Estimating Carbon Budget from Growth and Management of Urban Street Trees in South Korea

Abstract

Although street trees take up carbon by vegetation growth, they emit carbon directly or indirectly into the atmosphere due to the need for regular management, such as pruning and, irrigation, etc. This study estimates the annual carbon budget from the growth and management of urban street trees in South Korea and suggests management strategies to minimize the degree of management and annual carbon emissions. Annual carbon emissions from management practices such as pruning, irrigation, pesticide and fungicide application, and fertilization were estimated based on maintenance data, interviews with managers, and actual measurements. Annual carbon emissions from the management of urban street trees were calculated to be 2.4 kg/tree/year. From this total, pruning was the largest contributor at 91%. The average net carbon uptake for each street tree was 5.5 kg/tree/year. The street trees included in this study played an important role in carbon uptake, which was equivalent to 90–550% of the annual carbon emissions from street tree management. Based on these results, suggested management strategies include pruning, irrigation, pesticide and fungicide application, and fertilization. These study results will be useful for designing practical low-carbon landscapes with minimal management and carbon emissions.

Policy Driven Compact Cities: Toward Clarifying the Effect of Compact Cities on Carbon Emissions

“…This is also supported by the 'compensatory mechanism hypothesis' that residents living in high-density areas use far more energy than others for travel by plane, and the commensurate reduction in leisure time travel when residents have access to a private garden [7]. A study in South Korea estimated carbon budgets using the growth and management of urban street trees and demonstrated that urban green management could be a positive measure toward minimizing carbon emissions [76]. This factor is important when considering compact city design, as compact city theory states that a higher density will provide a more sustainable urban form with lower energy consumption per capita.…”

Comprehensive evaluation and application of woody plants in the green spaces of parks in saline–Alkaline areas from a low-carbon perspective: A case study of Tianjin Qiaoyuan Park

“…Under normal conditions, the carbon emissions generated by the management of a mature tree annually amount to approximately 2400 g [8]. However, in saline-alkali areas, due to the presence of barren soil, the amount of soil improvement and maintenance work required for landscaping in the later stages-such as soil plowing and desalination [9], fertilization and irrigation [10], and vegetation removal [11]-needs to increase compared to that in conventional green spaces.…”