Establishment period of street trees growing in the Boston, MA metropolitan area

Sherman, Alex R.; Kane, Brian; Autio, Wesley A.; Harris, J. Roger; Ryan, H. Dennis P.

doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.07.006

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In outlining a performance evaluation framework for urban GI development, Tiwary et al 120 suggest that a plant's tolerance of relevant environmental stresses should be given priority over all other functionalities as an indicator of its suitability. This point is supported by findings from numerous studies into aspects of successful plant establishment in urban areas, all of which support the principle that the viability of individual species varies with planting site conditions 41,68,123,[125][126][127] .…”

Section: Environmental Tolerancementioning

confidence: 56%

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

2020

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Vegetation can form a barrier between traffic emissions and adjacent areas, but the optimal configuration and plant composition of such green infrastructure (GI) are currently unclear. We examined the literature on aspects of GI that influence ambient air quality, with a particular focus on vegetation barriers in open-road environments. Findings were critically evaluated in order to identify principles for effective barrier design, and recommendations regarding plant selection were established with reference to relevant spatial scales. As an initial investigation into viable species for UK urban GI, we compiled data on 12 influential traits for 61 tree species, and created a supplementary plant selection framework. We found that if the scale of the intervention, the context and conditions of the site and the target air pollutant type are appreciated, the selection of plants that exhibit certain biophysical traits can enhance air pollution mitigation. For super-micrometre particles, advantageous leaf micromorphological traits include the presence of trichomes and ridges or grooves. Stomatal characteristics are more significant for sub-micrometre particle and gaseous pollutant uptake, although we found a comparative dearth of studies into such pollutants. Generally advantageous macromorphological traits include small leaf size and high leaf complexity, but optimal vegetation height, form and density depend on planting configuration with respect to the immediate physical environment. Biogenic volatile organic compound and pollen emissions can be minimised by appropriate species selection, although their significance varies with scale and context. While this review assembled evidence-based recommendations for practitioners, several important areas for future research were identified.

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Section: Environmental Tolerancementioning

confidence: 56%

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

2020

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“…The period of admission of the tree, after which an increase in the growth rate is noted, may last several growing seasons. Studies conducted on different tree species (Acer campestre, Platanus acerifolia, Quercus rubra) have shown that this period can last from 2 to 6 years [119]. Many more trees survive the stress period immediately after planting in areas where the public is involved in caring for greenery.…”

Section: Tree Dieback In Urban Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Complex Issue of Urban Trees—Stress Factor Accumulation and Ecological Service Possibilities

Czaja

Kołton

Muras

2020

Forests

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This review paper is the first that summarizes many aspects of the ecological role of trees in urban landscapes while considering their growth conditions. Research Highlights are: (i) Plant growth conditions in cities are worsening due to high urbanization rates and new stress factors; (ii) Urban trees are capable of alleviating the stress factors they are exposed to; (iii) The size and vitality of trees is related to the ecological services they can provide. Our review shows, in a clear way, that the phenomenon of human-related environmental degradation, which generates urban tree stress, can be effectively alleviated by the presence of trees. The first section reviews concerns related to urban environment degradation and its influence on trees. Intense urbanization affects the environment of plants, raising the mortality rate of urban trees. The second part deals with the dieback of city trees, its causes and scale. The average life expectancy of urban trees is relatively low and depends on factors such as the specific location, proper care and community involvement, among others. The third part concerns the ecological and economic advantages of trees in the city structure. Trees affect citizen safety and health, but also improve the soil and air environment. Finally, we present the drawbacks of tree planting and discuss if they are caused by the tree itself or rather by improper tree management. We collect the latest reports on the complicated state of urban trees, presenting new insights on the complex issue of trees situated in cities, struggling with stress factors. These stressors have evolved over the decades and emphasize the importance of tree presence in the city structure.

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“…Nonetheless, the advantages of replicating and building from these experiments to better understand the complex and reciprocal interactions among people and nature in cities are clear (Felson & Pickett, 2005;Jenerette & Shen, 2012). ( Bigsby et al, 2014;Dobbs et al, 2014;Gerrish & Watkins, 2018;Sherman et al, 2016;Stagoll et al, 2012)…”

Section: Implications For Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tree addition experiments are difficult to conduct as trees may take 20 years or more to reach maturity and take many decades to develop mature tree traits (e.g. tree hollows), and provide significant habitat features (Sherman et al, 2016; Stagoll et al, 2012). Over this time many other variables that influence biodiversity and people can also change (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the importance of urban trees to people and nature through tree removal experiments

Barona

Threlfall

Kendal³

et al. 2023

People and Nature

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Experimentally manipulating urban tree abundance and structure can help explore the complex and reciprocal interactions among people, biodiversity and the services urban forests provide to humans and wildlife. In this study we take advantage of scheduled urban tree removals to experimentally quantify the benefits that urban trees provide to humans and wildlife. Specifically, we aim to understand how trees affect: (1) bird and mammal abundance and diversity, as well as an ecological process (predation); and (2) people's perception responses, such as the importance that people assign to the trees, wildlife and the site. We designed two independent Before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) experiments based on two sites where tree removals were occurring (impact sites): an urban park and a residential street, both located in the Greater Melbourne Area, Australia. We selected three control sites for each impact site, or four per experiment. Ecological data were collected through field surveys, and social data on people's perceptions through intercept questionnaires among park and street users. Data were analysed using a GLMMs to determine the combined effect of time (before and after) and treatment (impact and controls). At the urban park, the abundance of nectarivorous birds and possums both declined by 62% following tree removal, while invertebrate predation increased by 82.1%. The level of importance people assigned to the urban park and to the trees at the site decreased after tree removal, and people's attitudes towards tree planting became more positive, meaning more people wanted to plant more trees at the site. None of these changes were observed in the street experiment where fewer and smaller trees were removed, suggesting that effects may be highly specific to context, where factors such as tree volume, diversity and arrangement influence the magnitude of social–ecological effects observed. By demonstrating the social–ecological effect of removing urban trees, we provide evidence that urban trees provide critical habitat to urban wildlife and are perceived as an important aspect of the human experience of urban nature. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Establishment period of street trees growing in the Boston, MA metropolitan area

Cited by 13 publications

References 21 publications

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

Designing vegetation barriers for urban air pollution abatement: a practical review for appropriate plant species selection

The Complex Issue of Urban Trees—Stress Factor Accumulation and Ecological Service Possibilities

Quantifying the importance of urban trees to people and nature through tree removal experiments

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