The Ukrainian Ecological Club Green Wave, with the support of the U.S. Forest Service in partnership with The Davey Tree Expert Company (developers of i-Tree products in the United States), has launched the All-Ukrainian Academy i-Tree4UA training program. This is a program about the importance of preserving green areas and tools that will help to make effective decisions based on forecasts of the stability and ability of green spaces to provide ecosystem services.
The issue of preserving green spaces in human settlements covers a wide range of issues, including imperfect and outdated legislation, inefficient use of funds for greening, incompetent utilities and ineffective management, climate change, air pollution, lack of responsibility for public space, etc.
Trees and their ecosystem services are extremely important in adapting Ukrainian communities to the negative effects of climate change and protecting residents from heat waves and abnormal air temperatures in summer.
It was the technology of valuing such services in monetary terms using the i-Tree service tools that the Academy students learned about.
They learned how to calculate the ecosystem services that trees provide to the community, such as oxygen production, carbon sequestration, air purification from pollutants, water flow regulation, impact on microclimate, etc.
By understanding the local ecosystem services provided by trees, i-Tree users can see the link between forest management, forest ecosystem health, and environmental conditions, and set priorities for more effective decision-making.
The training at the All-Ukrainian Academy i-Tree4UA took place in May – June 2023 in the form of a series of webinars, consultation meetings and independent work of the Academy students, including the organization and conduct of an inventory of trees and green spaces in the communities of the participants.
The participants included representatives of NGOs, educational and research institutions, local governments, environmental institutions, and activists.
As a result of the training, the 10 most successful graduates of the Academy received kits with materials and tools to conduct an inventory in their own communities.
The project is financially supported by the US Forestry Service International Programs, USAID in partnership with Davey Tree Expert Company (developers of i-Tree products in the United States).
On July 18, the training for the second intake begins, we invite you to participate and register here:
https://forms.gle/KUNrYxM5kvu4TuRt7