ABSTRACT
Urban woodlands are distinctive in the context of urban forests, which comprise all the trees in a city (see also Chapter 1), in that they bear some resemblance to rural woodland ecosystems. They are defined here as ecosystems more than about a half a hectare in size (FAO, 2012) with continuous canopy or a wooded savannah-like structure and uncultivated ground vegetation. Therefore, the management considerations presented in this chapter are more about silviculture (i.e. managing stands of trees) than about arboriculture (i.e. managing individual trees). Urban woodlands, situated within or adjacent to cities and towns, may comprise a substantial part of the total urban forest which also includes trees in parks, streets and squares, gardens, cemeteries, and so forth. They can be of natural (e.g. remnants), semi-natural, or human (e.g. plantations) origin. Typically, other ecosystem types such as waterbodies, wetlands, and grasslands are included to form an integrated woodland landscape.
