Quantifying Regulating Ecosystem Services of Urban Trees: A Case Study of a Green Space at Chungnam National University Using i-Tree Eco

• Published in: Forests Vol. 15; no. 8; p. 1446
• Main Authors: Hintural, Wencelito Palis, Hee Jeong Jeon, Seo Young Kim, San Go, Byung Bae Park
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.08.2024
• Subjects: air pollutant removal; Air pollution; Biodiversity; Carbon dioxide; Carbon offsets; Carbon sequestration; Cities; Climate change; Economic aspects; Economic growth; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Emissions; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Environmental aspects; Environmental impact; Forests; Green infrastructure; Identification and classification; Measurement; Open spaces; Optimization; Oxygen production; Pollutant removal; Pollutants; Regional development; Regional planning; Runoff; Surface runoff; surface runoff reduction; Trees; Trees in cities; Urban areas; Urban development; Urban planning; valuation; South Korea
• ISSN: 1999-4907; 1999-4907
• DOI: 10.3390/f15081446

Urban green spaces (UGSs) provide numerous ecosystem services (ESs) that are essential to the well-being of the residents. However, these services are often neglected in regional urban development and spatial planning. This study quantified the ESs of a 10.25 ha UGS at Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea, comprising 27 species with 287 tree individuals, using i-Tree Eco. Key regulating ESs investigated included air pollution removal, carbon storage and sequestration, oxygen production, energy use reduction, avoidance of surface runoff, and replacement and functional values. Results revealed significant annual environmental benefits: 131 kg air pollutants removed (USD 3739.01 or ₩5.16 M), 1.76 Mg carbon sequestered, which is equivalent to 0.18 Mg CO[sub.2] ha[sup.−1] yr[sup.−1] (USD 289.85 or ₩0.40 M), 2.42 Mg oxygen produced, energy savings (including carbon offset) valued at USD 391.29 (₩0.54 M), and 203 m[sup.3] reduction in surface runoff (USD 413.09 or ₩0.57 M). The annual total benefits of these urban trees amounted to USD 4833.86 (₩6.67 M), USD 16.83/tree, or USD 0.089/capita. Additionally, these trees had replacement and functional values estimated at USD 311,115.17 (₩429.3 M). The study underscores that species selection and abundance of urban trees are fundamental for maximizing the ES delivery in urban areas, highlighting the role of UGSs in ecological and economical sustainability in cities. These insights are valuable for urban planners and policymakers to optimize benefits of UGSs in cities.