Cities4Forests Toolbox Connects Cities with Tools to Understand and Manage Forests

Forests play a vital role in mitigating climate change, providing habitats for biodiversity, regulating water flows, and supporting the livelihoods of local communities. However, many of the world’s forests are under threat from deforestation and degradation. With over half the world’s population now living in cities, urban areas have an important role to play in sustainable forest management. The Cities4Forests initiative has created a toolbox of resources to help cities understand their connections to forests and take action to protect them.

Key Facts About the Cities4Forests Initiative:

• Cities4Forests is a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and 40 other organizations.
• It aims to integrate forests into urban planning and decision-making.
• The Cities4Forests toolbox provides cities with methodologies, case studies, and policy recommendations.
• It covers topics like procuring sustainable wood, protecting watersheds, and reducing deforestation.
• The toolbox is designed to help cities take a comprehensive approach to managing forest resources.

Understanding City-Forest Connections is Crucial

The health and fate of the world’s forests are intrinsically linked to our cities in many ways. As urban areas expand, they can displace forests and threaten biodiversity. Cities also require forest products and ecosystem services like water provision and climate regulation to thrive. Furthermore, the consumption patterns and procurement policies of urban residents and governments can drive deforestation.

Given these strong connections, it is vital that city officials understand their ties to forests so they can manage them sustainably. The new Cities4Forests toolbox provides urban leaders with the knowledge and tools to do just that.

The toolbox contains three main components:

1. Understanding City-Forest Connections

The first section of the toolbox focuses on helping cities comprehend their connections to forests across sectors, products, policies, and geographies. It allows cities to analyze their direct and indirect forest footprints.

For instance, it provides methodologies to assess how a city’s water supply, food demand, wood use, and infrastructure development impact nearby and distant forests. These assessments create an evidence base for policymaking.

2. Opportunities for Cities to Act

After cities better understand their forest connections, the toolbox outlines opportunities for them to integrate forests into their planning and policies. It contains policy recommendations, case studies, and practical guidance across five impact areas:

• Protecting and restoring watersheds
• Promoting sustainable wood value chains
• Protecting forests and biodiversity through land-use planning
• Reducing deforestation from agricultural commodities
• Building resilient landscapes

For example, the toolbox provides guidance on how to shift procurement to support sustainable forestry and regulate infrastructure development near protected forests.

3. Enabling Environment

The final section focuses on creating an enabling environment for city action on forests. It covers stakeholder engagement strategies, policy levers, and innovative financing mechanisms.

For instance, it outlines how to leverage public-private partnerships, access green funds, and work with local communities. This section empowers cities to turn commitments into action.

Case Study: Oslo’s Efforts to Promote Sustainable Public Procurement

To illustrate how cities can apply the toolbox, let’s look at Oslo, Norway’s efforts to promote sustainable procurement. The city realized its large purchasing power impacted forest resources worldwide.

In response, Oslo provided guidelines and criteria to all city agencies on how to buy sustainable wood products. For instance, it recommends certified wood from responsibly managed forests. The city also developed a list of approved wood suppliers that meet social and environmental standards.

Additionally, Oslo increased the use of wood from local sources in construction projects. And the city aims to have 100% of its procurement be sustainable by 2030.

Oslo’s multifaceted approach to reform procurement shows how the Cities4Forests toolbox can be applied. Assessing forest footprints, establishing policies, partnering with suppliers, and monitoring progress were all key.

Cities Play an Important Role in Sustainable Forest Management

With urban areas only expected to expand further, cities must be part of the solution to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage forests worldwide. The new Cities4Forests toolbox equips urban leaders with the practical guidance to do this effectively.

By understanding their connections to forests, assessing their impacts, integrating sustainability into policies, and enabling action – cities can positively contribute to forest landscapes. Networks like Cities4Forests will also encourage collective problem solving between cities.

While national governments control most forest resources, cities hold significant leverage through their buying power, land use planning, infrastructure policies, and ability to pilot innovative programs. The Cities4Forests toolbox can help urban officials maximize this leverage.

The fate of forests and human communities are interdependent. Trees provide services essential to life while livelihoods often depend on forest resources. By taking action, cities can reciprocate the benefits they receive from forests and help secure these vital ecosystems for future generations.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cities4Forests Initiative

Many people may still have questions about the specifics of the Cities4Forests toolbox and how cities can get involved. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

How can cities access the toolbox?

The full Cities4Forests toolbox is available for free online at www.cities4forests.com. It contains downloadable methodologies, case studies, recommendations, and measurement tools. Cities can use the interactive site to find resources tailored to their needs.

What are some key forest risks cities should address?

Some top risks include deforestation from agriculture, unsustainable logging, infrastructure expansion, and climate change. The toolbox helps cities identify their biggest forest-related risks based on their policies and connections.

Does it require major new resources to implement?

Some toolbox recommendations can be applied through existing urban processes like land-use planning, procurement reform, and building codes. Where new resources are needed, the toolbox provides creative financing solutions.

How can city officials get involved?

Mayors, city council members, planners, sustainability officers, and procurement officials play key roles. The toolbox outlines specific actions each group can take within their authority. Training workshops are also available.

What are the benefits for cities?

Protecting forests can secure clean water, climate regulation, disaster resilience, recreation, biodiversity, and other services cities rely on. It also demonstrates climate leadership.

How can residents support their city’s efforts?

Citizens can advocate for forest policies through participation in public consultations, voting, petitions, and contacting elected officials. They can also reduce consumption, buy sustainable wood products, and volunteer.

The Cities4Forests initiative provides a timely and practical toolbox for cities to become stewards of global forests. By tapping into these resources and partnering across borders, urban communities can drive positive change.