The campus trees provide valuable ecosystem services with food and medicinal uses, ornamental and shade values being the dominant. Our findings will guide policy on urban environmental sustainability in the educational campuses in India – the second most populous country in the Global South.

ABSTRACT Black or Common Mulberry (Morus nigra) was introduced into Britain in the late sixteenth – early seventeenth centuries and has since had limited success as an ornamental and fruit-producing tree. Older specimens survive in a limited number of locations including at The Charterhouse in central London. Four of these trees were investigated with the aid of standard dendrochronological techniques, historic images, including an early postcard and a painting by Edward Ardizzone, and with the application of expert knowledge of the forms and ages of contemporary mulberry trees. Results included the creation of a new ring-width chronology (CH_Mulberry) and dating that suggests the two oldest trees may well have been planted to commemorate either Queen Victoria’s Golden (AD 1887) or Diamond Jubilee (AD 1897). The research represents a first known dendrochronological investigation of the species, highlighting issues associated with sampling “tortuous” growth forms and the poor visibility of sapwood rings, as well as the potential for the use of branch ring-widths to facilitate dendrochronological dating of fruit and other trees.