Assessment of the Diversity of Large Tree Species in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas along the Chao Phraya River Rim, Central Thailand

Lamthai Asanok, Torlarp Kamyo, Monthon Norsaengsri, Teeka Yotapakdee and Suwit Navakam
Additional contact information
Lamthai Asanok: Department of Agroforestry, Maejo University, Phrae Campus, Phrae 54140, Thailand
Torlarp Kamyo: Department of Agroforestry, Maejo University, Phrae Campus, Phrae 54140, Thailand
Monthon Norsaengsri: Department of Biology, Maejo University, Phrae Campus, Phrae 54140, Thailand
Teeka Yotapakdee: Department of Economic, Maejo University, Phrae Campus, Phrae 54140, Thailand
Suwit Navakam: PTT Reforestation and Ecosystem Institute, PTT Public Company Limited, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: Urban trees provide numerous ecosystem services in cities such as pollution absorption and reduced urban heat island intensity, energy use, and mental fatigue. Understanding urban tree species diversity can enhance tree planning and management in rapidly urbanizing areas. However, few studies have examined the effects of urbanization on urban tree diversity in Thailand. This study assessed the diversity of large trees in urban landscapes including 11 cities along the 372 km Chao Phraya River Rim in central Thailand. Species diversity, importance value, and distribution were evaluated in each city. Our survey documented 987 large trees belonging to 65 species, 48 genera, and 31 families. The dominant species of Dipterocarpus alatus and Hopea odorata had the highest importance and relative abundance. The highest abundance of large trees was seen in the rural city of Sing Buri, while large urban cities such as Ayutthaya and Bangkok exhibited the highest species diversity. Detrended correspondence analysis indicated that the diversity of unique species was high in large urban cities, while dominant and common species were ubiquitous in rural cities. These findings suggest that large trees are few in number but exhibit high species diversity in large rapidly urbanizing cities. Therefore, preserving good site conditions is critical for the survival of large trees in urban cities. Heritage tree registration may aid preservation efforts and enhance the benefits of these large trees in rapidly urbanizing areas.

Keywords: tree composition; urban tree conservation; unique species; heritage tree; urban forestry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/18/10342/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/18/10342/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10342-:d:636670

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().