scholarly journals The Impact of Different Tree Planting Strategies in the Piazzas of a Northern Italian City

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Speak ◽  
Leonardo Montagnani ◽  
Hilary Solly ◽  
Camilla Wellstein ◽  
Stefan Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Italian City ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Achieving urban sustainability goals, and improving the quality of life in cities, are aided by the careful selection of tree species for public green spaces. Numerous trade-offs and synergies are necessary to consider when selecting tree species for successful public green spaces. In this transdisciplinary research we consider the impacts of nine different tree planting scenarios, as modelled with i-Trees, in three piazzas of Bolzano, North Italy. The scenarios consider the opinions of the general public gathered from focused workshops and data collected via a purposefully created smartphone application. Shade provision and aesthetics were the primary factors that influenced citizen tree preferences. Scenarios which included larger tree species generally performed the best due to the greater provision of ecosystem services that arises with larger tree dimensions. Ecosystem disservices also increase with larger trees but can be minimised by careful species selection. Public participation in the planning of urban green spaces can be a beneficial activity which ensures new planning outputs will be well-received whilst providing opportunities for education of citizens about the multiple ecosystem services and disservices in urban contexts.

scholarly journals The impact of different tree planting strategies on ecosystem services and disservices in the piazzas of a northern Italian city

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Speak ◽  
L. Montagnani ◽  
H. Solly ◽  
C. Wellstein ◽  
S. Zerbe
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Smartphone Application ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Italian City ◽  
The Impact

AbstractAchieving urban sustainability goals, and improving the quality of life in cities, are aided by the careful selection of tree species for public green spaces. Numerous trade-offs and synergies are necessary to consider when selecting tree species for successful public green spaces and there is little data on effective species mixes. In this transdisciplinary research we consider the relative impacts of nine different tree planting scenarios, as modelled with i-Tree, in three piazzas of Bolzano, North Italy. The scenarios consider the opinions of the general public gathered from focused workshops and data collected via a purposefully created smartphone application in addition to data from local urban tree inventories. Shade provision and aesthetics were the primary factors that influenced citizen tree preferences. Scenarios which included larger tree species generally performed the best due to the greater provision of ecosystem services that arises with larger tree dimensions. Ecosystem disservices also increase with larger trees but can be minimised by careful species selection. Public participation in the planning of urban green spaces can be a beneficial activity which ensures new planning outputs will be well-received whilst providing opportunities for education of citizens about the multiple ecosystem services and disservices in urban contexts. Model outputs revealed that different tree species choices can have greatly different impacts in terms of ecosystem service and disservice provision.

scholarly journals Vegetation Structure, Species Composition, and Carbon Sink Potential of Urban Green Spaces in Nagpur City, India

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 107
Author(s):  
Shruti Lahoti ◽  
Ashish Lahoti ◽  
Rajendra Kumar Joshi ◽  
Osamu Saito
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The City

Nagpur is rapidly urbanizing, and in the process witnessing decline in its green status which is one of the identities of the city. The study aims to understand the current species diversity, composition and structure in different classes of greens prevalent in the city. As urban green spaces (UGS) are also reservoirs of carbon stock, the study estimates their biomass. Through rigorous field work, data were collected from 246 sample plots across various UGS classes as pre-stratification. Then the biomass was estimated using non-destructive method with species-specific equation. The diversity of tree species recorded in UGS varies, with high diversity recorded in avenue plantation and institutional compounds. The overall variation in species composition among UGS classes was 36.8%. While in managed greens the species composition was similar, in institutional greens and forest it was different. Particularly, in forest the evenness was high with low diversity and low species richness. The structural distribution indicate lack of old trees in the city, with high number of tree species between diameter classes of 10–40 cm. Biomass was recorded high in road-side plantations (335 t ha−1) and playgrounds (324 t ha−1), and trees with bigger girth size where the main contributors. The dominant species indicates that high growth rate, tolerance to drought and pollution are the key attributes considered for species selection by local authorities. Though the city holds green image, vegetation along the avenues and institutions are stressed, exposed, and threatened by felling activities for grey infrastructure expansions. In such scenario, protection and preservation of older trees is crucial to maintain the carbon stock of the city. In addition, local authorities need to focus on effective afforestation programs through public participation to achieve high survival rate and reduce the maintenance cost. For species selection in addition to phenology and growth rate, tree biomass and life span needs to be considered to significantly enhance the urban environment and increase the benefits derived from UGS.

scholarly journals Ecosystem Services Provided By Urban Forests In The Southern Caucasus Region: A Modeling Study In Tbilisi, Georgia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levan Alpaidze ◽  
Rocco Pace
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Southern Caucasus ◽  
The City

