scholarly journals Assessment of Seasonal and Vegetational Variations in the Airborne Bacterial Concentration of the Urban Forest Park: A Case Study in Hunan, China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenni Liao ◽  
Huijuan Xu ◽  
Jiaojiao Ma ◽  
Maojuan Li ◽  
Caisheng He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Airborne Bacteria ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Forest Communities ◽  
Bacterial Concentration ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Mixed Community

Abstract It is important to investigate bacterial air quality in urban forest parks because tree bacteriostasis practices are being increasingly advocated as measures to improve the air quality and public-health in urban green spaces around the world. The aim of the present study was to quantitatively investigate airborne bacterial concentration levels based on field measurements in every season in five selected forest communities and the uncovered space in an urban forest park, as well as the effects of several factors on the culturability of airborne bacteria. Results suggested that the airborne bacterial levels of all forest communities reached the clean air quality standard with regard to the airborne bacteria content, with the highest bacteria concentrations in the uncovered space (1658 ± 1298 CFU/m3), and the lowest in the mixed community (907 ± 567 CFU/m3). The temporal distribution analysis showed that the most airborne bacteria were concentrated in summer, as well as in the morning and afternoon. The bacteriostatic rates of the mixed community were significantly different with seasonal variation (p < 0.05). Spearman’s correlations revealed that the bacterial concentration was significantly positively correlated with the season, wind speed (WS), temperature (T), ultraviolet light (UV), negative air ion (NAI) and total suspended particles (TSP) (p＜0.05), but significantly negatively correlated with the forest community type (p < 0.05). WS, UV, NAI, TSP and PM2.5 showed significant effect on airborne bacterial concentration in a multiple linear regression model (p < 0.05). Overall, the selection of tree species plays a key role in shaping the forest structure and improving air quality, and the urban forest highlights key priorities for future efforts towards a cleaner, healthier, and more diverse regional forest environment.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Ozone Level Variation in Urban Forests in Shenzhen, China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Duan ◽  
Cheng Wang ◽  
Nancai Pei ◽  
Chang Zhang ◽  
Lin Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Quality Standard ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Ozone Level ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Recreational Activities ◽  
Forest Park

Abstract: Research Highlights: This study is among the first to investigate ozone levels in urban forests in China. It establishes that urban forest air quality in Yuanshan Forest Park, Shenzhen, is suitable for recreational activities and identifies spatial, seasonal, and diurnal O3 patterns and relationships with micrometeorological parameters, suggesting the possibility of manipulating relevant forest characteristics to reduce O3 levels. Background and Objectives: An understanding of O3 levels of urban forest environments is needed to assess potential effects on human health and recreational activities. Such studies in China are scarce. This study investigated urban forest O3 levels to improve understanding and support residents engaging in forest recreational activities. Materials and Methods: We monitored O3 levels in 2015–2016 for three urban forests representing common habitats (foothill, valley, and ridge) in Yuanshan Forest Park, Shenzhen, and for an adjacent square. Results: The overall mean daily and daily maximum 8-h mean (MDA8) O3 concentrations were highest for the ridge forest and lowest for the valley forest. Each forest’s O3 concentrations were highest in summer. Diurnally, forest O3 concentrations peaked between 13:00 and 17:00 and reached a minimum between 03:00 and 09:00. The correlation between forest O3 concentrations and air temperature (AT) was strongly positive in summer and autumn but negative in spring. In each season, O3 concentration was negatively correlated with relative humidity (RH). No MDA8 or hourly O3 concentrations in the forests exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standard Grade I thresholds (100 and 160 μg m−3, respectively). Conclusions: O3 accumulation is present in ridge urban forest in all seasons. Foothill and valley urban forests have better air quality than ridge forestation. Urban forest air quality is better in spring and autumn than in summer and is better from night-time to early morning than from noon to afternoon.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Ozone Level Variation in Urban Forests in Shenzhen, China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Duan ◽  
Cheng Wang ◽  
Nancai Pei ◽  
Chang Zhang ◽  
Lin Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Ozone Level ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Recreational Activities ◽  
Forest Park

