City Trees

12 CityTREES Research shows that our social environment pro- foundly shapes us, and we experience deep distress when those connections are threatened or severed. The CDC offers several effective strategies to combat loneliness: spending quality time with family and friends, joining clubs or groups that spark your interest, expressing gratitude, getting to know your neighbors, and volunteering. However, as cities become more developed, the spaces that foster these connections are dwindling. This is where our natural spaces and urban forests come into play. They provide the perfect backdrop for building relationships. The CDC explicitly acknowl- edges that spending time in nature with others is beneficial. What we need now is to foster innovative ways to engage with these natural spaces and inte- grate these essential interactions into our daily lives. To facilitate these vital interactions, we need the right tools. In my keynote, I'll draw insights from my latest book, The Nature of Our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet, and introduce my concept of the "Internet of Nature." This idea explores how technology can bridge the gap between the natural world and our digital lives to foster deeper connections. From Melbourne's emailing trees to Halifax's texting trees and Amsterdam's talking trees, each of these innovative projects addresses loneliness in unique ways. I'll chal- lenge the audience to see technology not as the problem but as a powerful tool to enhance our connection with urban forests—tools that are often underestimated. I'm thrilled to offer a fresh perspective on urban for- estry, showcasing its potential as a powerful remedy for loneliness and other mental health challenges. By illus- trating this, we can guide urban forestry professionals in reimagining urban forests and natural spaces as crucial community hubs. These areas should be valued not only for their environmental benefits, such as enhancing air quality and managing stormwater, but also for their role in fostering social connections, recreation, and overall well-being. Viewing urban forestry through this new lens can help secure vital funding, as our health and happiness depend on these enriching spaces. UCFS is grateful to PlanIT Geo for generously supporting this keynote. Karla Nagy is a landscape architect and ISA Certified Arborist with more than 15 years of urban and community forestry nonprofit lead- ership under her belt, including several years of teaching and admin roles for the Municipal Forestry Institute (MFI). She was hired last summer as the UCFS Program and Education Manager. Nagy grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She spent her youth hiking through the beautiful and extensive (25,000 acres/10,000 ha) Cleveland Metroparks that circle the city—an iconic Emerald Necklace— including parks along Lake Erie. "Closer to home, the big trees in my yard and the forests and creeks around my neighborhood were my secret places for adventure and exploration," she says. Nagy moved to San Francisco, California the day after she graduated from college with a degree in Social Work. In San Francisco, she worked as a case manager for homeless and disabled adults for many Getting to Know UCFS Program and Education Manager Kar la Nagy

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