Tenley Conway

My research integrates insights from environmental geography, environmental studies, and urban ecology to improve our understanding of urban forest governance- including key actors, rules and discourses- and use of geospatial techniques to examine patterns of trees and other urban land covers. Recent SSHRC-funded research has examined (1) residents and municipalities’ roles in urban forest governance, in light of environmental justice concerns; (2) perceptions and experiences with urban forests in relation to climate change; and (3) green infrastructure discourse, perceptions and actions in Canada. I am an associate editor of Urban Forestry and Urban Greening and sit on two other editorial boards. I serve as a board member of LEAF, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the urban forest, and I am part of several municipal working groups.

I am interested in supervising Masters or PhD students who would like to focus on projects exploring (1) green infrastructure or urban forestry policy and management or (2) residents experiences, knowledge, attitudes and actions in relation to small-scale green infrastructure, trees and urban nature more generally. I consider these topics from a socio-ecological systems perspective, emphasizing interactions among different actors, in light of environmental change and justice considerations.

Publications 

Martin, A.J.F., *A. Flemming, T.M. Conway. 2025. Distributional inequities in tree density, size, and species diversity in 32 Canadian cities. npj Urban Sustainability 5(1): 18. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42949-025-00210-2

Martin, A.J.F. and T.M. Conway. 2025. Invasive pests and pathogens as potential drivers of urban forest distributional inequalities and inequities. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 128671 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2025.128671

Fleming, A., T.M. Conway, and *P. Sleightholm, J. McKay. 2025. Aerial imagery as a tool for monitoring urban tree retention: Applications, strengths and challenges for backyard tree planting programs. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 51(5). https://doi.org/10.48044/jauf.2025.022

Martin, A.J.F. and T.M. Conway. 2025. Using the Gini Index to quantify urban green inequality: A systematic review and recommended reporting standards. Landscape and Urban Planning 254, 105231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105231

Conway, T.M., *C. Ordóñez, I.C. Richmond, K. Su, K. Pike, P.E. Tchinda, J. Bock, L. Nesbitt, T.–T.-H. Pham, C.D Ziter. 2024. Comparison of Canadian urban forest perceptions indicates variations in beliefs and trust across geographic settings. Ecosystems and People 20(1): 2355272. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2024.2355272