West Africa's population has more than doubled in the last five decades. The sub-region's population was roughly 71 million in 1950, climbed to 234.7 million in 2000, and then to 267.8 million in 2005. Furthermore, the population was 307 million in 2010, with a predicted growth to 401.8 million in 2020 (World population perspective, 2019). Specifically, every nation in the Sub-region has a greater urban settlement than a rural community. Even though most nations in the Sub-region have seen rapid growth and have fostered huge empires for religious and economic objectives, urbanization remains a phenomenon in West Africa. Also,

Kumasi is Ghana's second most populated city after Accra. The population of Kumasi metropolitan is 1.73 million of the entire Ashanti Region population (2010 Population and Housing Census, Ghana). According to Ghana's 2021 census, the 2010 population has climbed to 3.6 million. This clearly illustrates that urbanization is rising, which increases the demand for human and natural resources. People may require the land for construction and other development projects by clearing off the urban forest without replacing them or understanding the relevance of urban forests as urbanization increases. This article demonstrates how urban forests benefit the environment and human lives.  

Urban forest may benefit cities and their populations. They can help people's physical and emotional health by providing places for physical activity and reducing stress. They can also enhance air quality by eliminating hazardous pollutants and decreasing noise. Urban forests may support local livelihoods, improve community cohesiveness, raise food security for underprivileged people, strengthen urban dwellers' connection to nature, and improve equity. Small land spaces, for example, repurposed as pocket parks with trees and chairs might become places for social interaction. 

Urban forests, on the other hand, may be helpful to the urban ecology. They can, for example, minimize the heat island effect, improve water infrastructure, intercept rainwater and surface runoff to reduce erosion and sedimentation, boost agricultural productivity in urban and peri-urban regions, and raise property values. If appropriately integrated along streets, urban woods can even enhance traffic flow and lower vehicle speeds. Trees can play a significant part in a "complete streets" approach in this regard. "Complete streets" are a transportation policy and design strategy that demands roadways to be planned and structured in such a way that they are safe, convenient, and comfortable to travel on.

Urban forest can assist achieve these goals by cooling the air, providing shade, and, in certain situations, insulating commuters from environmental and safety problems such as pollution. Some towns have already begun to strategically employ the usage of trees. The city of Medellin in Colombia, for example, has seen favorable effects from the implementation of such regulations. They were able to reduce the temperature of the corridors by 2-3°C, so improving the daily journey of 1 million passengers.

With the benefit derived from urban forest, it also faces some challenges due to urbanization.

Urban woods encounter a variety of issues. For starters, urban trees grow in challenging conditions: they are continually exposed to pollution, high temperatures, drought, and floods, and the limited area they have to form roots makes them more susceptible to insects and illnesses. Second, inadequate resources frequently impede good urban forest preservation, which necessitates the engagement of many stakeholders and the coordination of local administrations. Third, development encroachment frequently leads in the loss of urban trees and green areas. Finally, promoting urban forests is hampered by a lack of public knowledge of their advantages. Urban trees are frequently viewed as a financial burden or risk, and the advantages they give are undervalued. 

In this regard, there are still several policy hurdles to the adoption of urban forests. One explanation is that communities have several pressing objectives, such as cheap housing or safe transportation, which pushes green space maintenance to the bottom of the priority list. Another issue is that municipalities sometimes lack the technical knowledge and money required to manage urban woods. Tight budgets and little investor interest are also significant challenges for the development of urban forests. Despite the potential economic and social benefits, towns fail to recognize the full worth of urban woods, which are frequently seen as a convenience. 

Finally, urban forests appear to bring significant advantages to cities and their residents, particularly in regard to climate-related threats such as heat waves, floods, and droughts. It is crucial to note, however, that the benefits and problems stated above may differ from city to city. The advantages supplied by urban woods can be influenced by climate, topography, and even cultural or individual preferences. Planning and execution must be inclusive in order to determine which services communities want and desire. The engagement of all key stakeholders is critical to achieving consistent results. 

Thank you for reading this article!

Relevant source: Benefits and challenges of urban forests - Uforest