PRE-CONGRESS COURSE

Benefits of plant cover on air quality

Context and objective

The objective of the course is to develop skills in using i-Tree software, which quantifies the removal of air pollutants and carbon storage and capture by urban forests. The United States Forest Service developed i-Tree software to provide a tool to facilitate decision-making that improves the condition of urban forests, the environment, and the quality of life of citizens. Using i-Tree contributes to the study and assessment of urban forests in order to recognize their importance in mitigating climate change and air pollution, and thus promote their protection and enhancement.

Participants are expected to gain the ability to use i-Tree and develop urban forest management strategies to optimize ecosystem services and improve human health and urban environmental conditions. Finally, participants are expected to apply what they have learned in a face-to-face forest cover exercise and develop basic pollutant mapping.

May 13, 2025

8:30 am to
5:00 pm

UPB

With the support of:
Program
Session 1

The urban forest as a nature-based solution for mitigating and adapting to climate change and air pollution. Introduction to i-Tree software.

Measurement of variables required by the i-Tree model, project configuration, and report generation. Analysis of results and conclusions.

Tutors

María del Pilar Arroyave

Forest Engineer (UNAL Medellín) with a Master’s in Ecosystems. She was a professor at EIA University and researcher in biodiversity and urban ecology. Coordinated the Urban Ecology Program of the US Forest Service in Colombia. Provides consultancy on urban forests and has led projects and publications on ecosystem services and urban forestry.

Miguel Quirama Aguilar

Environmental Engineer with a Master’s degree in air quality, climate change, and GIS. He is an applied researcher at the Bogotá Botanical Garden. He currently works on projects to reduce personal exposure and capture carbon using urban trees. He has extensive teaching and research experience at Sergio Arboleda University, Manuela Beltrán University, and Uniandes University.

20

Participants
(limited capacity, prior registration).

Class type

Theoretical-practical.

Prerequisites

Basic Excel (desirable)

Technical and software requirements

Laptop with internet access.

Preliminary resources

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree tools
https://www.itreetools.org

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree Eco:
User Manual available here.

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree Eco:
Field Manual available here.

Preliminary resources

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree tools
https://www.itreetools.org

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree Eco:
User Manual available here.

USDA Forest Service. i-Tree Eco:
Field Manual available here.

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CASAP I - 2007

The first version of the event was held in 2007 in Manizales, led by the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. In this first version, a working group on “Diesel quality” was organized, and national and international experts and government representatives discussed a program to improve this fuel in the country. The contributions of this table were fundamental in the subsequent issuance of Law 1205 of 2008 of the Congress, which established the obligation to reduce the amount of sulfur in diesel intended for public transportation to improve the quality of life. As a result of this regulation, the country currently consumes diesel with a sulfur content of 50 ppm compared to the 2,500 ppm that was supplied in 2008.

CASAP IV - 2013

The fourth version of the congress coordinated by the Centro Lasallista de Investigación y Modelación Ambiental CLIMA of Universidad de La Salle, held in Bogotá in 2013, had significant international participation as well as a large presence of national participants, which demonstrates the interest in the problem of air pollution not only at the national level but also at the international level. The topics of most significant impact addressed at the congress were, in order, sampling and analysis of atmospheric pollutants, air quality, and public health, air quality management, public policies, urban planning, and, to a lesser extent, but of equal importance, topics related to climate change, energy efficiency, biofuels, and meteorological modeling.

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CASAP II - 2009

The second version of CASAP was held in Cartagena in 2009, led by the Group of Studies on Urban and Regional Sustainability (SUR) of Universidad de Los Andes, maintaining the choice of a scientific event of international relevance. On this occasion, in addition to the technical and plenary sessions of international guests, there was a broad discussion on biofuels and their impact on air quality and public health.

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CASAP III - 2011

The third version of CASAP took place in Medellin in 2011, led by Área Metropolitana del Valle de Aburrá (AMVA) and a group of regional universities. CASAP 2011 focused on sustainable mobility, a topic that undoubtedly closely relates to air quality in urban centers. Non-traditional mobility options for Colombian cities and incentives that could exist for their implementation were discussed. Today, a growing fleet of electric or hybrid vehicles can be observed on the streets of the leading Colombian cities, in addition to efforts to use sustainable means of transportation, such as bicycles.

CASAP V - 2015

The fifth version of CASAP was held in 2015 in Bucaramanga, led by the Faculty of Environmental Engineering of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. The main topic to be addressed on this occasion was Air Quality Modeling, so a modeling work table was organized. The results are expected to contribute greatly to research and applied regulations on air quality in Colombia.

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CASAP VI - 2017

The sixth version of CASAP was held in 2017 in the city of Santiago de Cali. The theme led by the Universidad del Valle was “Air Quality Management, Challenges and Alternatives for Urban Health.”

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CASAP VII - 2019

The seventh version of CASAP was held in 2019 in Barranquilla, led by the Centro de Educación Continuada of the Universidad del Norte, from August 13-16. The main topic was mobility and urban transport, followed by emerging technologies for monitoring, characterizing, and analyzing air quality. On this occasion, we had 12 international and 12 national speakers, in addition to the presence of environmental and health authorities, companies in the sector, and various universities.

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CASAP VIII - 2021

The eighth version of CASAP occurs once Colombia prepares to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The eighth version was held online and synchronously through a virtual platform. It was led by the Environmental Engineering Program of the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogotá. The central theme of the congress was the academy’s post-pandemic perspectives, once the atmosphere’s behavior and human response during the pandemic were studied. On the last day of the congress, a forum with the participation of the industry and a discussion of national and international public entities to share experiences in air management was held in person in Hall 74 – the university’s events center.

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CASAP IX - 2023

CASAP IX took place on March 22, 23, and 24, 2023, in Santa Marta. Nearly 300 participants addressed discussions to strengthen collaboration networks in Colombia and Latin America and promote an integrated vision between local and global pollution. A relevant conclusion was how different disciplines and roles should contribute to this comprehensive approach and establish air quality governance.

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