What Ecosystem Services Do Urban Trees Provide?

What’s an ecosystem service? Picture vibrant green canopies providing cool sanctuaries amidst concrete jungles. This is one of 10 ecosystem services urban trees bring to city life. Landscape managers and urban planners lead the revolution, transforming cities into lush havens. Our solution empowers this transformation, offering expert guidance in integrating nature into urban landscapes. Together, let's seize this opportunity to manage our street tree inventories, cooling our cities and safeguarding the well-being of future generations.

Take care of your urban trees now!

Why?

🔥 Because tomorrow will be hot 🔥
Trees can reduce heat island effects by 1° to 3°C.

🚣🏻‍♀️ Because it's going to overflow 🚣🏻‍♀️
Trees enable 25% deep water infiltration compared to 5% without them, reducing flood risks.

📢 Because cities are loud 📢
Trees reduce noise by 30% to 40% with a 15m high and 30m long vegetal slope.

🍃 Because we want to breathe 🍃
There's a 40% lower obesity risk for city dwellers in areas with abundant green spaces.

Ecosystem Service n°1: Urban Climate Cooling Effect

To mitigate urban heat island phenomena, it's crucial to incorporate mature trees into urban landscapes. They contribute to reducing ambient temperature through two different mechanisms:

• Through evapotranspiration, they release water they absorb in the form of water vapor.

• Through shading, 15 to 20% of solar radiation is reflected by the leaves, and 50% is absorbed by the tree. This reduces heat around these trees.

The Épicéa project highlighted that the presence of trees in cities results in an average temperature difference of 1 to 3°C over the entire episode, with a maximum of 5°C at any given moment. If you live in a city, can you think of a better service than this one?

Ecosystem Service n°2: Improvement of Stormwater Management

The development of urban areas has led to increased soil sealing, posing a growing problem. This sealing intensifies flooding during heavy rainfall episodes.

Urban trees are a major asset for managing stormwater flows as they promote infiltration. According to the Federal Interagency Stream Working Group, tree presence allows for a surface infiltration of 25% compared to 10% without trees. Regarding deep infiltration, it's about 25% in the presence of trees compared to 5% without. Source.

Moreover, trees capture a significant amount of rainwater through their foliage. Of course, reducing soil sealing remains the best way to combat surface runoff.

Ecosystem Service n°3: CO2 Sequestration

Carbon is a crucial element in the life cycle of trees. Throughout their growth, trees absorb carbon dioxide and store it in their roots, trunk, and branches. They then release oxygen. The storage capacity of a tree depends on its age and trunk diameter. Trees are an indispensable resource for communities looking to transition to sustainable practices and anchor their territory in a durable approach.

Ecosystem Service n°4: Biodiversity Support

Trees play a significant role in supporting biodiversity. They provide habitat for numerous species in urban areas, offering shelter for mammals, birds, lichens, insects, and more in their roots, trunk, and foliage. Additionally, trees contribute to biodiversity by providing organic matter. Choosing the right tree species is crucial for optimal support of local biodiversity.

Ecosystem Service n°5: Noise Pollution Protection

Urban trees act as a barrier against the cacophony of city life. With a vegetative embankment 15 meters high and 30 meters long, noise levels can be reduced by approximately 30 to 40%. Source.

Ecosystem Service n°6: Landscape Value

What would our cities look like without trees? They'd be rather dull, wouldn't they? Trees bring aesthetic value and enhance neighborhoods and urban parks. They're used worldwide to adorn and brighten streets and pathways.

Having trees near a house can increase the value of a residential property by around 10 to 18%. Source.

Ecosystem Service n°7: Physical Well-being Service

The presence of trees contributes to improving the physical health of city residents. Green spaces facilitate the reduction of obesity and related diseases. According to studies by Astell-Burt et al. (2014) and Ellaway et al. (2005), the risk of obesity is reduced by 40% for city residents living in areas with significant green space densities. They are also three times more likely to be active. Source.

Ecosystem Service n°8: Mental Well-being Service

These natural spaces play an important role in mental health. Nature areas help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. There is a noticeable reduction in the prevalence of depressive disorders by about 17% for individuals frequenting natural spaces 4 to 5 times per week. Source.

 Finally, these natural spaces are beneficial for city dwellers in terms of social health. They serve as meeting places and for socializing, fostering a sense of belonging to a community and reducing feelings of loneliness.

Ecosystem Service n°9: A Local Resource

Urban trees can serve as a local energy resource when they reach the end of their life. These trees provide biomaterials for local actors and can reduce the carbon impact caused by importing wood from other countries. And if we were to plant fruit trees, we could even consider a more local food supply for citizens.

Ecosystem Service n°10: Air Pollution Protection

In urban environments, sources of air pollution are plentiful, leading to daily exposure for city residents to pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, fine particulate matter, and other contaminants. The presence of vegetation cover helps reduce air pollution by absorbing and capturing fine particles.

What Role Does Data Play in All of This?

Planting trees is great, but planting the right ones is even better! To fully benefit from ecosystem services, it's important to select species that are well-suited to the intended environment. It's also essential to know what trees you already have by conducting an inventory.

 To support green space managers and help them make the best decisions regarding which species to introduce in their areas, we're developing Ecoteka, an inventory and tree heritage management tool designed to assist communities in better understanding and managing their tree inventory.

If you're interested in learning more about Ecoteka, get in touch!