When we think about forests, we think about towering ancient trees like those found on Canada’s west coast. What we don’t often think about are the trees in our backyard, or those we find on the campus of the University of Toronto. Danijela Puric-Mladenovic has spent her life studying, understanding and advocating for the value of forests in settled and urban landscapes. Her work has shown that to safeguard biodiversity, we can’t only look at remote wilderness, but also we need to find ways of coexisting with nature where we live. Danijela is an associate professor of forestry at the University of Toronto, is the co-founder of Neighbourwoods and has worked extensively with the Ministry of Natural Resources, as well as all stakeholders involved in forest management.
Just before the start of class, Danijela joined us in conversation under the canopy of Carolinian trees outside the Faculty of Forestry building on the University of Toronto campus.
Find her on LinkedIn
What do you think?
- Did Danijela change your opinion on the value of urban forests?
- Do you think we’re managing our forests, both urban and rural, as well as we can or should?
- Do we need to be more aggressive in protecting our forests? Or is the importance of traditional forestry too valuable to the economy?
- Danijela’s biggest plea was not necessarily about the value of forests, but about the importance of taking a stand and getting involved in the decision making process. Will you heed that plea? And, if so, what stand will you take?
More on Danijela
Read her article: Pre-Settlement Landscape and Vegetation Modeling and Mapping