How green is an urban tree? The impact of species selection in reducing the carbon footprint of park trees in Swedish cities

IF 2.4 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Erik Lind, Thomas Prade, Johanna Sjöman Deak, A. Levinsson, H. Sjöman
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Abstract

Introduction Planting trees in urban areas can mitigate some of the emissions generated in cities by carbon sequestration (annual uptake of CO2 through the process of photosynthesis) and carbon storage (amount of carbon stored in the tree's biomass throughout its lifespan). The aim of this study was to calculate the carbon footprint from nursery production to final establishment of different tree species grown for planting in urban parks in a northern European context. Material and methods The analysis included a cradle-to-gate approach and investigated the amount of carbon the adult trees needed to sequester in order to compensate for initial carbon emissions and which temporal perspectives are of concern. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated based on an inventory of consumption of fuels, energy, materials and other production inputs during cultivation, delivery, planting and establishment of three different tree species in three different locations in Sweden. The tree species considered in the analysis (Salix alba, Quercus rubra, Pinus sylvestris) were selected due to significant differences in their growth rates. Salix alba is a competitive strategist in resource-rich habitats, and is proficient at converting these resources into vigorous growth. Pinus sylvestris is a pronounced stress strategist with good ability to handle resource-limited habitats, and invests in traits accordingly, resulting in significantly slower development. Quercus rubra has its main distribution in cool and moderately resource-rich habitats, but has relatively high stress tolerance and can be considered intermediate between the other two species in terms of growth rate. Results and discussion The results showed that within 16 years of planting, all species in all three cities, except Pinus sylvestris planted in Umeå, compensated for initial carbon emissions, i.e. showed net absorption of CO2 after emissions from cultivation, delivery, planting and establishment of the trees had been deducted. There was a clear link between the time by which compensation of initial carbon emissions was achieved and growth rate of the different species, with the fast-growing Salix alba showing the best results. The single largest source of emissions among all activities carried out during cultivation, delivery and planting of all species, regardless of the city in which they were planted, was fuel consumption during tree planting.
一棵城市树有多绿?物种选择对减少瑞典城市公园树木碳足迹的影响
在城市地区种植树木可以减少城市通过固碳(通过光合作用每年吸收的二氧化碳)和碳储存(树木在其整个生命周期中储存的碳量)产生的一些排放。本研究的目的是计算北欧城市公园中从苗圃生产到最终建立不同树种种植的碳足迹。该分析包括从摇篮到大门的方法,并调查了成年树为补偿初始碳排放而需要封存的碳量,以及需要关注的时间视角。温室气体排放量是根据在瑞典三个不同地点种植、运输、种植和建立三种不同树种期间消耗的燃料、能源、材料和其他生产投入的清单估算的。在分析中考虑的树种(Salix alba, Quercus rubra, Pinus sylvestris)的选择是因为它们的生长速度有显著差异。在资源丰富的栖息地,柳是一个有竞争力的战略家,善于将这些资源转化为旺盛的生长。sylvestris是一个明显的压力策略者,具有良好的应对资源有限的栖息地的能力,并相应地投资于性状,导致其发育明显减慢。黑栎主要分布在阴凉和资源适度丰富的生境,但具有较高的抗逆性,生长速度介于其他两种树种之间。结果与讨论结果表明:在16年的种植期内,3个城市的所有树种均补偿了初始碳排放,即扣除树木种植、运输、种植和建立排放后的二氧化碳净吸收量。实现初始碳排放补偿的时间与不同树种的生长速度之间存在明显的联系,其中快速生长的白柳表现出最好的效果。无论在哪个城市种植,在所有树种的种植、运输和种植过程中进行的所有活动中,最大的单一排放源是植树期间的燃料消耗。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
4.00
自引率
7.10%
发文量
176
审稿时长
13 weeks
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