This study is among the first to investigate ozone levels in urban forests in China. It establishes that urban forest air quality in Yuanshan Forest Park (Shenzhen) is suitable for recreational activities and identifies spatial, seasonal, and diurnal O3 patterns and relationships with micrometeorological parameters, suggesting the possibility of manipulating relevant forest characteristics to reduce Surface ozone (O3) levels. An understanding of O3 levels of urban forest environments is needed to assess potential effects on human health and recreational activities. Such studies in China are scarce. This study investigated urban forest O3 levels to improve understanding and support residents engaging in forest recreational activities. We monitored O3 levels in 2015–2016 for three urban forests representing common habitats (foothill, valley, and ridge) in Yuanshan Forest Park and for an adjacent square. The overall mean daily and daily maximum 8 h mean (MDA8) O3 concentrations were highest for the ridge forest and lowest for the valley forest. Each forest’s O3 concentrations were highest in summer. Diurnally, forest O3 concentrations peaked between 13:00 and 17:00 and reached a minimum between 03:00 and 09:00. The correlation between forest O3 concentrations and air temperature (AT) was strongly positive in summer and autumn but negative in spring. In each season, O3 concentration was negatively correlated with relative humidity (RH). No MDA8 or hourly O3 concentrations in the forests exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standard Grade I thresholds (100 and 160 μg m−3, respectively). O3 accumulation is present in ridge urban forest in all seasons. Foothill and valley urban forests have better air quality than ridge forestation. Urban forest air quality is better in spring and autumn than in summer and is better from night-time to early morning than from noon to afternoon.

scholarly journals Assessing the Ecological Value of an Urban Forest Park: A Case Study of Sinhua Forest Park in Taiwan

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 806
Author(s):  
Wan-Yu Liu ◽  
Yo-Zheng Lin ◽  
Chi-Ming Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Contingent Valuation Method ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
Socioeconomic Background ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Ecological Conservation

Urban forests offer multiple functions: they can balance negative effects from the environment and provide the public with a place for leisure and recreation. Hence, urban forests are crucial to urban ecology and have been widely studied. In addition, relevant study results were applied for policymaking in urban development and forest park management. This study evaluated the ecological value of the Sinhua Forest Park and examined whether the socioeconomic background of participants influences their willingness to pay (WTP) for ecological conservation. Questionnaires were distributed to visitors in the Sinhua Forest Park in Tainan, Taiwan, and the payment card format of the contingent valuation method was employed to evaluate the ecological value. The results showed that the visitors had an annual WTP of $22.01 per person. However, when samples with protest responses were excluded, the WTP rose to $24.58. By considering the total number of visitors of a year, the total ecological value was $1,426,964.14/year and reached $1,593,257.31/year after excluding the protest samples. This study also analyzed participants’ within-variable socioeconomic background (e.g., gender and education) and discovered that male participants who are aged 60 years or older, with an education level of senior/vocational high school, and those who visited green spaces two to three times per week presented a high WTP score on average. A Tobit regression model was employed for examination, and the results indicated that participants’ education and frequency of visiting green spaces significantly influenced their WTP for the ecological conservation of the Sinhua Forest Park.

Assessment of the indoor air quality based on airborne bacteria and fungi measurements in a public school of Istanbul

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuket Sivri ◽  
Ahmet Ozgur Dogru ◽  
Arzu Funda Bagcigil ◽  
Kemal Metiner ◽  
Dursun Zafer Seker
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Public School ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Airborne Bacteria ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

scholarly journals Beijing Resident’s Preferences of Ecosystem Services of Urban Forests

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Han Zhi-Ying ◽  
Youn Yeo-Chang
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Fresh Water ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Urban Forestry ◽  
Urban Forests ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Quality Regulation ◽  
Water Provision ◽  
Air Quality Regulation

This paper aims to investigate the Beijing resident’s preferences over various options of urban forest management strategies. The literature investigation and expert Delphi method were conducted to classify the ecosystem services of urban forests into six categories: (1) fresh water provision, (2) noise reduction, (3) moderation of extreme events, (4) air quality regulation, (5) species diversity and wildlife habitat, and (6) recreation and spiritual experience. To elicit the relative preferences to ecosystem service (hereafter referred to as ES) of Beijing residents, we employed the choice experiment method. The data were collected by interviews with questionnaires conducted in October 2017, and a total of 483 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The subjects of this experiment were residents older than 19 years old who have lived in Beijing for more than 1 year and have visited any one of the urban forests located in Beijing more than once during 2016. The results were as follows: Firstly, the air quality regulation ES was considered as the most important service for Beijing residents in terms of their choices of urban forest. In addition, Beijing residents regarded the fresh water provision ES as the second most important ES. Beijing residents were willing to pay up to 1.84% of the average monthly income of Chinese households annually to expand urban forest ecosystems in order to improve air quality. Secondly, apartment owners were willing to pay more municipality tax for forest ESs than residents who did not own an apartment. Thirdly, residents were more willing to pay for urban forest ESs as their income increases. The results indicated that Beijing residents were willing to pay more tax in support of urban forestry for air quality improvement. This research suggests that urban environmental policy makers in Beijing should pay more attention to the regulation function of forests (especially improving air quality) when designing and managing urban forests.

