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The role of trees in urban stormwater management
Citation:
Berland, A., S. Shiflett, W. Shuster, A. Garmestani, H. Goddard, D. Herrmann, AND M. Hopton. The role of trees in urban stormwater management. LANDSCAPE AND URBAN PLANNING. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 162:167-177, (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.02.017
Impact/Purpose:
Cities are beginning to explore green infrastructure as a means of stormwater management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of using aboriculture, or the cultivation of trees, as a stormwater control measure. This work is important because it will provide a better understanding of aboriculture, and whether or not cities will consider using this practice in the future. Cities or communities interested in applying green infrastructure could apply these results.
Description:
Urban impervious surfaces convert precipitation to stormwater runoff, which causes water quality and quantity problems. While traditional stormwater management has relied on gray infrastructure such as piped conveyances to collect and convey stormwater to wastewater treatment facilities or into surface waters, cities are exploring green infrastructure to manage stormwater at its source. Decentralized green infrastructure leverages the capabilities of soil and vegetation to infiltrate, redistribute, and otherwise store stormwater volume, with the potential to realize ancillary environmental, social, and economic benefits. To date, green infrastructure science and practice have largely focused on infiltration-based technologies that include rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable pavements. However, a narrow focus on infiltration overlooks other losses from the hydrologic cycle, and we propose that arboriculture – the cultivation of trees and other woody plants – deserves additional consideration as a stormwater control measure. Trees interact with the urban hydrologic cycle by intercepting incoming precipitation, removing water from the soil via transpiration, enhancing infiltration, and bolstering the performance of other green infrastructure technologies. However, many of these interactions are inadequately understood, particularly at spatial and temporal scales relevant to stormwater management. As such, the reliable use of trees for stormwater control depends on improved understanding of how and to what extent trees interact with stormwater, and the context-specific consideration of optimal arboricultural practices and institutional frameworks to maximize the stormwater benefits trees can provide.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: The role of trees in urban stormwater management
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2017.02.017
Free access through PubMed Central