iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Here's some fun 🇨🇦🇳🇿 stereotypes. I landed in Vancouver and while waiting in line for my rental car, two departing travelers gave me their can of bear spray. Back in Auckland this morning and have seen Bret McKenzie and Lianne Dalziel at the airport.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

This week, work has me at KU Leuven, a 600 year old Belgian university. My walk into the office this morning alongside hundreds of cycling students was pretty wonderful.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

In Belgium for work and got to see this improbable survivor. Dutch Elm disease wiped out nearly all mature Dutch Elm trees, but this Belgian cultivar has survived 136 years in Hasselt.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

1/2 Followup. This new study looks at which incentives might deliver increased housing AND urban forest canopy. We surveyed developers and councils who told us that cost-neutral incentives are those with the most potential to achieve these competing goals. #urbanforestry #urbanism

kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me

ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Trees in Christchurch's parks and reserves have a replacement value of $386M. They store 90K tonnes C, sequestering 4K tonnes C each year. They intercept 165M litres of rainfall every year, reducing the burden on stormwater infrastructure. doi.org/10.26021/16387 #ecosystemservices #urbanforest

doi.org

Environmental and Economic Benefits of Trees in Christchurch’s Parks and Reserves: Results of i-Tree Eco Modelling

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Christchurch's urban forest canopy made headlines last week. Council planners and policymakers have a challenge on their hands to enable critically important housing outcomes, while ensuring trees don't disappear from more densely populated residential areas www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3609...

thepress.co.nz

Christchurch’s tree canopy shrinking on residential land, council ‘hamstrung’

Big chunks of the city’s canopy are being lost from private homes and gardens – and there’s only so much the council can do.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Was gifted this beautifully made book, Urban Gardener. Love the little details like coloured dividers for each season.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

This is one of those rare studies. It pushes speculation aside and actually gets developer perspectives on how they deal with trees during development. I'm confident this will help planners manage the tension b/w the need for housing and trees in our cities authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

authors.elsevier.com

ScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

One of my former students just had a manuscript desk rejected by the editor because it was too similar to a chapter in his (the former student) thesis. First time I've seen this. Anyone else had this experience? #academicsky

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

It doesn't always go this well...today I had 2 manuscripts rejected. Chin up.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

This was really cool to see, @arborkoeser.bsky.social covered my recent research in his blog 'Rooted in Tree Research'. It's well-written and funny #scicom. If you've ever wondered what happens to a root when you cut through it with a spade, check it out blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/gcrec/2025/1...

blogs.ifas.ufl.edu

A Cut Below: How Pruning Techniques and Timing Impact Damage and Regrowth (Tree Journal Club 9) - Gulf Coast Research and Education Center

Tree Root Pruning Research Findings

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

Spent the afternoon at the #itcc #isa tree climbing competition in Hagley park. Incredible vibe and athleticism from the world's best arborists in town ahead of the international society of arboriculture conference.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Is it silly to think that New Zealand's science funding changes may yield too much influence to one person? newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/16/f...

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Today #ucnz is hosting careers advisors from across the country and my research group is telling them all about how we use remote sensing to measure and monitor forests. We use drones equipped with laser scanners, multispectral sensors, and thermal sensors to understand forest dynamics.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

My university, #ucnz, is putting on a series of really interesting talks at this annual Raising the Bar event. Grab a coffee, pint, wine, or cocktail at your local and hear 20 leading academics talk about AI, penguins, space tourism, and more. www.rtbevent.com/rtbchch2025

rtbevent.com

Christchurch 2025 — Raising the bar

20 Talks. 10 Bars. 1 Night.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 30/08/2025

Had a really nice chat with Mihingarangi Forbes this morning on RNZ about NZ's urban forests and the importance of trees and greenspaces for wellbeing. www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

rnz.co.nz

Filling streets with trees

Communities worldwide are planting trees. In New Zealand. Hāwera has 7.5% tree canopy, Picton has nearly 59%. The average across all NZ towns and cities is 19%.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

I was so lucky to spend a week with the @irssubc.bsky.social on their annual research retreat on Vancouver Island. They're such a fun, smart, and inspiring group.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

One of the best parts of my job...getting to congratulate my PhD students on submitting their thesis after years of hard work. Congrats to Joe Zhao (not on bsky) on his amazing work using deep learning for tree crown delineation and species detection in cities.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

For the local Christchurch folks, our tree cover target is 20% by 2070...an increase from the current 13.5%. It's a well thought out target that is achievable, but will need consistent resource allocation for new planting and maintenance/protection of existing trees.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 28/07/2025

Many cities have tree cover targets, used to support an increase in canopy and the benefits trees provide. But how are those targets set? Are they rational, aspirational, delusional? Our study of 57 cities worldwide found evidence off all three... authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S... #urbanforests

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 26/07/2025

As promised, here's the first trees and cities manuscript. authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S.... Here's what we learned: 1. Residential intensification contributes to loss of tree canopy. 2. Residential infill leads to less tree cover loss than other forms of intensification. 3. But...

