A recently published paper reveals new approaches to minimise the impacts of invasive species in urban forests. An extensive urban forestry plan has been tested and implemented in Xiongan New Area (XNA), a new city in Hebei province, China. The city has been designated to serve Beijing’s noncapital functions and promote the integration of the broader Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei city-region.

The paper is called New Approaches in Urban Forestry to Minimize Invasive Species Impacts: The Case of Xiongan New Area in China, published in the Insects journal.

As part of a green initiative to minimise environmental impacts and its carbon footprint, a massive urban forestry system has been planned on an unprecedented scale, expected to cover over 600 km² by 2030. Using science to inform policy, one major goal is to simultaneously minimise impacts of invasive species, while making urban forests more resilient to potential invasive species threats. In this review, urban forestry plans are introduced, such as basic concepts and principles for afforestation, tree species to be planted, delineation of existing pests already established, and expected forest invasive species of concern threatening the new area.

Exemplary landscapes, techniques, and criteria exhibited during afforestation in Xiongan New area

Finally, the research team introduces a framework for invasive pest management strategies in XNA based on a "big data" approach and decision system to minimise impacts of invasive species. This new approach to urban forestry has the potential to become an exemplary global model for urban forestry planning, one that integrates research activities focused on forest health surveys and monitoring with sustainable forestry management. An overview of the forest health policy is provided, which is required for the design of an unprecedentedly large new urban forest from initial planning to full implementation of an integrated forest management program.

Read the paper here.