{"title":"How much carbon can shrubs store? Measurements and analyses from Finland","authors":"Taika Tommila , Outi Tahvonen , Matti Kuittinen","doi":"10.1016/j.ufug.2024.128560","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Effective sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere is essential to combating climate change. Many cities have set ambitious carbon neutrality goals, highlighting the significance of urban vegetation as a carbon sink. Integrating urban vegetation into the urban form involves a multi-stage decision-making process, with planning and design playing a key role in the determination of space allocation and plant species selection. While carbon-smart design decisions are often based on emission databases and environmental product declarations (EPD), comprehensive data for urban vegetation is lacking. This study aims to assess carbon stocks in urban shrubs of Finland using dry-weight measurements. The measurements involve separating above- and below-ground parts of shrubs and assessing size indices (SIs). The results indicate species-specific differences in the proportion of root mass to total biomass. Furthermore, the below-ground biomass of plants spreading through sucking rhizome networks cannot be predicted by the size index. Although SIs do not directly describe below-ground biomass, they can predict the total dry weight. Generalising the data to shrub size categories provides an understanding of carbon stocks, but further research is essential, particularly for the process of implementing vegetation in urban settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49394,"journal":{"name":"Urban Forestry & Urban Greening","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":6.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Urban Forestry & Urban Greening","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866724003583","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Effective sequestration of carbon from the atmosphere is essential to combating climate change. Many cities have set ambitious carbon neutrality goals, highlighting the significance of urban vegetation as a carbon sink. Integrating urban vegetation into the urban form involves a multi-stage decision-making process, with planning and design playing a key role in the determination of space allocation and plant species selection. While carbon-smart design decisions are often based on emission databases and environmental product declarations (EPD), comprehensive data for urban vegetation is lacking. This study aims to assess carbon stocks in urban shrubs of Finland using dry-weight measurements. The measurements involve separating above- and below-ground parts of shrubs and assessing size indices (SIs). The results indicate species-specific differences in the proportion of root mass to total biomass. Furthermore, the below-ground biomass of plants spreading through sucking rhizome networks cannot be predicted by the size index. Although SIs do not directly describe below-ground biomass, they can predict the total dry weight. Generalising the data to shrub size categories provides an understanding of carbon stocks, but further research is essential, particularly for the process of implementing vegetation in urban settings.
期刊介绍:
Urban Forestry and Urban Greening is a refereed, international journal aimed at presenting high-quality research with urban and peri-urban woody and non-woody vegetation and its use, planning, design, establishment and management as its main topics. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening concentrates on all tree-dominated (as joint together in the urban forest) as well as other green resources in and around urban areas, such as woodlands, public and private urban parks and gardens, urban nature areas, street tree and square plantations, botanical gardens and cemeteries.
The journal welcomes basic and applied research papers, as well as review papers and short communications. Contributions should focus on one or more of the following aspects:
-Form and functions of urban forests and other vegetation, including aspects of urban ecology.
-Policy-making, planning and design related to urban forests and other vegetation.
-Selection and establishment of tree resources and other vegetation for urban environments.
-Management of urban forests and other vegetation.
Original contributions of a high academic standard are invited from a wide range of disciplines and fields, including forestry, biology, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape ecology, pathology, soil science, hydrology, landscape architecture, landscape planning, urban planning and design, economics, sociology, environmental psychology, public health, and education.