Re-inventing the Urban Forest: The Rise of Arboriculture in Australia

摘要

城市可持续性改革通常侧重技术效率或生态环境的健康。但城市的元素不一定都能纳入这两个方面，有些因素，如城市里的树木，常常被忽视。我们对澳大利亚东部树木专业人员进行了半结构化访谈，通过对这些访谈的主题分析，记录了近30年来树艺的兴起，及其对城市可持续性的意义。城市树形修剪已从原来的装饰或区隔发展为生态、经济和社会服务的重要部门。从修枝到移植的树艺行业应运而兴。树艺家在树木空间急剧减少的环境里，将灰色（建筑）基础设施和绿色（活生生的）基础设施的管理融为一体，改善了澳大利亚城市的可持续性。他们打破了自然与文化的二元对立，开创了管理城市生态社会系统的新途径，为城市的其他职业提供了启发。%Reform for urban sustainability has commonly focused on either technological efficiency or ecosystem health. Elements of cities that do not fit neatly into either of these concerns, such as trees in urban environments, have often been disregarded. We use thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with eastern Australian urban tree professionals to document the rise of arboriculture over the last 30 years and the implications of this rise for urban sustainability. The framing of urban trees has shifted from adornment or obstruction to a key asset in the delivery of ecological, economic and social services. This transition has been interwoven with the rise of the profession of arboriculture from the ash bed of tree lopping and naive nativism. Arborists are working to improve the sustainability of Australian cities by integrating the management of grey (built) and green (living) infrastructure in a context in which space for trees is in a severe decline. They are pioneering a way of managing urban ecosocial systems that unsettles dichotomies of nature and culture, a way relevant to other urban professions.