Between events, reports, training opportunities, and more, what was the impact of the Uforest project?
All good things come to an end, and so is the Uforest project. After 3 years of work to innovate and promote urban forestry, it is time to reflect on the achievements and results of the project.
Born in 2021, Uforest brought together businesses, university and research centres, creating a multidisciplinary partnership with the aim to innovate the urban forestry sector and promote urban forests as an efficient solution against climate change and urbanisation. To achieve that, Uforest worked on different activities, from researching case studies to developing training opportunities. Each one of these activities was interconnected and fundamental for the success of the project.
An international network on urban forestry
Because Uforest believes that joining forces is fundamental to achieve impactful innovation, the project created the Uforest Alliance, an online platform opened to anyone interested in urban forestry and related disciplines. Through the Uforest Alliance, members were able to connect with each other to share ideas and knowledge, as well as promote their events, news, and publications on urban forestry. To this day, the Uforest Alliance counts 359 members all over the world, among which 72 organisations and 288 individuals.
Best practices and guidelines for the urban forestry sector
Learning from current best practices, developing research and analysing needs is the starting point for innovation. For this reason, Uforest produced 20 case studies on innovative urban forestry initiatives, covering examples from 9 different European countries. At the end of the project, these case studies have been downloaded 2,827 times. At the same time, Uforest produced 3 in-depth reports on training needs, innovation factors, and guidelines for developing an urban forestry action plan. In total, these reports have been downloaded 1,065 times. Even though the project is ending, all these resources will still be available on the Uforest website.
Training opportunities to gain specific knowledge and skills
With the aim to spread knowledge in urban forestry and related disciplines, the Uforest partnership developed several learning opportunities, addressed to both students and professionals. In particular, the project delivered 2 online courses and 1 in-presence specialisation school. In total, more than 1,200 people from 81 different countries participated to these courses. Moreover, to provide more practical and technical skills, Uforest also organised 4 workshops addressed to professionals in 4 different European countries.
Promoting urban forestry through events
In the last 3 years, Uforest organised and participated to 125 events worldwide with the aim to promote urban forests and thier benefits. One of the biggest achievements of the project was the European Urban Forest Week. In 7 days, Uforest and local partners organised the launch of 4 new urban forests in 4 different European cities: Barcelona, Brasov, Dublin, and Milan. More than 320 people participated in European Urban Forest Week, which also had a big resonance on local news media.
As the Uforest project draws to a close, we know that the journey towards greener, healthier, and more sustainable cities does not end here. Inspired by what we learned during the past 3 years, we hope that our community will keep on being champions for urban forestry.