This publication is the result of more than six years of hard work by a
dedicated group of European urban forest and tree experts. The editors
are indebted to the national experts of COST Action E12 'Urban Forests
and Trees' and to the others who have contributed to the various
chapters in this publication. Ultimately, 59 authors from 21 European
countries feature in this book. The European Cooperation in the field of
Scientific and Technical Research (COST) and in particular its
Secretariat deserve our gratitude for their support in establishing an
active European community of urban forestry experts. In our work to
prepare this publication, we have been assisted by Karen Sejr, who
provided crucial editorial support. We are also grateful to Jette Abel,
Birgit Brynjolf, Jette Alsing Larsen, and other colleagues at the Danish
Centre for Forest, Landscape and Planning, KVL. Without their
contributions, the work could never have been completed. Words of
gratitude also go to the publisher, Springer, who have supported the
idea to publish a first European reference book on urban forests and
urban trees from the very start, and who showed patience during the long
production process.