Evaluation of climate-related ecosystem services of urban trees in Szeged (Hungary)
Abstract
Urban ecosystems are artificially created and maintained, but, as they are situated in densely populated settlements, they contribute to many people’s well-being directly. This highlights the need for the evaluation of these services and to elaborate suitable methodologies for that. Some very important regulating services of urban green spaces (e.g. carbon sequestration, air pollution removal) are connected to the anthropogenically modified climatic characteristics of the cities. In this study, we show an example for the valuation of these services in the city of Szeged (Hungary). The calculations were made on a per tree base, by the adaptation of a targeted model developed in the U.S. (i-Tree Eco), using the tree cadastre database of the city. Our results highlight the importance of tree condition in service provision, which should be considered during species selection in urban circumstances.
References
Baur, J. W. R., Tynon, J. F., Ries, P. & Rosenberger, R. S. (2014): Urban Parks and Attributes about Ecosystem Services: Does Park Use Matter? – J. Park Recreat. Adm. 32: 19–34.
Bolund, P. & Hunhammar, S. (1999): Ecosystem services in urban areas. – Ecol. Econ. 29: 293–301.
Chaparro, L. & Terradas, J. (2009): Ecological Services of Urban Forest in Barcelona. – Barcelona City Council, Barcelona, Spain: Department of Environment, 96 pp.
Dobbs, C., Escobedo, F. J. & Zipperer, W. C. (2011): A framework for developing urban forest ecosystem services and goods indicators. – Landscape. Urban. Plan. 99: 196–206.
Európai Bizottság (2011): Életbiztosításunk, természeti tőkénk: a biológiai sokféleséggel kapcsolatos, 2020-ig teljesítendő uniós stratégia. – COM(2011) 244, Brüsszel, 19 pp.
Gulyás, Á., Kiss, M., Takács, Á., Varga. L. & Makrai, L. (2015): Szeged közterületi faállományának vizsgálata. – In: Rakonczai, J., Blanka, V. & Ladányi Zs. (szerk): Tovább egy zöldebb úton. SZTE TTIK Földrajzi és Földtani Tanszékcsoport, Szeged, pp. 67–79.
Hegedűs, A., Gaál, M. & Bérces, R. (2011): Tree appraisal methods and their application – first results in one of Budapest’s districts. – Appl. Ecol. Environ. Res. 9: 411–423.
Hunter Block, A., Livesley, S. J. & Williams, N. S. G. (2012): Responding to the urban heat island: A review of the potential of the green infrastructure. – Victorian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation Research,Melbourne, 56 pp.
i-Tree (2014): i-Tree Eco User Manual v5.0. – USDA Forest Service, 114 pp.
Nowak, D. J., Crane, D. E., Stevens, J. C., Hoehn, R. E., Walton, J. T. & Bond, J. (2008): A Ground-Based Method of Aessing Urban Forest Structure and Ecosystem Services. – Arboric. Urb. For. 34: 347–358.
Peng, L., Chen, S., Liu, X. & Wang, J. (2008): Application of CITYgreen model in benefit assessment of Nanjing urban green space in carbon fixation and runoff reduction. – Front. For. China 3: 177–182.
Pothier, A. J. & Millward, A. A. (2013): Valuing trees on city-centre institutional land: an opportunity for urban forest management. – J. Environ. Plann. Man. 56: 1380–1402.
Rogers, K., Jarratt, T. & Hansford, D. (2011): Torbay’s Urban Forest – Assessing Urban Forest Effects and Values. – Treeconomics, Exeter, 43 pp.
Russo, A., Escobedo, F. J., Timilsina, N., Schmitt, A. O., Varela, S. & Zerbe, S. (2014): Assessing urban tree carbon storage and sequestration in Bolzano, Italy. – Int. J. Biodivers. Sci. Ecosyst. Serv. Manag. 10: 54–70.
Soares, A. L., Rego, F. C., Mcpherson, E. G., Simpson, J. R., Peper, P. J. & Xiao, Q. (2011): Benefits and costs of street trees in Lisbon, Portugal. – Urban. For. Urban. Gree. 10: 69–78.
Vajna, L. (2010): Fiatal díszfák és cserjék pusztulása városi környezetben. – Növényvédelem 46: 431–436.
Wälchli, G. (2012): Ökosystemdienstleistungen als ökonomische Strategie? i-Tree: ein Instrument für die Wertermittlung von Stadtbäumen Zusammenfassung. – Wädenswil: Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, 123 pp.