Different forms of intensification result in varying degrees of tree loss.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 25/07/2025

Two manuscripts accepted for publication today. Surprised? You bet. Hope you people like science about trees and cities.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Thrilled that our urban tree cover work is leading to meaningful change. We provided 75 cities in NZ with an estimate of their tree cover and just a week later one town is looking at changing their Tree Policy to increase its canopy cover. www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

thepress.co.nz

The Press

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Nice write-up by Will Harvie summarising the tree cover in Canterbury cities and towns. www.thepress.co.nz/environment/...

thepress.co.nz

The Press

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

How leafy 🌳 is your hometown? We've estimated tree canopy cover for 75 cities and towns in NZ. Picton is NZ's leafiest city with nearly 60% tree cover, while Hāwera has only 7%. www.canterbury.ac.nz/news-and-eve...

canterbury.ac.nz

Tree cover for Kiwi towns and cities spotlit in new study | University of Canterbury

Researchers from the University of Canterbury have carried out urban tree canopy cover assessments for 75 towns and cities across New Zealand.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 12/06/2025

This sets a dangerous precedent. Removing healthy established trees from public land because they aren't native and might cause future infrastructure damage...yikes! www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

stuff.co.nz

Picton subdivision’s oaks ‘the wrong tree in the wrong place’

Two oaks in Endeavour Heights are to be replaced with natives, prompting the council to consider looking at all council-maintained exotic trees.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

I get that people have views on trees near their homes, but saying the Council urban forestry team "haven't thought this through at all" is a stretch! People would be shocked at how much thought goes into every tree planted in NZ cities.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Dear Sarah from Papakura, rats and wasps will love your idea of fruit trees along streets, but the rotting fruit, pruning, and spraying requirements for a healthy horticultural crop won't make you happy. Enjoy your Sweetgum...it really is a lovely street tree. www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3607...

stuff.co.nz

Council’s ‘ridiculous’ choice of berm tree criticised

Papakura local Sarah Thompson was surprised when she found that council had planted a dwarf version of a liquidamber on her berm last month.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 05/05/2025

What a day to 🚲 to work...forecast tailwinds both ways!

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 08/04/2025

Out with my forestry science students, learning about foraging from the incomparable Peter Langlands. Lots of edible and poisonous mushrooms in Hanmer with the recent rains.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Not sure if I've got any followers involved in NZ housing, but if so, my PhD student Dave Pedley has an online survey about the management of trees in housing intensification projects and the use of incentives to support the retention of existing trees. canterbury.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

canterbury.qualtrics.com

Property Developer Survey

A survey for property developers about the management of trees in housing intensification projects and the use of incentives to support the retention of existing urban trees.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

I nodded so much reading this article,I think I injured my neck. So very relatable for many working in academia.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

✅ More housing ❎ Landscaping I wonder if the consented plans showed some nice leafy green trees and, if so, what happened to them?

Corner of Linwood Ave and Thomas Street in Christchurch, 2018

Corner of Linwood Ave and Thomas Street in Christchurch, 2025

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Urban trees have got it tough. Here's a row of 8 tulip trees (tulip poplar in eastern North America) planted on the same day on a low-use path. 3 are doing well, 3 are dead or gone, 1 is just barely hanging on, and 1 was snapped in half, but recovering well. From West to East, here's the first 4...

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

This is almost certainly a case of planting up the easy places first. But as @alexbozikovic.bsky.social points out, urban trees are needed where people work, play, and live. So do the easy planting, there'll be broad benefits, but don't forget the hard places where trees best benefit city dwellers.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Love Ben's enthusiasm for urban trees...they really do make an incredible difference to thermal comfort in our cities. Some cool research has recently come out of Belgium showing that tree type/configuration affects temperatures differently during days and nights. doi.org/10.1016/j.la...

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

When you're looking to understand urban forest ecosystem services, i-Tree Eco models are the industry standard. We're looking to extend their utility by integrating remote sensing into the data collection process doi.org/10.1016/j.uf... #urbanforestry #ecosystemservices

kwnsfk27.r.eu-west-1.awstrack.me

Redirecting

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Vowing to never again lead a large team of co-authors to write a manuscript. Sure, the different perspectives and knowledge exchange are unbeatable...but it also means I have to spend hours entering each author's details into Elsevier's Editorial Manager web submission portal hellscape #academicsky

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

A good colleague of mine is retiring soon and is slowly emptying out his office. I managed to grab this great old book for my collection.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

With places like this on our doorsteps, it's easy to see why greenspaces reduce depressive symptoms in adults in New Zealand. This study, using 40 years of health data, does a deep dive into the relationship between urban greenspaces and mental health doi.org/10.1016/j.en...

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

First meeting of the day at the botanic gardens #academiclife

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Incredible day for bees and people alike in Christchurch, NZ.

NZ Christmas tree with loads of red flowers. Sumner, Christchurch, New Zealand.

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Bees are loving the NZ Christmas tree (Metrosideros spp.)

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

When did journals start providing so many reviews for submitted manuscripts? I'm aware of 1 manuscript with 5 sets of reviewer comments! 5! #academicsky #academicchatter

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Justin Morgenroth @jamorgenroth.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Have just heard that the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology, Judith Collins has announced that the Marsden Fund will no longer support humanities and social sciences. Feeling frustrated for great colleagues who specialise in those critical areas.

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