Urban forests, integral to a city’s critical infrastructure, are traditionally under the mandate of local governments, yet in reality, the decision-making for their conservation is influenced by a myriad of factors operating at the neighbourhood level. In some neighbourhoods, decisions are heavily influenced by formal Resident Associations (RAs). Using a case study approach, in depth interviews were conducted with selected engaged and committed RA members in Mississauga, Canada to determine: 1) What is the role of urban forest knowledge in motivating people to engage with their local community group, i.e., how does knowledge play a role in developing a critical consciousness that leads to action? 2) How does an individual’s knowledge shape strategies used by the community group? and 3) How can we characterize the knowledge of community group leaders in terms of urban forest governance? Our study shows that knowledge is embodied in all roles that RA executive members take on and that it is key in motivating their engagement. The critical role of ‘knowing ‘was also clear in the ability of RAs to develop and establish local-level strategies that help conserve urban forests. Based on our research, it is clear that RAs and local governments (individually and/or collectively) can enhance the knowledge of residents at the neighbourhood level to improve engagement. We recommend that RA members engage via an ongoing collaborative knowledge building process to become better equipped at confronting urban forest management practices and impacting urban forest governance.

传统上，城市森林是城市关键基础设施不可或缺的一部分，但它们实际上是由地方政府授权的，但实际上，保护森林的决策受到邻里层面上众多因素的影响。在某些社区中，决策受到正式居民协会（RA）的严重影响。使用案例研究的方法，对加拿大密西沙加的部分参与和承诺的RA成员进行了深入访谈，以确定：1）城市森林知识在激励人们与当地社区团体互动方面的作用是什么，即知识如何在发展导致行动的批判意识中发挥作用？2）个人的知识如何塑造社区团体使用的策略？3）我们如何通过城市森林治理来表征社区团体领导者的知识？我们的研究表明，知识在RA执行成员担任的所有角色中均得到体现，这是激励他们参与的关键。“了解”的关键作用还很明显，因为区协制定和建立有助于保护城市森林的地方战略的能力。根据我们的研究，很明显，RA和地方政府（个人和（或）集体）可以增强社区居民的知识，以提高参与度。