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Estimating Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees in Desert Regions
Citation:
Isaifan, R. AND R. Baldauf. Estimating Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees in Desert Regions. FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. Ecological Society of America, Ithaca, NY, 8:16, (2020). https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00016
Impact/Purpose:
Urban air pollution has been shown to negatively impact public health. Urban vegetation has the capability to mitigate some of the adverse iimpacts from urban air pollution. This paper summarizes the potential economic benefits of tree planting due to air quality and other benefits using Doha, Qatar as a case study and the application of the US-developed i-Tree software. This assessment highlights the use of i-Tree for international green infrastructure benefits assessments and the implications of tree planting in Doha. This information will be useful for urban planners, foresters and community leaders in prioritizing air pollution mitigation strategies and understanding the benefits of urban tree planting.
Description:
Trees in urban areas have a significant impact on air quality and other environmental issues. Trees can affect the concentration of air pollutants that we breathe by directly removing pollutants or avoiding emissions and secondary pollutant formation in the atmosphere. In addition, trees have several non-air quality benefits including increasing property value, intercepting storm water runoff and saving energy needed for cooling of buildings. In this work, the economic benefits of improved environmental conditions were estimated for three abundant tree species found in desert regions: acacia, ziziphus and phoenix dactylifera. The economic-environmental benefits varied by species, although acacia was generally found to have the highest overall benefits, mostly due to the species large leaf surface area and canopy shape. In addition, mature trees tended to be more beneficial than smaller trees for improving environmental conditions. The location of planting these trees had minimal impact on the overall economic value. This assessment provides urban planners, foresters, and developers in desert regions with the information needed to make informed decisions on the economic and environmental benefits of urban tree planting.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Estimating Economic and Environmental Benefits of Urban Trees in Desert Regions
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