Arboriculture & Urban Forestry (AUF) will be switching to an open access model. Unlike a traditional subscription model where readers gain access to scholarly information via paid subscription, an open access publishing model makes research information available to readers at no cost.

AUF will be the first of its kind in the fields of arboriculture and urban forestry to switch to an open-access model, and it will be unique in providing both full open access to all our articles while also continuing to let authors publish with us for free, without page fees or article processing charges.

“Only very few journals, often supported by scientific and other associations, have applied this model to date,” said Cecil Konijnendijk, the editor of AUF. “It will give us the opportunity to serve arboriculture and urban forestry worldwide even better. One example of this is that colleagues in the Global South who cannot afford ISA memberships nor journal subscriptions will be able to access and use AUF research. From a science ethics and global equity perspective, this is a really important consideration in line with ISA’s global mission.”

This change comes as a result of the ISA’s leadership, the editorial team and the editorial board’s work to increase the visibility of, and ease of access to, the high-quality work published in AUF. Additionally, the change will benefit both authors and readers and result in an increased interest in publishing in AUF.

Moving forward, ISA members will benefit through the strengthening of arboricultural and urban forestry research and practice, continue to enjoy free access to CEU quizzes based on journal articles, see an increase in AUF papers, and an increase in the quality of published works through a more stringent review process. The new model will also make AUF more visible and easily accessible to other disciplines and professions.

“These are exciting times for AUF as we move into an entirely new phase of publishing,” Konijnendijk said. “Thanks for your continuing support as we intensify our efforts to serve arboriculture and urban forestry worldwide.”