The article provides an overview of research on Estonian urban forests. The focus is on the so-called traditional approach, which considers urban forests from historical perspective as those falling under municipal administration, and their management. A secondary focus is on a modern trend in urban forestry that started in the USA and Canada in the 1960-1970s. One of the pioneers of the trend in Europe was the Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute. Thanks to the Institute scientists, their counterparts in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) were also involved in the modern trend of urban forestry research. The second part of the article includes an interview with one of the best-known leaders in urban forestry, Cecil C. Konijnendijk.