Research progress on urban forest ecosystem services and multifunctionality

Urban forests are crucial components of the urban ecosystem, playing a pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance, mitigating the urban heat island effect, and enhancing air quality, etc.. Research into urban forest ecosystem services and multifunctionality is of significant importance for effectively managing and optimizing urban ecosystems, thus contributing to sustainable urban development. This work systematically examined various ecosystem services provided by urban forests, encompassing regulatory, supportive, provisioning, cultural, and health-promoting services. It provided a comprehensive review of research progress and paradigms regarding the multifunctionality of urban forest ecosystems, anticipates future research directions, and underscored the necessity of enhancing attention to the three-dimensional morphology of urban forests in regulating their ecological functions. Additionally, it emphasized the importance of quantitatively analyzing urban forests’ contribution to ecosystem multifunctionality and optimizing urban forest patterns through multi-objective synergistic techniques. Furthermore, this study elucidated the cascading effects and mechanisms of urban forest pattern-process-function-service relationships, proposing strategies for multi-objective coordinated development of urban forest patterns and offering scientific support and practical guidance for the efficient, stable, and sustainable management of urban forests.