The
1st Workshop of Asian Urban Forests Network (AUFN) for
People & Environment was successfully held on 10-12
January 2023 at Avante Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This workshop was jointly organised by National Institute
of Forest Science (NIFoS), Asia Pacific Association of
Forest Research Institutions (APAFRI) and Northern Research
Station, Forest Service, USDA.
Opening
address was delivered by Dr. Im Kyun Lee, Division Director
of Urban Forests, NIFoS. It was followed by the congratulatory
remarks by Dr. Ismail Parlan, Chairman of APAFRI and Dr.
Mark Majewsky of of USDA.
The
objective of the workshop was to focus on the present
status of urban forests and cognition of street trees
and urban forests in diverse environment of the city in
Asia. This workshop was participated by 16 researchers
from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand
and Vietnam. The workshop was organized in hybrid where
online participants could also join this event via Zoom
application.
The
workshop also included field visits which provided insights
into urban forests development in Kuala Lumpur. Participants
were taken to experience Forest Skywalk which is FRIM's
second canopy walkway located at Kepong Botanic Gardens.
After that, the group trekked into the Keruing trail,
the oldest trail in FRIM which got its name from the Dipterocarp
species (Dipterocarpus sp.) which are abundant along this
trail. In the afternoon, the participants visited KL Forest
Eco Park (formerly known as Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve
or Hutan Simpan Bukit Nanas). The park is located right
next to one of Malaysia’s most recognizable landmarks,
the Kuala Lumpur Tower. On the following day, the participants
had a pleasant day visiting Perdana Botanical Garden and
KLCC Park.
The
participants from APAFRI Members institutions:
