18 January 2023 (Wednesday) – A total of 16 participants of the 1^st Workshop of Asian Urban Forests Network (AUFN) for People and Environment visited Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong on 11 January as part of the excursion programme of the workshop.

Led by FRIM’s nature guides, the participants visited the Forest Skywalk at the Kepong Botanic Gardens, FRIM Research Gallery and brought for trekking along the forest trails to see the ‘crown shyness’ phenomenon.

Jointly organised by National Institute of Forest Science (NIFoS), Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the workshop held in Kuala Lumpur was launched by NIFoS Urban Forests Director Dr Im Kyun Lee on 10 January. Also present, FRIM Director General Dr Ismail Parlan who is the APAFRI Chairman.

There were various interesting topics presented by expert speakers from seven countries. FRIM Researcher Dr Ahmad Nazarudin Mohd Roseli made a presentation on the topic, ‘Phenological Observation of an Urban Tree, Xanthostemon chrysanthus (F. Muell.) Benth’.

The aim of workshop, attended by researchers from Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, was to discuss the present status of urban forests and street trees in the diverse environment of the cities in Asia.