Andrew Millward is an Assistant Professor of Geography and the principal investigator for the Urban Forest Research & Ecological Disturbance (UFRED) Group at Ryerson University. UFRED’s primary focus is applied research that seeks to use geospatial technology to document urban forest presence and condition, with the end goal of furthering protection and enhancement of natural spaces within cities. At present, Andrew teaches a graduate class at Ryerson focused on building and deploying land geographic information systems (LGIS) for urban parks in Toronto. He is a graduate of Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Guelph, and holds a PhD in Geography from University of Waterloo. 

Please contact me at the following e-mail
address (), or use the form below:

The Urban Forest Research & Ecological Disturbance UFRED) Group maintains two streams of inquiry; each applies geospatial tools and methods to the investigation of forest function and change. Specific attention is given to forest dynamics within or proximate to built environments.

Urban forest structure, function and dynamics – investigation of processes and patterns manifest within the urban forest, of both natural and anthropogenic origin. Our focus is primarily on the environmental services provided by trees (and the soils that sustain them) along streets, rights-of-way, within parks and on private property. We are currently working with the City of Toronto and LEAF in downtown Toronto parks and on private properties respectively

Ecological disturbance in forested parks & protected areas – investigation of major storm impacts on forests and subsequent vegetation response. Research relies heavily on remote sensing data, GIS, and field data collection to map spatial patterns of storm damage and intensity. UFRED continues an active interest in forest response monitoring following the 1998 Ice Storm, especially in the Adirondack Park, NY State. Recent storm events affecting large urban parks in Vancouver (December 2007 windstorm, Stanley Park) and Halifax (September 2003 hurricane, Point Pleasant Park) are being investigated with colleagues at Malaspina University-College, Nanaimo and St. Mary’s University, Halifax

Undergraduate

GEO 110 - The Physical Environment (syllabus) - Fall

GEO 361 - Inferential Statistics in Geography (syllabus) - Fall

GEO 612 - Environmental Decision Making (syllabus) - Winter

Graduate

SA 8923 - Land Geographic Information Systems (LGIS) (syllabus) - Winter

ES 8950 - Independent Study in Environmental Science - Winter

Former Department (The George Washington University, Washington DC)

GEOG 002 - Introduction to Environmental Geography

GEOG 105 - Techniques of Spatial Analysis

GEOG 143 - Urban Environmental Geography

GEOG 222 - Seminar: Resources and the Environment

Current

Jordan Kilts (Senior Undergraduate)
        Topic: Geographic perspectives on Ontario's Greenbelt
Carolina Molina Segura (MSA Candidate)
        Topic: Hurricane disturbance in Point Pleasant Park, Halifax
Kamal Paudel (MSA Candidate)
         Topic: Urban park naturalization
Senna Sabir (EnSciMan Candidate)
         Topic: Urban forest and stormwater runoff mitigation
Melissa Torchia (EnSciMan Candidate)
         Topic: Energy conservation and the urban forest

Recent Graduates

Harry Morrison (MSA 2008)
         Land cover distribution and change in Toronto from 1985 to 2005
Brahma Toleti (MSA 2008)
         Urban forest soil characteristics: a geostatistical analysis of Allan Gardens
Colin Squirrell (MSA 2007)
         Landscape extent response of Adirondack forest to the 1998 ice storm

Prospective

Should you wish to learn more about graduate opportunities with the UFRED Group, please contact me via email. You may choose to study in one of two programs: 1) Masters of Spatial Analysis (MSA) or 2) Environmental Applied Science and Management (ENSCIMAN).

Peer Reviewed

Millward, A.A. and P.J. Howarth (In Review) Urbanization viewed through a geostatistical lens applied to remote-sensing data. International Journal of Geographic Information Science.

Millward, A.A., J.M. Piwowar and P.J. Howarth (2006) Time-series analysis of medium-resolution, multisensor satellite data for identifying landscape change. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing. 72(6): 653–663.

Millward, A.A. and C.E. Kraft (2004) Physical influences of landscape on a large-extent ecological disturbance: the northeastern North American ice storm of 1998. Landscape Ecology. 19(1): 99-111.

Mersey, J.E., A.A. Millward and L.M. Martinez R. (2002) Realizing the potential of GIS in community-based management of protected areas. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology. 9(3): 208-222.

Millward, A.A. and J.E. Mersey (2001) Conservation strategies for effective land management of protected areas using an erosion prediction information system (EPIS). Journal of Environmental Management. 61(4): 329-343.

Millward, A.A. and J.E. Mersey (1999) Adapting the RUSLE to model soil erosion potential in a mountainous tropical watershed. Catena. 38(2): 109-129.

Media

Field notes from a parched city. Spacing Toronto. September 15th, 2007 PDF
Turn squirrels into tree killers, ... The Globe and Mail. September 15th, 2007 PDF

- Ryerson NSERC RTI Grant (co-applicant with Dr. Claus Rinner) - WebGIS Server
- Ryerson Faculty of Arts SRC Grant – The urban forest
- Ryerson New Faculty SRC Grant – Ecological disturbance in urban parks

- NSERC RTI Grant (co-applicant with Dr. Julia Lu et al.)
  ‘Equipment for establishing an atmospheric observatory for urban environmental
   studies’
- NSERC Discovery Grant
  ‘Multi-scale response of a forested landscape to ice storm damage’
- Ontario Trillium Foundation (co-applicant with COMAP et al.)
  ‘Urban Neighbourhood Forest Collaborative of Ontario’
- ISA Tree Fund (co-applicant with LEAF)
  ‘Pruning assessment and promotion for young urban trees’
- Toronto Parks & Trees Foundation
  ‘Urban park naturalization’

Academic Awards

- Fulbright Scholar (Cornell University)
- Celanese Internationalist Fellowship (Cornell University)
- Geomatics (GIScience) Canada Scholarship
- Governor General of Canada Academic Gold Medal
- NSERC Doctoral Scholarship (PGS-B)
- NSERC Masters Scholarship (PGS-A)