Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Oberle, Brad

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

This thesis introduces a concept of forestry that is rooted in the context of climate change and the solutions that exist at the urban level. The integration of urban forests designed to mitigate temperatures and sequester atmospheric carbon is a practical solution to problems caused by increasing urbanization. In this thesis, I detail the process for establishing a micro forest that has been planted at New College of Florida and the benefits of utilizing the micro forest planting method. Located in Southwest Florida near Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, the New College Micro Forest will serve as a small-scale model for urban forestry at the college level. The creation of the micro forest will serve as a starting point from which statistical data and predictive models can be derived from future students, and the collected data will serve as a report of the area’s growth and performance. “As our world becomes more and more urbanized, the urban forest will increasingly become an important reserve of biodiversity. We need to recognize the potential of urban areas to contain important amounts of biodiversity and work to promote that diversity” (Alvey, 2006).

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