Urban forestry expert speaks at international forum

Yadong Qi, PhD, professor of urban forestry, was an invited urban forest expert and speaker at the 6th China Urban Forest Forum in Hangzhou, China, last month. Qi presented “Current State of Urban and Community Forestry in the USA.” Her presentation was featured by Chinese premier websites and news agencies including the China Economy Daily News and its website, the State Forestry Administration of China website among others.

 The two-day forum attracted more than 400 attendants and was organized by the People’s Government of Hangzhou Municipality. The theme for this year’s international forum was “Urban Forest and Living Quality.”

In addition to attending the forum, Qi was invited by the Chinese Academy of Forestry to visit the mulch research and demonstration sites in Hangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing.

The mulch project is a collaborative project between Southern University Ag Center and Chinese Academy of Forestry. The goal of the project is to promote sound urban forestry practice and scientific and technical exchange in urban forestry. The project has been funded by the State Forestry Administration of China since 2005.  

Qi is the chief scientist and consultant on the US side. “I am so pleased to see the results of this collaborative research and demonstration project. It will significantly impact the urban forestry practice in

China, because prior to this research, mulch and its utilization were very little known to the Chinese urban foresters. This collaborative project will yield fruit promoting sound urban forestry practice in cities and towns of China,” said Qi.

According to Wang Cheng, PhD, director of the Chinese Academy of Forestry Center of Urban Forestry Research, “the project has involved various urban forestry practitioners from several municipalities, state and government as well as the graduate students from the Academy. The project has generated research data on mulch effects and utilization and produced a Technical Manual on Mulch Production and Utilization for China.” The sponsors of this year’s forum included: the State Forestry Administration of China, the Population, Resource and Environment Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province, and the Economic Daily.