Woodlands, nature areas, landscape and urban green are of vital importance, especially in a strongly urbanised society. Most times they are combined with other functions and society asks for high quality standards for their functioning and management. Besides combining functions managers have to deal with processes like an ongoing economisation, environmental pressure, changing recreational use and new legislation.
The team Forest, Nature and Urban Green Management supports managers, planners and policy-makers providing the necessary information for their plans and decision-making based on research at local, regional and national level.
The team consists of a multi-disciplinary group of researchers: ecologists, policy-analysts, economists, foresters and trees-specialists.
The main research topics are:
- Implementation and evaluation of policies, legislation and subsidy schemes
Both national and European policies and legislation (e.g. Birds and Habitats Directives ) are research topics, as well as national subsidy schemes.
- Effectiveness of management measures
The team evaluates the effectiveness of management measures to provide managers with information on new methods, which may be more effective, efficient or environmentally sound. It analyses costs of management measures for decision making, setting subsidy rates and bench marking.
- Development of managers tools and work methods
The team generates new methods e.g. for planning, and (often computer aided) tools for administration and decision-making.
- Plague species, weeds and tree diseases
The team studies the occurrence of plague species, weeds and tree diseases, and the management measures to control them in urban and more natural areas.
Projects