Citation: Wavrek, M.T.; Jean-Philippe, S.; McKinney, M.L. Ecological and Soil Data Applied to Conservation Management of an Urban Forest. Forests 2023, 14, 487. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030487 Academic Editor: Chi Yung Jim Received: 20 December 2022 Revised: 14 February 2023 Accepted: 22 February 2023 Published: 28 February 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Article Ecological and Soil Data Applied to Conservation Management of an Urban Forest Mia T. Wavrek 1,† , Sharon Jean-Philippe 2 and Michael L. McKinney 1, * 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee, 1621 Cumberland Avenue, 602 Strong Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA 2 Institute of Agriculture, University of Tennessee, 2621 Morgan Circle, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA * Correspondence: mmckinne@utk.edu † This manuscript is part of a Master’s thesis by the first author, available online at mtwavrek@gmail.com. Abstract: Urban ecosystems have great potential for urban biodiversity conservation, but achieving conservation goals relies on comprehensive ecological assessments to assist in active management practices; however, land use changes in urban ecosystems have led to unique abiotic and biotic inputs that have affected and altered below-ground soil composition, with potentially negative implications across trophic levels. We investigated the relationships between soil attributes and key indicators of forest health, specifically the composition and condition of vegetation and soils in an urban remnant forest area. The major findings revealed a dominance of native plant species, with some invasion by non-native plants, and acidic high-carbon soils sufficient in most plant available nutrients. Moreover, stepwise regression analysis showed significant relationships between soil attributes and native species diversity and abundance; prevalence of invasive plants (Lonicera maackii, Pueraria montana, Albizia julibrissin, Ligustrum sinense, Lonicera japonica, Ailanthus altissima, and Paulownia tomentosa); forest canopy gaps; and fine woody debris on the forest floor. These findings identified attributes of urban soils affecting forest health and biodiversity conservation, with broad implications for the long-term monitoring of urban forests. Keywords: urban; ecological management; soils; plant nutrients 1. Introduction The growing interest in enhancing ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation in cities has highlighted the importance of improving ecological planning and management of urban forests, particularly remnant forested natural areas [1–3]. Compared to the broader urban forest, which comprises all trees and associated vegetation growing in the urban environment, urban forested natural areas trees grow in a forest stand, are characterized by high levels of self-regulation (little management), and they typically take the form of urban park land [3,4]. Thousands of hectares of forested natural areas exist across the U.S. in densely populated areas, with nearly 3000 hectares in New York City alone [5]. These characteristics distinguish urban forested natural areas from other highly managed urban greenspaces, resulting in distinctive but substantial social and ecological contributions to sustainable urban ecosystems [6]. Throughout the U.S., where over 80% of the population lives in urban areas [4], urban forested natural areas in municipal park systems are becoming increasingly important for connecting humans to nature [7]. Spending time in nature provides adults and children significant physical, psychological, and cognitive benefits [8,9]. Forested natural areas also provide benefits in the form of ecosystem services, including filtering air and water pollution, watershed protection and stormwater retention, urban heat island mitigation, and providing habitats for the often-overlooked native biodiversity in urban areas [10–12]. The biodiversity conservation potential of forested natural areas is particularly high, due to their complex structure and ability to support a diversity of species in urban areas. Indeed, a Forests 2023, 14, 487. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030487 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests