Are Ecosystem Services Provided by Street Trees at Parcel Level Worthy of Attention? A Case Study of a Campus in Zhenjiang, China

Guangxi Shen, Zipeng Song, Jiacong Xu, Lishuang Zou, Lijin Huang and Yingnan Li ()
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Guangxi Shen: Department of Environmental Design, School of Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Zipeng Song: Department of Environmental Design, School of Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Jiacong Xu: Department of Environmental Design, School of Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Lishuang Zou: School of Art and Design, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116034, China
Lijin Huang: Department of Environmental Design, School of Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Yingnan Li: Department of Environmental Design, School of Arts, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Street trees in urban areas have positive impacts on the environment, such as climate regulation, air purification, and runoff mitigation. However, the ecosystem services (ES) provided by street trees at the parcel level remain a notable gap in the existing literature. This study quantified the ES benefits provided by street trees at Jiangsu University in Zhenjiang, China, which could represent the parcel level. A widely applied model, i-Tree Eco, was used to evaluate the ES, including carbon storage, carbon sequestration, pollutant removal, rainwater runoff reduction, and their economic value. We also analyzed how these are affected by the structure of tree species. The results revealed that the 10 most abundant species accounted for 84.3% of the total number of trees, with an unstable structure of species composition. A reasonable age proportion was important since a lower proportion of young trees may make future benefit outputs unstable. The annual economic value provided by ES was USD 205,253.20, with an average of USD 79.90 per tree. Platanus orientalis had the highest single plant benefit, indicating that the management pattern of street trees could be adapted in different environments to maximize benefits. Thus, street trees at the parcel level should receive more attention with strategic planning and management in order to maximize the ES and their economic value.

Keywords: ecosystem services; climate regulation; urban forests; street tree; parcel level; i-Tree Eco; sustainable development; economic value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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