The science of urban trees to promote well-being

Key message Urban trees and forests are one of the main tools available in cities to face current and future environmental challenges and ultimately promote well-being. More than half of the world's population lives in cities nowadays. This rural exodus to cities resulted from a pursuit of better life quality. However, the urban population increase led to new levels of complexity. Such complexity calls for multifunctional solutions such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Trees are at the core of NbS, for all the ecosystem services they provide. Nevertheless, managing them is challenging and requires both the empirical knowledge of practitioners and a deep scientific understanding of the tree's structure and function. This special issue on Urban Trees advances our knowledge of their ecosystem services, tolerance and resilience to the urban environment, their possible disservices, and steps forward on new proposals for managing urban trees. It is clear from the current literature and the studies in this special issue that decision-making on urban trees must be supported by scientific evidence to promote well-being in cities.

Automated summary

Urban trees and forests are essential in cities to address environmental challenges and promote well-being. The increase in urban population has created complexity, calling for Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Trees are crucial in NbS due to the ecosystem services they provide. This special issue on Urban Trees advances our understanding of their services, resilience, disservices, and proposes new management strategies. Scientific evidence is crucial in decision-making to enhance well-being in urban areas.