Ecosystem services of urban forests: Conceptual approaches

\nConserving and restoring ecosystem services in urban areas can reduce the environmental impacts and ecological debts of cities, while improving the resilience, health and quality of life of their inhabitants. Green and natural areas of cities fulfil important functions in shaping a comfortable environment, despite this, the design, creation and maintenance of green spaces should also take into account certain risks associated with their possible unfavourable impacts. The article reveals the ecosystem services of urban forests of the urban system. Their characteristics are given. The risks for the effective implementation of the ecosystem services approach in territorial planning are disclosed. Using an approach to ecosystem services in planning can help policy makers move from policies on individual issues, such as the creation and maintenance of green infrastructure, to the formation of an integrated policy that recognizes the services provided by green infrastructure. Accounting for ecosystem services at the planning stage is much more cost-effective than covering the costs of loss or restoration of ecosystem services in the future.\n