Resilience of Urban Forests

Researchers are investigating how ecological drivers, land management decisions, and socioeconomic factors including systemic racism have influenced canopy diversity and resilience. Learn more.

Communicating Ecological Resilience Efforts Through Art & Science – At Crosby Farm Regional Park

Transition-red maple

July 24, 2023

Interviews with Leslie Brandt, Supervisory Climate Adaptation Specialist at the USDA Forest Service, and Willard Malebear, Jr., local Indigenous artist

Learn how a Twin Cities forest became the meeting point for climate science and Indigenous art in this pair of interviews. Leslie Brandt, a climate adaptation specialist with the USDA Forest Service and MSP LTER Urban Forests Team, takes us inside the Adaptative Silviculture for Climate Change (ASCC) study at Crosby Farm Regional Park. Then, Indigenous artist Willard Malebear, Jr. shares how he brought the project's silviculture treatments to life through original artwork—now on display as informational signage at the research site.

Shades of Green: Urban Tree Biodiversity and Its Relationship to Climate and Social Vulnerability

Map of Twin Cities with ash tree distribution.

March 22, 2022

By Adrienne Keller, Postdoctoral Researcher in the the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Forests Team

Trees have an important role to play in creating more livable urban spaces. For example, trees can regulate water runoff, moderate extreme temperatures, and provide recreational and mental health benefits to residents. Here in Minnesota and across the globe, efforts abound to plant more trees in order to paint our cities green and increase urban sustainability. What has gotten less attention is the diversity of trees that make up our urban forests. 

Partner Spotlight: The Value of Mapping Stewardship Work Across the World

People planting street trees and plants.

December 14, 2025

An interview with Michelle L. Johnson, spatial ecologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, by Natalia C. Piland, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Environment, Community & Equity at American University

For the Fall 2025 "Partner Spotlight" feature, MSP LTER partner Dr. Natalia C. Piland interviewed spatial ecologist Dr. Michelle L. Johnson about the STEW-MAP (Stewardship Mapping and Assessment) Project. Born from the simple question Who takes care of this place, STEW-MAP tracks stewardship groups and their social relationships to reveal their impact on local environments. This conversation offers insights into the ins and outs of interdisciplinary community-engaged research, from the local to the global.

Surveys and Soirees: Documenting Tree Stewardship Across the Twin Cities

People standing in a field talking.

December 15, 2026

By Sally Donovan, PhD Candidate in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and the MSP LTER Urban Forests Team

For decades, scientists have studied how biodiversity influences resilience—the ability of an ecosystem to resist and recover from disturbances, such as drought and pest outbreaks. Yet forest resilience also relies on social variables, like the capacity of communities and governments to care for, or steward, them. This is particularly visible in urban forests where trees and vegetation are tightly packed against human-built infrastructure. In this piece, PhD candidate Sally Donovan shares her research mapping local stewardship networks to track their capacities to support resilient ecosystems.

STEW MAP Twin Cities

Urban trees create shade, habitat, and recreational spaces that support the well-being of urban communities. Protecting urban trees depends on the ability of many different groups to care for, or steward, trees. Yet tree stewardship varies widely across neighborhoods and cities, and we still have much to learn about how it works and where it's most effective.

Resilience of Urban Forests

Urban forest

Led by: Rebecca Montgomery

Urban forests provide important benefits to human communities, such as cooling, aesthetics, air quality,  support for wildlife, and opportunities for recreation. High tree species diversity is thought to reduce risks of canopy loss and help our tree canopy bounce back after events such as drought, storms, or pest outbreaks. We are investigating how ecological drivers, land management decisions, and socioeconomic factors have influenced canopy diversity and resilience.

Sally Donovan

Biography

Sally Donovan is an Ecology PhD candidate working with Sarah Hobbie and Jeannine Cavender-Bares in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota, and is a member of the MSP LTER Urban Forests Team. She studies how stewardship shapes urban forest biodiversity and how that biodiversity influences ecosystem resistance and resilience to climate change.

Michelle Johnson

Biography

Dr. Michelle Johnson is a Spatial Ecologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Trained in both social and ecological sciences, her research toolkit includes spatial analysis, quantitative social science, and field ecology methods.

Adrienne Keller

Biography

Adrienne Keller is a terrestrial ecosystem ecologist and soil carbon scientist, working at the intersection of ecological research and land management. From 2020-2022, Adrienne was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the University of Minnesota Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior and member MSP LTER Urban Forests Team. There, she worked with MSP LTER Lead PI and Co-Director Sarah Hobbie on mapping the urban tree canopy.

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