Abstract BackgroundAll cities globally are growing considerably as they are experiencing an intensive urbanization process resulting in significant economic, social, and environmental challenges. One of the major risks is the deterioration of living environment in urban areas due to the high soil consumption and pollution of environmental components. For this reason, cities are required to adopt measures to reduce air pollution concentration and CO2 emissions, preserve biodiversity and mitigate the urban heat island effect. In this context, tree planting has been suggested as one cost-effective strategy because green infrastructures can provide important environmental and social functions which contribute to the quality of life and health of city dwellers.Tbilisi is the largest city in Georgia, with a population of over 1,100,000 inhabitants (about 30% of total population of Georgia). The green space availability in Tbilisi (5-6 m2 per inhabitant) is low compared to other European cities, and in recent years the need to increase the amount of urban vegetation has been underlined at planning level.ResultsIn our study, we implemented for the first time in an Eastern European city the i-Tree Eco model to quantify the main ecosystem services from common tree species in Southern Caucasus. Two parks, Expo Park (694 trees) and Red Park (1027 trees) in the city of Tbilisi have been measured and a model simulation was performed for the year 2018. These urban forests store large amounts of carbon in their woody tissues (198.4 t for Expo park and 126.5 t for Red park) and each year they remove 4.6 and 4.7 t of CO2 for Expo park and Red park. They also positively contribute to the air quality by removing 119.6 and 90.3 kg of pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, PM2.5, SO2), and reducing water runoff of 269.5 and 200.5 m3, respectively.Conclusions This analysis highlighted the key role of urban forests in improving the environmental sustainability of the city of Tbilisi and provides important decision support for the tree species selection in this geographic area with the aim of maximizing the benefits trees can supply to cities.

scholarly journals Urban Community Power: Enhancing Urban Forest Diversity and Reversing Ecosystem Disservices in Zomba City, Malawi

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1258
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Likongwe ◽  
Frank B. Chimaimba ◽  
Sosten S. Chiotha ◽  
Treaser Mandevu ◽  
Lois Kamuyango ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Tree species diversity in urban green spaces supports the provision of a wide range of urban ecosystem services, well studied in developed countries and less so in developing countries, where little is discussed concerning the role of urban communities in addressing the eminent threat facing green spaces. A study was, therefore, conducted to assess the impact of community involvement in the management of urban green spaces, which is mostly left in the hands of the central government in most developing countries. Two hills, namely, Sadzi and Chiperoni hills, were selected within Zomba city, where the latter has no community involvement in managing it. Trees with diameters at breast height (DBH) of ≥5 cm were measured and identified to species level from 25 sampled plots (20 × 20 m each). The results found a total of 51 species, 40 genera and 17 families, with the Fabaceae family dominant in both hills. A Shannon index of above 3.0 was recorded from both hills, with a greater tree density for Sadzi hill at 695 trees/ha. Sadzi hill has gained more than a twofold increase in green cover, while Chiperoni has lost 10%. Despite being in the regenerating phase, the community management is contributing to urban green space provision, ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation.

scholarly journals The impact of urban green spaces on the probability of urban crime in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-169
Author(s):  
Ni Made Sukartini ◽  
Ilmiawan Auwalin ◽  
Rumayya Rumayya
Keyword(s):  
Urban Crime ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The Impact

Effect of Urban Pollutants on Physiological and Biochemical Parameters of Leaves of Hardwood Trees and Shrubs in Urban Green Spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Sara Ghafari ◽  
Behzad Kaviani ◽  
Shahram Sedaghathoor ◽  
Mohammad Sadegh Allahyari
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Electrolyte Leakage ◽  
Urban Air Pollution ◽  
Biological Indicators ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Hardwood Trees ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trees And Shrubs

Trees and shrubs of green spaces can tolerate some physiological parameters. They can adapt to climatic conditions, hence, reduce air pollution and can be used as biological indicators in various researches. The present study aimed to explore the impact of urban air pollution on some parameters such as fresh, dry and turgor weight, amounts of chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments, and electrolyte leakage of 18 ornamental tree and shrub species in marginal and downtown parks of Rasht, Iran. The results revealed significant differences in turgor weight, photosynthetic pigments, and chlorophyll a/b ratio, but insignificant differences in electrolyte leakage between the marginal and downtown sites. The results indicated that all quantitative variables of the leaves differed significantly (p ≤ 0.01) among the species, except for fresh weight.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the importance of urban green spaces to the public

2021 ◽  
pp. 105925
Author(s):  
Tomasz Noszczyk ◽  
Julia Gorzelany ◽  
Anita Kukulska-Kozieł ◽  
Józef Hernik
Keyword(s):  
Green Spaces ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals Assessing the Ecosystem Services of Various Types of Urban Green Spaces Based on i-Tree Eco

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peihao Song ◽  
Gunwoo Kim ◽  
Audrey Mayer ◽  
Ruizhen He ◽  
Guohang Tian
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Ecosystem ◽  
Space Structure ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Aerial Images ◽  
Ecological Benefits ◽  
Urban Green ◽  
Urban Green Spaces ◽  
Service Productivity ◽  
Air Quality Improvement

Urban green spaces play a crucial role in maintaining urban ecosystem sustainability by providing numerous ecosystem services. How to quantify and evaluate the ecological benefits and services of urban green spaces remains a hot topic currently, while the evaluation is barely applied or implemented in urban design and planning. In this study, super-high-resolution aerial images were used to acquire the spatial distribution of urban green spaces; a modified pre-stratified random sampling method was applied to obtain the vegetation information of the four types of urban green spaces in Luohe, a common plain city in China; and i-Tree Eco model was further used to assess the vegetation structure and various ecosystem services including air quality improvement, rainfall interception, carbon storage, and sequestration provided by four types of urban green spaces. The modeling results reveal that there were about 1,006,251 trees in this area. In 2013, all the trees in these green spaces could store about 54,329 t of carbon, sequester about 4973 t of gross carbon, remove 92 t of air pollutants, and avoid 122,637 m3 of runoff. The study illustrates an innovative method to reveal different types of urban green spaces with distinct ecosystem service productivity capacity to better understand their various roles in regulating the urban environment. The results could be used to assist urban planners and policymakers to optimize urban green space structure and composition to maximize ecosystem services provision.

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