scholarly journals Residents’ Spatial Preference for Urban Forest Park Route during Physical Activities

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11756
Author(s):  
Mengmeng Cai ◽  
Chuyun Cui ◽  
Lin Lin ◽  
Shuyi Di ◽  
Zheng Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Cognitive Maps ◽  
Physical Activities ◽  
Urban Residents ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Spatial Image ◽  
Spatial Preference ◽  
Forest Parks

Urban parks positively affect the life quality and health of urban residents as well as the environment where they live. When it comes to the design of a future urban forest park, it is necessary to consider the protection of ecological environment, landscape sustainability and practicability. This study explored residents’ spatial preference for urban forest parks based on preference survey data. According to the rating scores obtained for four urban forest park routes during physical activities, this study used cognitive maps and multinomial logit models to figure out the potential influencing factors affecting residents’ spatial preference while they engage in physical activities. The results suggest that forest routes are still the primary choice for urban residents. Although familiarity with the spatial image preference for urban forest parks varied from person to person, residents’ choice of route shows certain commonalities, which was reflected in the sequential cognitive maps obtained from them. In addition, residents’ route preference is influenced by their exercise habits, environmental preference and residential location. There is also a certain correlation between residents’ preference and their characteristics. This study provides additional information for planners, developers, engineers, architects and foresters in building a more suitable environment that is aesthetically appealing and ecologically sound for physical exercising.

scholarly journals THE POTENTIAL OF URBAN FOREST PARK FOR SUSTAINABLE CITY

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Noralizawati Mohamed ◽  
Noriah Othman ◽  
Mohd Hisham Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
Urban Forest ◽  
Future Generation ◽  
Urban Greening ◽  
Sustainable City ◽  
Forest Park ◽  
Research Institution ◽  
Planning Department ◽  
To Come ◽  
Forest Parks ◽  
The Town

The potential of Urban Forest Park and publics' views are clearly pertinent in urban greening and sustainability, yet they are often ignored by certain countries. In line with this, the Town and Country Planning Department and National Landscape Department had taken steps by developing more urban parks and urban forest parks to enhance the quality and sustainability in urban environment. The study was conducted at FRIM(Forest Research Institution of Malaysia) with 375 respondents participated in this study. It is found that the respondents' evaluation on environmental, social and physical contribution at study area is associated with great and intense values for city sustainability. Public opinion and reason to come to the study area should be taken into account by professionals since they are the users and responsible to ensure thesustainability of urban forest for future generation. Even though the overall percentage of survey showed that public gave good expectation, however, the small percentage could be an eye opener as they assumed the existing setting will face big challenge to sustain in the future.

scholarly journals Changes in speciated PM2.5 concentrations in Fresno, California, due to NOx reductions and variations in diurnal emission profiles by day of week

Elem Sci Anth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin de Foy ◽  
James J. Schauer
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Ammonium Nitrate ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Multiple Linear Regression Model ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Wood Combustion ◽  
Carbon Concentrations

The San Joaquin Valley in California suffers from poor air quality due to a combination of local emissions and weak ventilation. Over the course of decades, there has been a concerted effort to control emissions from vehicles as well as from residential wood burning. A multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the trends in air pollution over multiple time scales: by year, by season, by day of the week and by time of day. The model was applied to 18 years of measurements in Fresno including hourly mole fractions of NOx and concentrations of PM2.5; and daily measurements of speciated components of PM2.5. The analysis shows that there have been reductions in NOx, elemental carbon and ammonium nitrate of 4 to 6%/year. On weekends, NOx mole fractions are reduced by 15 to 30% due to fewer vehicle miles traveled and a smaller fraction of diesel traffic. These weekend reductions in NOx have not been accompanied by weekend reductions in PM2.5 however. In particular, elemental and organic carbon concentrations are higher on winter weekends. Analysis of diurnal profiles suggests that this is because of increased PM2.5 on Saturday and holiday evenings which are likely due to residential wood combustion. Furthermore, while organic carbon concentrations have decreased in the winter months, they have been variable but without a net decline in the summer, most likely as a result of forest fires offsetting other improvements in air quality. Fog was found to greatly enhance ammonium nitrate formation and was therefore associated with higher PM2.5 in the winter months. Overall the analysis shows that air quality controls have been effective at reducing NOx all year and PM2.5 in the winter, that continued reductions in emissions will further reduce pollutant concentrations, but that winter residential wood combustion and summer forest fires could offset some of the gains obtained.

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