| Inappropriately selected trees and poorly designed spaces for urban trees are partially to blame for a declining urban forest. A functional urban forest is dependent on healthy plant material, especially during periods of high stress. This research focuses on the development of a step-by-step tree selection guide that considers urban stress factors. In combination with a literature review, seven Key Informant interviews were conducted with urban forest professionals, professors, and landscape architects to identify what major stresses affect urban trees in the Greater Toronto Area; how trees respond to stress; and how to select better tree species. Four international urban forestry management programs were evaluated to highlight exemplary species selection procedures, at the municipal level. A selection guide was developed based on analysis of the resulting data, and was the subject of a critical review. This research contributes to improving municipal urban tree selection procedures while encouraging critical evaluation of related urban forestry management practices.;Keywords. urban forestry; urban tree stress; tree ecophysiology; tree selection... |
